MMA-URLS

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

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Following last night's main event bout which crowned a Heavyweight Grand Prix winner and a new Strikeforce champion, Josh Barnett mentioned that he had broken his hand during the first round of the contest. Pictured on the right is the x-ray of Barnett's hand, which came with this message: Here's what happened in the first :30...still threw it though. Of course that might not have so wise LOL. The experienced veteran gutted through and toughed it out until the final bell, but it looks like his opponent, Daniel Cormier also had to go through a similar ordeal. After the jump, the new Strikeforce champion talks about re-injuring the same hand he broke against Antonio Silva. Cormier brought up the news about the injury during the post-fight press conference. MMA Fighting has it: Cormier broke his right hand in the opening stanza of his five-round battle with the former UFC heavyweight champion. It was the same hand he broke when he knocked out Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in September in the tournament semifinals. The former Olympic wrestler decided against surgery the first time around, which made for an eight-month stretch between his fights. This time, he wants to let it properly heal. "I think this time I'm going to take a different approach," Cormier said. "I think I'm going to have surgery on it and get it fixed, because I don't want it to be recurring and then end up costing me later and later on down the line." The former Olympian said the injury luckily wasn't as bad as the last time he broke it during his bout against Antonio Silva: "Normally when you get surgery you get it to heal faster," he said. "It's not as bad as it was the first time, because the first time, I could hardly I even move it." Cormier did not tell his coaches about the injury, opting to just keep quiet, and continue working on the tools he had left. For the next 20 minutes or so, he out-landed and dominated a much more experienced fighter in Josh Barnett, landing head kicks, knees, and impressive takedowns which eventually notched him the biggest win of his career.

Posted in: time, hand, barnett, cormier, antonio

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

After shooting a Muay Thai show in Flushing, NY this weekend, I noticed a man with half his head shaved leaving the venue.  He literally buzzed half of his head down the middle.  At first, I thought maybe he could only afford half a haircut, which would be incredibly unfortunate, but then I figured that’s probably the joke the rest of the world makes when they see it.  I decided he’s a time traveler who arrived in 2012 from the distant future, and we’re all the weird ones with uniform style haircuts.  His Jordan XXXI’s were a dead giveaway.  When he left the venue, he was actually returning to his time machine, and he now knows what Muay Thai looked like before it became the biggest sport in the world, back before promoters stabbed each other in the face with a metaphorical ice pick.  The Zuffa's creative department has a similar time machine, and they’ve traveled back in time to create this UFC 146 promo for your amusement.  Technicolor never looked so rawesome. [Source]

Posted in: time, muay thai, time machine, half, flushing ny

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Drunk-driving isn't a stupid mistake; it's a stupid decision, one often made by otherwise intelligent people. We all know the potential risks and the real costs, so not much more needs to be said about that.Jon Jones will have a penalty to pay, if as the Broome County, New York Sheriff's Department alleges, he made this same stupid decision in the wee hours of Saturday morning. The UFC light-heavyweight champion may face jail time and a fine.All things considered, it could have been a lot worse. Thankfully, no one else was hurt, and he didn't suffer any injuries that will affect his career. If in the end, it simply costs him a car (his Bentley was reportedly totaled), some sponsorship money, a fine and community service, he will have certainly dodged a bullet. But for a man who has been accused of artificially crafting a squeaky clean reputation, the damage goes beyond the tangible and the legal. He has dented his own good name. In times of adversity, true character is revealed. You are among the many who thought him to be a "fraud"? You wanted to know about the "real" Jon Jones? Here you go. There is no permanent hiding place from this. At some point, he will re-enter the public arena and talk about it, and maybe Jones and the army of skeptics can reach an understanding that he's parts revolutionary athlete and normal human, equally capable of temporary brilliance in a cage and like anyone else, momentary idiocy in real life.Jones' reputation has been one that many felt was a little too carefully cultivated. This has always puzzled me. Why shouldn't a professional athlete always try to put his best foot forward? There were plenty who called him a fake, as though all of us reveal every bit of ourselves to the world at all times. That's why it came as no surprise that some were downright celebratory at the news of his arrest, so desperate to be right that his image was a sham that they were willing to cheer another person's failure. Regardless of what Jones has said or done in the past, he has never claimed to be anything other than a human being, and any human is capable of having bad -- even terrible -- judgment from from time to time. Jones is 24 years old. He may have accomplished a lot at a young age; he may be a father, but he is still a young man. This does not excuse what he allegedly did. It is not a reason for it, either. It's just a realization that judgment is sometimes clouded by the seeming indestructibility of youth. It's no accident that according to government statistics, the highest percentage of drunk drivers are the ones from ages 21-24.Once you start getting a little older and have some time behind you, you realize that for many, youth is a time spent doing stupid things and hoping to survive. Luckily for him, he did. On the other hand, his life is about to get a lot less comfortable. He's going to have answer questions, he's going to get stares and the criticism? It's just getting started. Advertisers will most certainly not be pleased. His long-hoped-for deal with Nike? That's probably going to the back burner for the foreseeable future. How will he handle all that? It's always easy to smile and present yourself to the world when times are good. It's not so easy when the world is looking down their noses at you. Money can buy you a good lawyer, a PR team and a new Bentley, but it can't restore a reputation.Addressing those issues are ultimately up to Jones. So far, he's said little. His usually active Twitter account has been silent since early Friday evening except for a single Tweet reading "God is good." His Facebook page and website haven't been updated in days. The only words uttered by anyone connected to Jones have come from his management, simply confirming the arrest and offering their support.The UFC is unlikely to penalize him. UFC president Dana White didn't discipline featherweight Ross Pearson following his own recent DUI charges."I'm a realist," White said at the time. "You can't expect all these people to be perfect. I understand they're role models. They're human beings. They're going to make mistakes. I'm one of those guys that believes we're all going to make mistakes. It's how you handle it after you make that mistake that tells you who you really are."White will most certainly take the same approach with Jones. That means he's only going to face the Broome County courts, and the court of public opinion. In the former, he'll only need to have an understanding of the law. In the latter, he'll need the candid truth. If you believe that Jones' reputation was a crock, then you should also believe the public backlash he's going to receive is just as important to him as his legal situation. His reputation is right now the only thing other than his car that was damaged by the incident. If you wanted a dent in the Jones' facade, you got one. If that is a cause for celebration for you, well, that just proves that you, too, are capable of stupid decisions. The rest of us will wait to see if the real Jon Jones steps up to show his true character.

Posted in: time, jone, jon jones, he, reputation

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

SAN JOSE -- What's next for Daniel Cormier? That was the question on everyone's mind after he manhandled veteran Josh Barnett to win the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament on Saturday night at the HP Pavilion. Will he go straight to the UFC, where he'd clearly fit in among the division's elite, or will he fight again in Strikeforce? The answer, for now: Neither. A visit to the surgeon is on deck before anything else goes down in Cormier's career. Cormier broke his right hand in the opening stanza of his five-round battle with the former UFC heavyweight champion. It was the same hand he broke when he knocked out Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in September in the tournament semifinals. The former Olympic wrestler decided against surgery the first time around, which made for an eight-month stretch between his fights. This time, he wants to let it properly heal. "I think this time I'm going to take a different approach," Cormier said. "I think I'm going to have surgery on it and get it fixed, because I don't want it to be recurring and then end up costing me later on later on down the line." Cormier never bothered telling his corner that he thought his hand was broken. Instead, the early injury forced him to improvise. "You're in a fight, you have to use all your weapons," said Cormier. "That's why I was kicking, I was punching, I was kneeing him in there. Josh is too good to fight handicapped. I don't think my coaches picked up on [the injury] because I didn't tell them. I just kept fighting." That approach led to an epiphany for the undefeated American Kickboxing Academy star during the second round, which led to the fight turning to his favor for good. "The biggest surprise was when I took him down in the second round and just kind of stayed here," Cormier said. "It was very surprising to me how easy it was to stay in his guard, he's such a good leg lock guy that I thought maybe he would let me pass through his half-guard or something. "I made an adjustment in the fight when I realized he was going to allow me to control him on the bottom. It was a little easier with my strikes when I realized he was going to respect my takedowns. It changed things a little bit." Still, Cormier was impressed with the toughness displayed by his opponent, who wasn't at the post-fight press conference. "Josh did a great job," Cormier said. "He fought tough, he fought hard, he was in there in my face the whole time. I couldn't believe some of the shots that I landed in there, especially the two head kicks. I couldn't believe that he stayed up." Cormier has one fight left on his Strikeforce contract. He hopes to fight again in 2012. No one would speculate as to whom Cormier would meet. After all, who knows what Strikeforce will look like six months down the road? Cormier simply wishes to focus on getting healthy. "Normally when you get surgery you get it to heal faster," he said. "It's not as bad as it was the first time, because the first time, I could hardly I even move it." And besides, Cormier has been through far worse predicaments in life than a broken hand, both in competition, where he came up short in several international wrestling meets, and more importantly, in his personal life, where he has coped with quite a bit of tragedy. The heavyweight, who was emotional in the cage after the win, waxed philosophical during the press conference. "When you think about everyone's trials and tribulations, for me, getting knocked down and getting back up, it made me a stronger person," Cormier said. "Everything's turned back around. Not only is my career going great, but I have two young kids, a great girlfriend, it's just everything is on the up and up right now." "Now matter how bad things get, eventually the sun is going to shine. "If you just keep it at, pursuing your goals, eventually good things happen to decent people. For a person who is set on his goals, good things happen. Everyone deals with adversity. It's how you bounce back from it."

Posted in: fight, time, strikeforce, hand, cormier

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Light heavyweight Jon Jones found himself locked in a cage early this morning though not the kind he’s accustomed to spending time in as an incredibly successful Mixed Martial Artist. The 24-year old UFC champion was arrested in New York after crashing his Bentley into a pole at approximately 5:00 AM EST and showing signs of driving under the influence. TMZ Sports was first to report the story where it was also revealed Jones’ mother bailed him out of jail shortly after his incarceration. He is not believed to have suffered any injuries in the accident. “I can confirm that Jon Jones was arrested early this morning on suspicion of DUI,” stated manager Malki Kawa in a prepared statement to media. “While the facts of this situation are still being gathered and situated, First Round Management fully supports Jon and we are asking for fans and media to respect the privacy of Jon and his family during this time.” No comment has been issued by Jones at this point in time. Jones is currently scheduled to face Dan Henderson at UFC 151 in Las Vegas on September 1. It is unlikely the bout will be changed or he will endure any internal punishment from the UFC based on the organization’s handling of similar situations. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, time, jon, jone, jon jones

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Mixed martial arts has always had a strong connection with professional wrestling, owing its sports entertainment rival a debt of gratitude not only for much of the financial success the UFC has witnessed over the last decade but also for the sport's very existence. Recent stories have highlighted this relationship while also revealing a trend which sees the two growing even more intertwined. One of the bigger stories in professional wrestling this year has been the return of Brock Lesnar - and with him "legitimacy" - to the WWE. Where in past years Vince McMahon and company have made a conscious effort to keep the upstart UFC at arms length, current storylines see them embracing Brock's real fighting accomplishments and using it in what may even be described as some sort of meta "WWE versus UFC" plot. His violent and realistic confrontations with John Cena, which always come with an underlying threat that he may at some point decide to fight for real, hearkens to the earlier era of kayfabe. Bellator and TNA, two companies that share a home on Spike, have taken this fusing of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts to another level with their recent signing of Muhammed Lawal. While other fighters have worked as wrestlers before, during, or after their careers in the cage, King Mo's deal with the two is unique to North American promoters (but not to Japanese). Obviously they are hoping that their joint promotion, and the resulting synergy, will appeal to the numerous crossover fans that the two "sports" share. That events inside the Bellator cage may serve as plot devices for simultaneous TNA storylines, highlights the potential blurring of the lines. One fighter who has already done what King Mo is attempting is Josh Barnett, who for years alternated between fighting for real and choreographing his combat in the rings of Japan. The mic work he picked up as part of his puroresu experiences has served him well in the lead up to tonight's contest against Daniel Cormier for the Strikeforce Grand Prix championship. Barnett's pro-wrestling background also provides a stark contrast with Cormier, who brings with him what is generally viewed as a more "legitimate" wrestling resume, having reached the uppermost echelons of amateur (or "real") wrestling. Of course, Barnett would probably take offense to this comparison, having, in recent interviews, seen fit to defend professional wrestling's effectiveness as a training ground for combat: ... I feel really proud of a professional wrestling lineage, I feel pride in trying to re-connect those Amateur Wrestling roots to the combat aspects of wrestling, and also the history and the lineage of where Professional Wrestling came from. It's not fake, you know? I can't stand it when people go "Oh, but it's fake, right?" ... It's not fake! You can call it whatever you want, but don't say it's fake. I'm not joking out there, I'm not playing around, it's not a game to me. It's real, and I take it very seriously because I'm trying to show everything that we have as athletes out there in the ring, trying to show all the emotions and aspects that go into a fight and a struggle between two competitors. ... Pro Wrestlers used to be considered some of the toughest guys in the world back in the day. It didn't matter if they were out there working, their pedigree was otherwise, and anybody that wanted to step up to them learned the hard way. Coincidentally, parallels can be found between all three of these stories and a contest nearly a century ago, one that saw many of the same conflicts present. "Kayfabe" versus reality. "Worked" bouts versus real "shoots". Amateur Olympic wrestling versus professional catch-as-catch-can. All of these were present in the match between Nat Pendleton and John Pesek, one of the last great "shoots" in professional wrestling. In the early 1920's, Ed "Strangler" Lewis was the dominant force in professional wrestling. Along with athletic superstars like Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, Lewis' exploits made front-page headlines in the newspaper sports sections. Lewis and his partner/manager, Billy Sandow, maintained a powerful headlock on the lucrative heavyweight crown. Along with their associates, they were cleaning up at the box office around the country. - "Catch Wrestling" by Mark S. Hewitt This was the era of what would later be referred to as the "Gold Dust Trio", a "Trust" that solidified control of professional wrestling in the United States. It was they, according to Marcus Griffin in the 1937 book "Fall Guys: the Barnums of Bounce", who were responsible for introducing the terms "shoot" (referring to a real match) and "worked" (denoting one where the wrestlers were merely putting on a show for the audience) and it was they who introduced the fast-paced, acrobatic "Slam Bang Western Style Wrestling", thereby destroying the public's interest in traditional wrestling. "Practically overnight Billy Sandow became the coast-to-coast wrestling Czar, and he cracked the whip over meat tossers and promoters alike in the style expected of royal rulers." (It should be noted that the name "Gold Dust Trio" wasn't coined until 1937 when Marcus Griffin's muckracker came out and that his book is the only source that identifies "Toots" Mondt as a member of the "Trust") It was in 1923 that promoter Jack Curley attempted to get back into the big leagues of professional wrestling. A successful boxing and film promoter, he had also been, a decade earlier, one of the big shots of the mat game, having been the man who put together the biggest professional wrestling event in history: the 1911 match between Frank Gotch and George Hackenschmidt that was witnessed by over 30,000 fans in Chicago's Comiskey Park and by millions more in theaters around the World. He had since been cut out of the business by Sandow, Lewis, and their allies and was desperate to get back in. To do so, Curley would have to take on the Trust, and to do that he needed a wrestler that would not only be able capture the public's interest, but one talented enough to also be able to legitimately capture the belt. A tall order, indeed, but Curley had the perfect man for such a task. One Nat Pendleton. via 1.bp.blogspot.com Pendleton had all the traits necessary for the job: handsome, strong, and one hell of a wrestler. Born in 1895, in the heartland of wrestling, Iowa, the 200 pound plus grappler had twice been the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion (in 1914 and 1915) and twice been crowned the AAU champion before representing the United States at the 1920 Olympic games in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman. There he took the Silver in Freestyle after the referee controversially overturned the judges decision in the final match. Confident in Pendleton's abilities, Curley looked to challenge the Trust, starting with the Boston Market. There he and Pendleton ridiculed the current state of wrestling and their "merry-go-round" antics, claiming that Pendleton could throw anyone, including the Trust's biggest star and current champion, Evan "The Strangler" Lewis. Paul Bowser, the member of the Trust who ran Boston and was thus feeling the heat, looked for help in derailing the pairs scheme. Enter the "Nebraskan Tigerman", John Pesek. via stat.ameba.jp Pesek was a notoriously skilled, tough, and, when necessary,brutal wrestler, who specialized in all the holds that had been banned from the amateur game: double-wrist locks, strangleholds, head and body scissors, toe-holds, and slams, He also served as the Policeman for the Trust, a job description that required him to keep other wrestlers in line and to protect the champ from any potential "Trustbusters". Pesek had served in this capacity on many occasions, most famously a couple of years earlier in a contest against Marin Plestina at Madison Square Garden, when the giant Serbian was making hay about the top wrestlers being afraid to face him in a legitimate contest. Pesek was sent in to shut him up by whatever methods necessary. According to a New York Times reporter at the scene:Pesek resorted to his foul work soon after the match started. His favorite trick was gouging. The Nebraskan had a penchant for digging the thumb of his left hand into the right eye of Plestina, and he followed this course in such exaggerated measures as to compel Referee Fleeson to caution him in the first five minutes......Between applications of this hold, as the men struggled on their feet, Pesek gouged repeatedly. Tiring of gouging, Pesek resorted to butting, and several times jolted Plestina's head back as the Nebraskan dove in head first......Pesek butted and gouged, gouged and butted, and the crowd's temper rose with each successive butt and poke of the thumbs... Eventually, with the crowd threatening to riot if Pesek's fouling was not stopped, Referee Fleeson disqualified the Tigerman and awarded all three falls to Plestina. Afterwards both Pesek and his manager were banned from ever again competing in New York, but they had been successful in their assignment. A tamed Plestina now went along with whatever the Trust asked, less he be forced to undergo another lesson. This was the man Pendleton would be facing. The whole fascinating story of their contest was chronicled in the pages of the Boston Post and is reprinted below (having been retrieved from "Wrestling as We Liked It" Vol. 1 No. 68, by J. Michael Kenyon) WINNER TO TAKE ALL IN MATCH(Boston Post, January 21, 1923)For the first time in many years, either in this city or elsewhere, two
wrestlers will battle on Thursday night under a bona fide agreement wherein
the winner takes all. And the taking of all will mean, not only 50 per cent of the gate receipts,
but a purse that may total well up toward $10,000. The principals are to be Nat Pendleton of New York, the ex-Columbia College
champion and claimant of the Olympic title, and an "unknown" grappler, the
latter to represent Paul Bowser of this city. The main requirements of the contest are that Bowser's "unknown" shall throw
Pendleton twice in 75 minutes or admit defeat; also, that he shall weight not
more than 190 pounds the night of the battle. The mat will be placed on the stage of the Grand Opera House and will be
surrounded by ring ropes, as signs point to a melee that is likely to border
on the furious. "Cyclone" Burns, the veteran wrestler and coach at Tech, who
understands the game all the way and whose honesty has never been questioned,
has been selected to referee the affair. Irrespective of how the contest on Thursday night may result, it is to be
followed by another fray the night of Feb. 156, on which occasion Pendleton
has engaged to throw Paul Bowser twice in 75 minutes or forfeit a big part of
the gate and all of the purse. While the wrestling bouts of the last few weeks in particular have been
drawing some big houses in this city, that of Thursday appears likely to break
all record for the Grand Opera House. Already the Howard Theatre management,
under whose direction Paul Bowser has arranged the tourney, has received
requisitions for tickets from New York and Philadelphia, to say nothing of a
big home demand. There is a chance that Bowser may change his original plan and make known the
identity of his protégé before the night of the battle. There has been much
speculation for weeks as to just who the chap may be, with the general trend
favoring George Kotsonaros, Renato Gardini and John Pesek, all having been
mentioned. Should it be one of these three or another grappler altogether, whoever he is
he will have his work cut out for him on Thursday night. Pendleton makes the
boast of never having had his shoulders put to the mat, and as he weighs a
good 200 pounds, is a finished matman and can remain on the defensive the
entire 75 minutes if he so pleases, it is going to be one big proposition to
throw him. The history of handicap matches of late in this city has been the defeat of
the challenger, George Calza, failing to throw Kotsonaros and Joe Stecher
missing out in his endeavor to toss Calza.PENDLETON PUTS UP $2,000 TOWARD PURSE(Boston Post, Sunday, January 21, 1923) The big mat battle between Nat Pendleton of New York and Paul Bowser's
"Unknown," set for Jan. 25 at the Grand Opera House, was clinched last night
beyond question. Pendleton wired to Jack Conway $2,000, which he wishes to be added to the
purse offered by the Howard Theatre, stating that he planned to wire $2,000
more before Thursday. Bowser has agreed to contribute a like amount to the purse, dollar for dollar,
before 12 o'clock midnight, Tuesday. The conditions of the match require Bowser's "Unknown" to throw Pendleton
twice in 75 minutes or forfeit the entire purse, gate receipts, etc. JOHN PESEK WILL BE THE 'UNKNOWN'(Boston Post, January 25, 1923)By Doc Almy They're going to "shoot" tonight, Nat Pendleton of New York vs. John Pesek of
 Omaha, Neb. Not with "gats," of course, but "shoot" is the term applied when two wrestlers
mean business without fancy trimmings. And at the Grand Opera House tonight, Pendleton and Pesek have plenty of
incentive for meaning business, for the chap who loses merely gets three
cheers. All of the rest, a purse amounting to $7,000 and the entire end of the gate
receipts set aside by the Howard Theatre management for the matmen, goes to
the victor. No provision is made even for paying the carfare home of the
vanquished warrior. It's a mutual agreement: nothing one-sided about it. It's all down in the
articles drawn up for the contest, several of which, those pertaining to the
rules governing tonight's fray, appeared in the Boston Post of Wednesday. The main feature of tonight's fray is this: Pesek, under the agreement made
for him by Paul Bowswer, manager of the wrestling at the Grand, must put
Pendleton's shoulders to the mat twice in 75 minutes, pin falls of three
seconds duration, or be declared the loser. All that Pendleton has to do to
win is keep his shoulders off the mat for one hour and a quarter and, if he
succeeds, he connects with all the cash in the house and goes home with it. Gouging, kicking, biting, hair-pulling and all that sort of stuff is barred,
and the matman that starts any of it tonight has a chance of bowing himself
off the mat and out of the cash. "Cyclone" Burns, the veteran Boston wrestler
and referee, in his day considered one of the best matmen in the East, and
whose honesty has never been questioned, will be the third man on the mat
tonight. He will punish by disqualification any funny business by either of the
 contestants. It would gbe well for the men not to try to pull anything on the
"Cyclone," for he had just as soon as not toss either offender off the mat.The
chap who is disqualified loses. Concerning Pesek, he has the name of being a rip-snorter when under full head
of steam. He weighs under 190 pounds, one of the requirements placed on him
tonight, but for all of that, it is fact and not fiction that he has the big
leaguers of the matmen flock, from Ed Lewis, the champion, down along, all
stepping on their own feet. By close followers of the game, it may be recalled
that Pesek provided the "bout on the level" that Joe Marsh had so long been
seeking for his protégé, Marin Plestina, it having been the plaint of manager
and man that everyone wanted the latter to "lay down." Pesek met Plestina in
New York and again in Chicago and not much has been heard from Plestina since. "My man is not a foul wrestler or unnecessarily rough," declared Pesek's
 manager, Max Baumann, yesterday, "but when an opponent fouls him, he will not
tamely submit to it. Wladek Zbyszko tried that stuff, foul holds, and finally
Pesek, after warning him a dozen times, whacked him on the jaw for a down and
out. The next time they met Pesek threw him twice, two beautiful thuds to the
mat, both in 29 minutes." Paul Bowser thinks that Pesek will score the first fall tonight within 15
minutes, but there are plenty who do not agree with him. Pendleton knows
wrestling, has been training for weeks for the fray tonight and as he has
merely to act on the defensive, should be able to avoid anything like a quick
defeat. It has been demonstrated in this city within a month that handicap
matches usually result in a victor for the chap on the defensive.In one of the preliminary matches tonight will appear Stanley Stasiak, the
giant Pole, who is trying to coax George Calza into a match with him. He
declares that he can tie the big Italian boy into a bow knot. FACTS CONCERNING TONIGHT'S BOUT Place -- Grand Opera House.Time -- 8 o'clock.Principals -- Nat Pendleton, New York, vs. John Pesek, Omaha, Neb.Weights -- Pendleton, 202 pounds; Pesek, 190 pounds.Rules -- Police Gazette, catch-as-catch-can.Conditions -- Pesek must throw Pendleton two three-second pin falls in 75
minutes to win.Referee -- "Cyclone" Burns of Boston.Purse -- $7,000, contributed by wrestlers and Howard Theatre management. Added
to the purse will be 50 per cent of the Grand Opera House gate receipts,
bringing the total up to more than $8,500. Winner takes everything. Second match -- Feb. 15, in Boston, when Pendleton agrees to throw Paul Bowser
twice in 75 minutes, winner-take-all, under foregoing conditions of rules,
purse, etc. PESEK WINNER OVER PENDLETON(Boston Post, January 26, 1923)By Doc Almy John Pesek of Omaha, Neb., defeated Nat Pendleton of New York, former ex-
Columbia and Olympic champion, two straight falls, in their handicap match at
the Grand Opera House last night.The first fall was won by the Westerner in 35 minutes and 20 seconds, and the
second in 5 minutes and 32 seconds, less than 41 minutes of actual time. To the victor went 50 per cent of the gate receipts, amounting to about
$2,000, and in addition, the purse amounting to $6000, the largest amount of
spare cash ever corralled by a grappler in this city.Both falls were incidental to a toe hold, Pendleton resigning in the first
round to save his right leg from being broken when Pesek put on the inside leg
and toe grip, made famous by the late Frank Gotch. In the second round, a
crash to the floor damaged Pendleton's right arm, and, a moment later, when
Pesek began to put pressure on the right ankle, which had been injured at the
time of the first hold, Nat gave up the battle. The handicap time for the match was 75 minutes, Pesek being obliged to throw
his man twice in that time or acknowledge himself defeated."Cyclone" Burns refereed the fray, but had little to do other than to watch
that neither man committed a foul. Neither attempted any rough stuff, however,
and the fray was battled out on its merits, both men wrestling clean
throughout, with never even a caution from the arbiter. Pendleton had a majority of the more than 3,000 spectators that crowed the 
theatre to the doors with him, and when he had held Pesek off for more than
half an hour and seemed likely to evade defeat, the fans gave him round after
round of cheers. While at times the New Yorker took the aggressive, he was the challenged and
consequently kept pretty much to the defensive. He knew that Pesek's best and
most dangerous hold was a double wristlock, also, that the Nebraskan would not
hesitate to put on a wicked toe hold if the opportunity presented.
Consequently, the bulk, of his work was to guard against these two grips. Within the first five minutes Pesek, by working his man into the ropes, which
was one of the big points in his attack, succeeded in getting behind, and,
bringing Pendleton to the floor, got on the double wrist-lock from the side. It
was a wicked one and in the battle to escape, Pendleton and his tormentor
rolled about the mat. Pesek got a head scissors in addition to the wrist and
it looked mighty bad for the ex-Columbian. Nat bridged, however, until Pesek
loosened up a bit, and then rolled out of it and escaped.Once later in the match Pesek got the same hold and again Pendleton broke it,
the fans cheering him madly. From attacks on the wrists, Pesek shifted to the
toe, getting what appeared to many as a leg scissors, which seemed unlikely to
amount to very much. John knew what he was doing, however, and so did Nat, and
for the time the New Yorker thwarted the attempt. Finally, after they had been at it for about 35 minutes, Pesek got the right
toe, and at the same moment, Pendleton clapped onto Pesek's foot. It was a
case of a double toe hold. Pesek kicked his foot free, doubled Pendleton's
right leg over his own and put on the pressure. In a moment the leg would have
been broken."Stop, stop," called Pendleton, resigning the fall. He had saved his leg but
lost the first fall. He was helped to his corner by William Wanzer, who was
acting as his manager in the absence of Stuart Robson, that mentor being ill
in New York.After 10 minutes' rest, the bout was resumed, but was a bit one-sided because
of Nat's badly strained right ankle. In a roll, Pesek came down to Nat's right
arm, injuring that. It was then but a matter of a few minutes, Pesek getting
hold of the damaged foot. Nat resigned the fall to end the match. Following the bout it developed that Pendleton was not the only injured man. 
Pesek, with a right thumb torn and bleeding and his right arm swollen from
blood poison, an attack which came on three weeks ago, was in agony from the
moment the fray began. He went onto the mat against the orders of two
physicians to show the fans that he was game, though by the articles he was
obliged to."Pendleton was shipped on here by Curley," declared Max Baumann, manager of 
Pesek, "because he thought Nat could whip Pesek and that would get my man away
from the two Zbyszkos, whom Pesek has been worrying all over the country. I
want to say right here and now that Pesek has thrown Wladek Zbyszko twice in
less than 28 minutes, the second fall in one minute and a half, and can do it
 again. "What's more, he can throw and challenges to meet him, any many that Curley
can find. Pesek will treat them one and all as he did Pendleton here tonight,
only his hand will be right next time and he will do it quicker. "And this goes for George Calza of New York, also, only in his case, we will
wager any part of $5,000 and wrestle winner take all that Pesek throws him
twice in 75 minutes. We will take this match on any time within two weeks." Pendleton was pretty well broken up over the affair. "I knew what I was up
against," he said, after the out, "that I had a dangerous man."However, I did not fear him. I guarded against his pet holds, and, as you
know, broke his wristlock several times, something few grapplers have been
able to do. Unhappily, however, I forgot my foot and that cost me the match. I
am satisfied that Pesek is not my master on the mat and later on will
challenge him for another contest. Tell the wrestling fans that my match with
Paul Bowser for Feb. 15 is on and that I will be back here again and will be
the victor next time." In the preliminary bouts, Louis Andrews threw Frank Wilson 26 minutes with a
double arm lock and Stan Stasiak beat Jack Taylor in 1 minute and 30 seconds
with a double wrist lock. [An interesting side-note relating to the injured thumb and blood poisoning Pesek reportedly entered the ring with. According to Bowser this injury was self-inflicted:"This Pesek turns out to be a very shrewd fellow. Just in case he loses, he feels he should have an alibi so what does he do? So help me, he puts his thumb on a table and smacks it with a hammer, breaking it up into little pieces, just so he will have a good excuse if he gets licked."] With Pendleton's loss Curley's dreams of returning to the top of the wrestling business were destroyed. As the Brooklyn Daily Eagle elegantly summed it up, "Pesek did manage to claw and chew up Curly financially by the simple method of throwing down Curley's one best bet, Nat Pendleton, the former Olympic champion." Within a month Curley was announcing his retirement from the business:It was with a voice trembling with emotion that Curley took his farewell of the grapplers. According to a witness, "Curley paid the sport a glowing tribute and declared that he has never known it to be in a healthier condition than now." It is because of its extreme health that Curley is leaving it. In the days when it was unhealthy and attracting money, Curley could not feel justified in separating himself from such a condition. But now that the grapplers are strong and husky from not being overburdened with wealth, Curley feels that he can say au revoir, if not goodbye, to the men with whom he has been associated so many years. For his part, Pendleton stuck around a few more years but was never allowed to become a major star by the powers-that-be. Eventually he left the wrestling business for Hollywood where he had a semi-successful film acting career. In the end it was the Trust, and the new model of professional wrestling it represented, which had won. Its control of the business was now absolute, making impossible any return to legitimate contests. Ironically enough, in the aftermath of the match, it was Pesek and his manager, Bauman, who took to taunting and challenging the top wrestlers of the Trust. Unfortunately, Pesek had been too effective in his role as Policeman and the Trust members could now afford to ignore his challenges. Worse yet, when a few years later Pesek managed to arrange a match with the champ, Joe Stecher, which he then turned into a "shoot" and won, the "sport" was at a point where the referee could simply overturn the results and freely reward the victory to the loser. The era of "shoot" had passed. At least for the time being.

Posted in: time, minute, pesek, pendleton, nat

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

"The Last Emperor" is nearing his last days.Fedor Emelianenko, the Russian heavyweight who UFC president Dana White acknowledges as the only major name that he's never been able to sign, says he will call it quits following his June 21 fight against Pedro Rizzo.He made the statement in an interview on Russian language television. Russian MMA journalist Artem Yalanskiy provided MMA Fighting with a translation of the key exchange of the interview. "My previous fight was in Moscow and my last fight will be in St. Petersburg on June 21st," Emelianenko says. "It will be the last fight in my career." "Is this your final decision?" the interviewer asks."Yes," Emelianenko says, "I think it's time to end my career. Emelianenko said the primary reason for his retirement is to spend more time with his family, but he also mentioned the mounting toll of injuries from a career spent in MMA and sambo.The quiet 35-year-old has been one of the controversial figures in recent MMA history by those who have argued his place in the sport. Many believe him to be the greatest heavyweight of all time, while others have suggested him to be an overhyped product of favorable matchmaking. His heyday, which was undeniably during the early-to-mid 2000s, can hardly be questioned. At that time, he was considered by most observers to be the top fighter in the world after beating standouts like Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, and most notably, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, who was the top heavyweight prior to him. He also beat Mirko Filipovic during "Cro Cop's" best days. By the time PRIDE folded, Emelianenko was the most wanted free agent in MMA, but despite the UFC's rise, the two sides could never come to terms despite multiple negotiations. Emelianenko lost only once in his first 33 pro fights, and shortly after Brock Lesnar won his UFC championship, UFC president Dana White went on his last recruiting effort for Emelianenko. If he could have signed him, the fight would have likely taken place at the massive, 80,000-seat Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and certainly would have headlined a blockbuster pay-per-view, but just like every other time the two sides got in a room, they failed to hammer out a deal.Instead, Emelianenko and his M-1 management team signed with Strikeforce. He won his first fight there, but in his next time out, was upset by Fabricio Werdum, marking his first loss in nearly 10 years. Losses to Antonio Silva and Dan Henderson marked three in a row for him, and he parted ways with Strikeforce.Since then, he's fought twice, beating Jeff Monson and Satoshi Ishii. His fight with Rizzo is booked, but it appears to be the last time Emelianenko will ever compete as a professional fighter.

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, emelianenko

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight contender Mike Kyle has had his ups and downs in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. Lately, however, he's been trending more towards the latter. On Dec., 4, 2010, at Strikeforce: "Henderson vs. Babalu 2," Kyle lost to Antonio Silva in the second round via technical knockout after dropping "Bigfoot" early in their heavyweight fight. The loss snapped "Mak's" five fight winning streak and to add injury to insult, he suffered a broken hand in the process. Ready to get back on the horse, Kyle returned to 205-pounds and was penciled in to face Gegard Mousasi four months later, but another broken hand forced him to pull out of the fight. It was re-booked five months later, but this time it was Mousasi who withdrew from the bout. Kyle went on to defeat Marcos Rogerio de Lima at Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Kharitonov" on Sept. 10. 2011 to get himself back in the win column. Hoping the third time would be the charm, Kyle and Gegard were booked to face off at Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" this past March. Once again, the fight was scratched as Kyle was forced to withdraw due to another injury. On a recent episode of TheSHOOT!, Kyle talked about his climb up the ranks of the 205-pound division, including a rough patch in his life that he says drove him to the 'deep end' following his suspension after his controversial fight against Brian Olsen at WEC 20 in 2006. "I've been fighting for a long time, I wasn't always doing the right things to take care of myself. I had a couple staph infections and had to pull out of a couple of fights. I had a broken hand, I broke it three times last year. I tore one of my labrums, it was actually my second tear. If you go into my old fights, the last few years since I got suspended, from that fight on, I go to hip toss a guy or I had to give them my back to get up, every time I would have to keep my legs straight, and I don't know if people would notice it or not, but I couldn't do it. I had that suspension from that illegal kick. I went through a lot. Training in the gym, people didn't want to train with me. I went off almost the deep end. I was drinking a lot every day and partying and I almost killed myself. Now, my girl is picking up bills for several months. I had to hit bottom to start the climb back up. My lady gave birth to a baby healthy girl. It had to be that point where my life really did turn around. It makes me motivated man, I gotta go out there and provide for her." With new found motivation, Kyle has compiled a 9-3 record since his disqualification loss to Olsen and looks to return to the Hexagon and stake his claim as one of the most dangerous light heavyweights in the game today. It won't be easy, though, as he's drawn a game former Strikeforce 205-pound champion Rafael Cavalcante at this weekend's (May 19, 2012) Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" event, which will mark the second time the two have gone toe-to-toe, with Cavalcante getting the best of the first encounter back in 2009. Can the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) trained fighter make it two in a row in San Jose? Or will "Feijao" show once again that he has "Mak's" number? Opinions, please.

Posted in: fight, time, strikeforce, vs, kyle

Read the full article at MMA Mania

If you're looking for a feel-good story in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), look no further than the surprising career resurrection of one of the hardest hitting men in the sport, Mark Hunt. Heading into Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on a five-fight losing streak, the "Super Samoan" failed to make a splash in his debut, losing to Sean McCorkle in the second round of their UFC 119 fight. Surprisingly, Hunt was given an opportunity to redeem himself and narrowly avoided the dreaded pink slip. Making the most of his opportunity, Hunt has now reeled off three straight victories over Chris Tuchscherer, Ben Rothwell and Cheick Kongo. The hard-hitting heavyweight was on such a roll that his loyal fans, "The Army of Doom," hit the Twitter boards and started a rally to the powers that be at Zuffa to allow Mark to step in for Alistair Overeem against UFC heavyweight kingpin Junior dos Santos at UFC 146 on May 26, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Though the support was strong, UFC president Dana White stated, "It ain't going to happen." Hunt was to remain on the card to take on the towering Stefan Struve in the promotion's first all-heavyweight main card, and in the process, look for his fourth consecutive win and get himself closer to a potential title shot. One week away from the event, an unfortunate injury to the former K-1 Grand Prix Champion forced him to bow out of his scheduled fight and add yet another crushing blow to the stacked event. With the injury, Lavar Johnson got the call to step in against Struve, leaving Hunt to face the road to recovery. Speaking on The MMA (After) Hour, the New Zealander talked about the disappointment he feels after making the tough decision to pull out of the fight, which happens to be the first time he's had to do so in his eight year MMA career. Check it out: "I am so gutted about this. I never pulled out of any fight, this is the first time ever in my whole career that I actually pulled out of a fight because of an injury. I've never been injured before. I put so much work into this fight, you know? I trained hard, it's just so disappointing for me now. I was going to go and do the fight anyway, I was still trying to tell my mind not to do it. When a fighter goes into the Octagon, the ring, they go in one hundred percent. They go in bazookas, guns and everything. You don't go in there to a fight with a butter knife. If you go in there you're supposed to go a hundred percent. If one fighter goes in there fifty percent, he is giving the other fighter the other fifty percent. So the other fighter is coming in a hundred and fifty percent and you only got fifty percent. So, it doesn't make sense to go in there. I don't think Stefan Struve would have liked to beat me the way I am injured anyway. So, I might as well would have just said, 'Here, take the fight, I don't want it.' It was disappointing to me, I wanted to do the fight, I still want to do the fight but my brain says it's not good. You'll have one kick on the leg and then it will just be a waste of time anyways. So be smart about it and come back a different day and fight. I'm more depressed than anybody. You know, I put so much time, despite of what I was talking about before, I never really trained (like this), I put so much hard work into this and a lot of people put some time into me. I wanted to gout there and prove that I'm a better fighter, but, the Lord has a plan for everyone and I'm just disappointed it happened. It's just the way it is, it's the first time pulling out of a fight with an injury. I could go in there and fight but you won't see much of a fight. Your probably see me get a hurting for three rounds and that's about it. I don't think you want that." As evidenced by some recent pictures floating around, which you can see here, Hunt did indeed look to be in the best fighting shape of his career. The heavy-handed brawler revealed that a tear in his meniscus is the root of the problem and though he still wanted to take the fight, people around him convinced him that it would just be better to bow out, recover, and come back one hundred percent. "The Super Samoan" is now scheduled to undergo surgery to repair his knee and is looking at a couple of months of recovery time. Upon his return, Hunt says he wouldn't mind facing the winner of the Struve vs. Johnson showdown, both of which could prove to be very intriguing match-ups. Do you agree?

Posted in: ufc, fight, hunt, time, percent

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Tomorrow night (May 18, 2012), Jessica Aguilar's dream has an opportunity to come true. That's because "Jag" will be battling Megumi Fujii, a legend of women's MMA and the current top-ranked 115 pound female fighter on the planet. No slouch herself, Aguilar sports a 14-3 record and is the consensus number two-ranked strawweight. She's been clamoring for a shot at the Japanese legend ever since before she was a participant in the Bellator season three women's 115 pound tournament alongside Fujii. Both ladies lost extremely controversial decisions at the hands of Zoila Gurgel, but have been unstoppable since. Aguilar has gone on to defeat the likes of Lisa Ellis and Carla Esparza under the Bellator banner in 2011 and has more than earned her shot to potentially be the top ranked women at 115 pounds. Before she steps into the cage tomorrow night on the Bellator 69 main card, Aguilar spoke with MMAmania.com during a special guest appearance on The Verbal Submission where she talked about her in-fight decision-making process, her dream fight finally coming to fruition and even Dana White's "business-like" opinion on women's MMA in part one of this two-part interview. Check it out: Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Let's get right to business. It's fight week, you're a few days until you're stepping into the cage. What's going through your head right now? Do you kind of get more moody or are you just as outgoing and happy as you always are? Jessica Aguilar: It depends on how the weight cut is going. When the weight's on track, it's easy to be in a good mood. (laughs) Right now, everything is really nice. My weight is fine and I feel good and I'm really looking forward to this fight. It's been a fight I've been wanting for a long time and I'm finally getting it so I couldn't be in any better spirits right now. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): This is a fight you were talking about wanting even back in 2010 before the Bellator season three women's 115 pound tournament. Now it's finally happening so what do you feel with it being this close to fruition? Jessica Aguilar: Well it's all business. The mindset is that I've trained and I just feel like everything I've done in my whole career has been working up to this fight. It's been a long road with a lot of training and I'm just so honored to be here fighting against somebody who's really been an idol of mine so to have this opportunity now, I can't even express how grateful I am to Bellator for making this happen. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You mentioned how a bad weight cut can affect your mood heading into a fight. Now your last fight in Bellator against Lisa Ellis, I think I remember that was a bad weight cut. Did you have some issues then? Jessica Aguilar: Yes, I hurt my foot in my previous fight so the training camp was tough. When you have a broken foot it's tough to do cardio. I wasn't having an ideal training camp for the Ellis-Ward fight so it was a tough cut. This time, it's business as usual. I've never come in heavy other than that fight. I usually come in underweight but that was just extenuating circumstances and that will certainly never ever happen again. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): It's been really nice to see the evolution of your striking game. I remember your first fight in Bellator, you took your opponent down and submitted her right away but since then, you've stood and traded with everybody. I know that you put in a lot of time working on it, but how far do you feel your striking has come and how confident are you on the feet now? Jessica Aguilar: I feel like I've always had it in my back pocket and I really just never got a chance to use it because I always was so successful on the ground. I'm definitely very confident in my striking. This is the kind of sport when you have to be completely well-rounded and if you have any holes in your game, other people will capitalize on that. I spend a lot of time on the ground and a lot of time wrestling and doing all the things I need to do. You have to have the full package and my striking is something I'm proud of. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): With this fight being between the number one and number two 115-pounders, the winner will be the number one 115-pounder in the world but do you think the winner of this fight will have a claim to be best pound-for-pound female fighter? Jessica Aguilar: That's a tricky one because the pound-for-pound rankings right now, there's a couple key players that aren't in the rankings at the moment. It depends what you're going by. Are you going by the quality of the victories or the records overall. If you look at Megumi's record, 25-1, that's ridiculous but they say if you beat number one, you should become number one. I think obviously for the 115 I'll have that claim but for pound-for-pound, I don't know. That's tough. There's a lot of really tough girls on there. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): In Megumi's last fight under the Bellator banner, she fought Zoila Gurgel and she stood. It was surprising. I thought she won, but still it was surprising that she stood and traded with Zoila throughout the five round fight. Would you be surprised if she stood with you for the full three rounds? Jessica Aguilar: No, I don't think I'd be surprised. I think Megumi wanted to prove that she can stay there and trade and bang with someone that's known for their striking. She had a point to prove and I do too. Everyone thinks I'm a ground fighter and of course I am a ground fighter, but I wanted to show people what I can do and I think Megumi felt the same way. Honestly, I would not be surprised at all and it will be very interesting to see what happens in there. Wherever it goes, I'm prepared. Ben Thapa: I wanted to ask you about the third round of the Ellis fight. You kind of came out and were throwing a bunch of overhands but then you seemed to "come to" and you started snapping jabs and that seemed to set off a great chain of events for you. What caused the shift from "overhand, overhand, overhand" to working the jab? Jessica Aguilar: To tell the truth, in the heat of the battles, it's hard to remember what clicked in my head at the moment but I can tell you that I have a fantastic corner and my coaches a lot of times, if they see something that's missing or they see a hole or something that I need to capitalize on, I've got the benefit of American Top Team and the fantastic coaches that will tell me what to do. A lot of times, it's just listening to your corner. Sometimes your corner will say, "Hey, throw some jabs!" and you'll start throwing jabs and turn it all around. It's that eye outside of the cage that's the big help and a lot times, it's instinctual. You see something isn't working and you try something else. I can't honestly say that something went off in my head where I went, "Oh, try this now." It's probably a combination of the coaches and the instincts. Gerry Rodriguez: What do you think about Dana White's thoughts on women's MMA as a whole? Jessica Aguilar: I think that his problem is he's a businessman. Obviously, he feels like, how's he gonna put together a division if there's no depth to it. "There's not enough females out there" has been his take but now when you look at these cards like with Invicta and he sees that there's depth out there with females and I really think that Ronda Rousey is sparking his interest. He sees something with her that he really likes and she's done some promotional things and she's gonna open up the doors for females to get into the UFC. Again, I think Dana's gonna look at it and say, "Am I really gonna have enough females to put together competitive fights?" We'll see what happens but we're at such an infancy stage of MMA for the females and I think if we're having this conversation five years from now, we'll definitely be seeing females on the big stage for MMA. There's no doubt about it. The girls are coming out now and they're training and it's just a matter of time before there's a ton of competitors out there. I'm excited to be a part of it. You can follow Jessica Aguilar on Twitter @JagATT. Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of our interview with Jessica Aguilar where she talks about Megumi Fujii's legendary ground game, working with American Top Team coaches like Marcos Da Matta and punching people you like in the face as hard as you can. To listen to our full interview with Jessica Aguilar, click here (audio starts at the 22:00 mark).

Posted in: fight, bellator, time, jessica, aguilar

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Like a lot of fighters, Lavar Johnson usually likes to take a little time to celebrate a win. Nothing major. Just good, decadent food, maybe some adult beverages, and a few days away from the gym to relax and unwind. But after his TKO win over Pat Barry at the UFC on FOX 3 earlier this month, he didn’t celebrate in the typical way. When the UFC called him on Wednesday to ask how he felt about stepping in for an injured Mark Hunt and facing Stefan Struve at UFC 146 next Saturday night, that decision suddenly seemed like a great one."Usually I’ll go barbeque, drink some beer and celebrate, but I didn’t even do that this time," Johnson told MMA Fighting. "I’m at a high level right now and I knew I needed to stay on my game. That’s what I’m doing. I’m jumping right back in there and I’m ready to go." With Hunt sidelined by a knee injury, Johnson now gets a chance to rack up two UFC victories in one month. All he has to do is beat a 6’11" Dutch heavyweight on a week and a half’s notice. It’s the kind of offer that few could have blamed him for turning down, but Johnson described it as an easy decision."This is what I get paid to do," he said. "This is what we all do. We train to fight. If I didn’t think I could beat Stefan Struve or anybody else then I wouldn’t be fighting in the UFC, period. I would find a different profession. I’ve got confidence in myself and I think I match up with him good."At the same time, even Johnson admitted to a little initial concern at the thought of fighting an opponent who’s nearly seven feet tall. There’s almost no time to find a sparring partner who can mimic his height and reach, and even if there were time there still aren’t too many seven-footers hanging out in most fight gyms. But Johnson said he’s "not really worried" about Struve’s reach (84 inches -- Johnson has it memorized already) or his height, because, as he explained, "I don’t think he really uses his reach, his height. He doesn’t utilize all that. I think I’m faster than him and I hit harder than him, and I’m going to get to him first."If he does, his bank account will thank him. Johnson has matching Knockout of the Night bonuses from his only two UFC fights so far, and though he’s saving most of the money, he did permit himself the purchase of a new car -- a Chevy Silverado Z71, he said, "four-door, lifted, the whole nine."At the same time, stepping in on such short notice against an experienced fighter like Struve is far from easy money. While Johnson said he’s injury-free after the Barry fight, he’s watched enough of Struve’s fights to know he has a tough night of work ahead of him."You just have to put him to sleep," Johnson said. "That’s the only way to beat him. He’s not going to quit, so I have to hit him on the chin and hit him a bunch of times and put him out."

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, johnson, irsquom

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

A lot can change in a year. Just ask Daniel Cormier. Half of the main event for Saturday’s Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Championship was just a blip on the radar at this time last year. Now, not only does he have the opportunity to win the tournament, but he is also enjoying more success at home and in the gym as a coach. The former Olympic wrestler was set to face Shane del Rosario in June of last year. But a car accident forced del Rosario to withdraw from the bout, and Cormier went on to face off against Jeff Monson. It was there where Cormier displayed his vastly improved striking, earning a unanimous decision victory, and a spot as an alternate in the Heavyweight Grand Prix. After Alistair Overeem pulled out of the tournament, Cormier was named his replacement, taking on Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in September. He famously knocked out the significantly larger Brazilian, breaking his hand in the process. Because of that injury, the tournament final was put on hold. Now the tournament that began over a year ago finally comes to an end, as Cormier takes on former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett. “It’s crazy how much everything has changed,” Cormier admitted to MMAFrenzy.com. “This time last year, I had just had my son in February, and Shane and I were going to decide who was going to move forward in the division. Shane got hurt, and I just continued to move forward. Fast forward a year, and I beat Jeff and Antonio, and then I had another child, my daughter. In one year, I went from a guy barely in the top 25 to a guy in the top 10. And now I have two kids. My mind is actually blown just how much my life has changed in such a short period of time.” Unfortunately for Cormier, it has not been a short period of time between his last fight and his next one, as he has not fought since that win over Silva in September. The eight month layoff is the longest break of his career. Having fought for only two and a half years, Cormier has averaged four fights a year. In fact, he fought six times in 2010, including three times in a three week span during the summer. As a man accustomed to remaining active even when not in competition, the layoff has been even tougher for Cormier, who grew up maintaining a busy schedule as he developed his wrestling career. “I’m a guy that always likes to stay busy,” said Cormier. “It’s difficult to sit back and not fight. But not only that, I wasn’t able to do much in training. A lot of my improvements come between fights, so to not be able to train as hard as I want to, it was very hard.” That inactivity in training came due to the broken hand that he suffered in his fight against Silva. What did not help matters was that Cormier suffered a setback just three months later, delaying his return to full-time training even longer. “I actually broke my hand again in December,” said Cormier. “I was starting to heal, and I pushed it a little too much. I took a step back in training, and just did a lot of wrestling and jiu-jitsu through January. In February, I started to hit a little bit. Then two weeks before the Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey fight(which took place March 3rd), I got clearance from a doctor, and the matchup with Barnett was announced to the public. I’ve been hitting pretty good with my hand since then.” Aside from the striking aspect of his training, Cormier has had to face the challenge of Barnett calling him out and stating that he will be able to take the former Olympic wrestler down. Cormier certainly is not shying away from that, embracing the friendly challenge from his opponent. “I’m not a guy that turns away from a challenge,” Cormier said. “Honestly, I have prepared harder for this fight than I have in my entire life. Not only during my fighting career, but I have trained harder than for any of my high-level wrestling matches.” For Cormier, he will not only be fighting for pride and the opportunity to win the tournament, but he will be fighting in front of his hometown crowd for the first time. Despite fighting for Strikeforce for nearly three years, this will be his first match in Strikeforce and American Kickboxing Academy’s hometown of San Jose, California. “I am super excited to be fighting at home,” said Cormier. “HP Pavillion is only a ten minute drive from my house, so I can stay at my house during fight week. I get to be around my kids the entire time. So things can stay normal. Plus, San Jose has great fight fans. They come out in numbers and show support for their local guys. They adopt fighters. Even though a lot of guys are not originally from here, they adopt us into their family.” Another family that Cormier is a part of is American Kickboxing Academy, which will have the opportunity to earn not only the Grand Prix Championship, but also the Strikeforce lightweight title, as Josh Thomson will take on Gilbert Melendez in the co-main event. Despite Josh Koscheck leaving the team earlier this year, Cormier and the rest of the team still feel the entire group is continually improving every day. “The atmosphere at AKA is stronger than ever,” admitted Cormier. “It is going to show in this next month with all of the big fights we have. You will notice the changes in our gym in these fights. Obviously we miss Josh, but it was time for him to move on. Any time that you have a guy that is that unhappy with a situation, you want him to get out of it. It means a lot to our guys to be able to contend for titles. It would be great to be like Cesar Gracie and his camp when Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez, and Nick Diaz were all champions. We could have a lot of hardware in our gym by the end of the year.” MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: fight, time, guy, year, cormier

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

FAIRFAX, Va. - Tom Lawlor may have joked after his win Tuesday night that Virginia is merely one of his top 50 states in which to fight, but he knows the state has been very kind to him. "I'll fight in Virginia every time," Lawlor said. "I got 'Fight of the Night' that time and a knockout tonight, so I feel good." But after celebrating his birthday with a UFC on FUEL TV 3 bonus check, Lawlor is now after something I little easier next time around.

Posted in: fight, night, time, lawlor, tuesday night

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

Once-beaten flyweight talent Joshua Sampo will face UFC veteran Will Campuzano in the May 19 Rumble Time Promotions headliner.

Posted in: time, rumble, ufc veteran, campuzano, joshua

Read the full article at Sherdog

As perhaps the closing shot in this strange Brazilian jiu jitsu tragicomedy, Braulio Estima responded to Cesar Gracie's account of the famous Nick Diaz No Show at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo last Friday and Saturday. I use the word "tragicomedy" because there is a minor happy ending to all this, in that the Diaz Brothers website has indeed made a donation to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital as Mike Straka confirms. Braulio's words to Cesar are present in full: @CesarGracieBJJ Hi César i was reading yr statement. vry interesting points.. 1st- When junior approached me 2 Offer me the fight I was actually training at the blackzilians at the time so obviously I was training Mma. Junior told me abt nick not wanting 2 fight an Mma fighter. I nevr fought before so he said it was fine & y u dnt cancel the fight before if ths was really an issue..?? 2nd- nobody has ever bended no rules for me. Because there was no rules set to start off with, it wasnt going to be a UFC match but a superfight on a BJJ Expo so the whole point here was for us to show a fight..has Nick signed a contract that stated the date time and weight that we both need to reach? I didn't. And since this whole thing was going to be a friendly event I really don't see any issue here even if Nick turned up 10lbs overweight. Still when asked I went and dropped the weight to meet the requirement. Actually to put things straight it was myself that called Junior around 10pm Friday to check if there is going to be a weigh in at all. He kept contacting you and got back to me saying I need to be 180 that time, of course I said I can't for the simple reason I was away in Irvine and it was already late at night but I said sure no problem I'll make it first thing in the morning if needed, even if it would put me in a bigger disadvantage I didnt care I just came to fight. Junior had actually called me back no later than midnight that he spoke to you and confirmed the weigh in for 10am. Besides when did Nick actually weigh in? And who witnessed that if we are being so strict and proffessional? 3rd - you are saying Nick had left by 10am Saturday morning? Why you never said anything then? I even asked you I'd like to see him and his weight and you said he's not gonna come down because he ate already and wouldn't make the weight anymore. And Lana after speaking to you called his room and said he was actually there sleeping. Nobody at any point had mentioned he could have left. Leaving me believing we would fight till the very last minute, now youre talking about lack of proffesionalism in the organisation of the superfight and this was very professional behaviour right? There is many more points here that I don't agree with but I am just fed up of this whole situation and don't agree for anyone to ever release the blame from Nick for whatever reason, we were there to fight and that's what should happen no excuses, we are both professional athletes and should respect one another no matter what. And this is inexcusable. The name "Junior" refers to Nalty Junior, the World Jiu Jitsu Expo marketer and a Floridian who has been around the BJJ and MMA industries for quite some time. At least one interview with Nalty is forthcoming this week with Damon Martin over at MMA Weekly. Related Bloody Elbow Links: How the Nick Diaz-Braulio Estima Situation Spiraled Out of Control | Tweet of the Day: Braulio Estima Reacts to Nick Diaz No Show | Braulio/Diaz Superfight Live Discussion

Posted in: fight, nick diaz, time, nick, estima

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: fight, time, fedor, mattyblayze, emelianenko

Read the full article at Reddit

Does somebody have a case of the Tuesdays? Well, don’t worry, Danny Boy Downes is here to chase those blues away with another edition of the Downes Side. Normally, I don’t like having fights during the week because I’m so bust doing important things you wouldn’t get. This week, though, I have to attend an Engaged Enrichment and Marriage Preparation retreat so it looks like I lucked out. I’m sure I’ll learn things about religion and stuff, but I’m betting there will be some dirty talk, so that’s a plus.Jason MacDonald vs Tom Lawlor The night kicks off inside Fairfax, Virginia’s Patriot Center with a middleweight contest between “Filthy” Tom Lawlor and Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald. Both are looking to rebound after first round losses in their last fights. MacDonald is an accomplished grappler with 19 of his 25 wins coming via submission. Ultimate Fighter season 8 alumnus Tom Lawlor has strong wrestling and boxing, but will forever be remembered for being this guy. MacDonald is an excellent submission artist, but he’s struggled when opponents get top position on him. His last loss to Alan Belcher illustrates this perfectly. I don’t see him taking Lawlor down and expect the majority of this fight to be spent on the feet. This means “Filthy” Tom will be able to utilize his boxing advantage to pick apart “The Athlete” and eventually TKO him in the 3rd. Igor Pokrajac vs Fabio MaldonadoNext up is a light heavyweight match between Igor Pokrajac and Fabio Maldonado. Pokrajac is riding a lot of momentum after knocking out Krzysztof Soszynski in 35 seconds last December. Team Noguiera’s Maldonado wants to get back in the winner’s circle after seeing his 11-fight winning streak end in June.Sometimes, you’re just outmatched. I learned this lesson when I challenged Joseph Benavidez to see who could pick up more phone numbers at the local retirement home (seniors just love that guy). Pokrajac has an advantage with regards to clinching and wrestling, but not enough to make it a factor. Maldonado is a former pro boxer and he’ll make that readily apparent in this fight. He’s shown a proclivity for throwing body punches and will drop Pokrajac with one and ground and pound his way to a 2nd round TKO.Yves Jabouin vs Jeff Hougland The next fight pits a couple of bantamweights as Jeff “Hellbound” Houghland takes on Yves “Tiger” Jabouin. Just like I did with my future father-in-law, Jeff Hougland made a poor first impression in MMA, losing four of his first five. Things picked up for the Washington product, who hasn’t lost since 2005, and gives me hope for my situation. Undefeated since dropping down from featherweight, Jabouin is looking for a signature win after two straight split decisions.I liked Hougland’s chances until I saw his comments in the pre-fight videos (skip to 1:35 mark). “Control the range” is basically code for, “try to survive as long as possible.” Now, I can respect this philosophy because I use the same one every time I go to a dance club. Unfortunately, though, Hougland’s chances surviving the stand up are about as good as me getting on America’s Best Dance Crew. Jabouin gets the TKO in the first, but I’m sure Hougland and I can find a niche somewhere.Jeremy Stephens vs Donald Cerrone We stay on the lower end of the scale with a lightweight bout between Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Looking to climb a few rungs on the crowded 155 lb ladder, Stephens makes his 14th appearance in the UFC. With a record of 7-6 in those previous 13 fights, I think we can all say the highlight of his career was a UD victory over a man once called (by his mother) “the handsomest boy in the UFC,” a Mr. Daniel Downes. Cerrone experienced his first UFC defeat at the hands of Nate Diaz at UFC 141 and has no plans on repeating the experience any time soon.Neither fighter has ever been knocked out and that streak continues. The volume punching of Diaz may have given Cerrone problems in his last fight, but that won’t be a problem against Stephens. “Lil Heathen” does have 14 TKO/KO victories, but he throws single, power shots. I see Cerrone using his range advantage to tag Stephens on the outside with straight punches and coast to a unanimous decision victory. It’ll be a tough loss for Stephens to take, but at least he’ll always have that win at the Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale to tell his grandkids about.Amir Sadollah vs Jorge LopezOriginally scheduled to take place at UFC 143, injuries forced both men to withdraw. Now, a few months later Ultimate Fighter 7 winner Amir Sadollah takes on Wanderlei Silva-trained Jorge Lopez in what should be an exciting welterweight contest. While well-rounded, both fighters are predominantly strikers. Sadollah has a more classic Muay Thai style that favors clinching, while Lopez is more of a counter striker. I’ve learned a few things writing this column. 1) People assume Dana White actually reads this and plead for him to fire me. 2) Much like Nietzsche, John Keats and James Joyce, I’m a misunderstood author whose true brilliance is often under-appreciated. 3) Never bet against guys trained by Brazilians because the majority of the times I’ve done so, it’s turned out poorly. So, unlike all those times I got sick eating Play-Doh as a kid, I have learned from my mistakes and take Lopez as he counter strikes his way to a unanimous decision. Chan Sung Jung vs Dustin Poirier That brings us to the main event of the evening as Chan Sung Jung (that’s right, Korean Zombie isn’t his birth name) squares off against Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier. Best known for his slugfest debut against Leonard Garcia at WEC 48, the Korean Zombie is undefeated in the UFC and carrying high expectations after knocking out former number one contender Mark Hominick in 7 seconds at UFC 140. The twenty-three year old Poirier is also undefeated in his UFC career and recently submitted Max Holloway in the first round. I won’t deny the impressiveness of the Korean Zombie’s knockout in his last fight. Despite its impressiveness, though, it was an aberration. It’s just like the time I ate Taco Bell and didn’t spend the next 5 hours on the toilet. Sure, you want to enjoy the moment, but don’t expect it to happen every time -- especially when you have a long car ride planned (literary....genius). While the Zombie does have the advantage standing, Poirier is capable enough to survive the onslaught. Jung will tire himself out and “The Diamond” will take advantage of this in the later rounds en route to a decision victory, thus ensuring Dustin “The Diamond” a longer career than Dustin Diamond.That wraps up another edition of the Downes Side. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @dannyboydownes and read my blog here. Also, feel free to leave your thoughts, comments and delusions here as well.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, ’t, vs

Read the full article at UFC

I’ve spent the past two months arguing with a friend about what the best zombie survival weapon would be.  We basically got together and watched every Zombie movie in existence and read every volume of the Walking Dead.  Between that and our admiration of Quentin Tarantino films, we agreed that Uma Thurman and Michonne got it right when choosing a Katana.  Most people would gravitate towards guns, but they’re heavy, require you to continuously search for ammunition in a lawless land where that might be difficult, and they make lots of noise that attracts more zombies every time they are discharged.  Crossbows are cool too, but arrows dull after multiple uses, hinge springs wear out, and their reload time could cost you your brains.  The Katana is forged from carbon steel, and as long as you carry a sharpening stone in your back pocket, you can get a good edge on it in about ten minutes when you’re not out killing zombies.  You could also use it to shave, so you stay looking fresh in case you meet a woman who's also doing her best to survive.  It's on you to repopulate the human race, so looking good is always in your best interest.  Unfortunately, Dustin Poirier will not be wielding a Katana tomorrow when he steps into the octagon with the Korean Zombie.  Actually, saying “unfortunately” depends on whether or not you think he’ll need one.  Dustin has been preparing for the Korean Zombie with actual zombies in his training camp. That right there could lead you to believe he’s better prepared for TKZ than any other fighter before him.  Chan Sung Jung, on the other hand, reaffirms that he has overcome the brink of death to prepare for this fight, and he did it in poetic fashion. I had a Korean friend from my gym translate his status from his personal facebook page. “The excruciating moment that was driving me to the brink of death is no more...Dongi overcame this torment and so did I.Time is like that; it passes by eventually.Tomorrow, too, will be the same.The time will continue to flow regardless of whether I win or not...I don't believe in the predestined fate.The fate is decided by what I do. But the important thing to remember is that we only get one chance.Even if I regret after losing and wish it was just a dream, the time has gone by.I'm going to get this chance through repeated intense focus and concentration" Wrap your mind around that.  It’s deep.  While you’re doing it, here’s the video of the staredown between the Korean Zombie and Dustin Poirier from today's weigh in.  Fight goes down tomorrow on FuelTV at 8:00pm EST.   [Source]

Posted in: time, zombie, korean, korean zombie, korean zombie  

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Vinny's M-1 belt is going for $99,000.00 on ebay at time of writing. Related: Tweets Of The Day: After Getting Stripped Of M-1 Global Title, Vinny Magalhaes Sells Belt On Ebay

Posted in: time, belt, vinny, tweet, ebay

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

There’s a lot at stake for former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett on Saturday night. When he takes on Daniel Cormier in the finals of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix in San Jose, Calif., the outcome may decide whether he’s UFC-bound in the near future or left in limbo yet again. While we know that the winner of the tournament will stick around for at least one more bout in Strikeforce, what’s far less certain is what will become of the loser, especially if it’s Barnett, who has had a tricky relationship with the UFC brass at times.But as Barnett told Ariel Helwani on Monday’d episode of The MMA Hour, he’s not ready to beg for a place at the UFC table just yet, regardless of how his fight with Cormier turns out. "For me, it’s not always about whether I can get in there. It’s also about whether we are amenable to the offer," Barnett told Helwani. "It takes two to make these things work. Sometimes you just don’t find that common ground. That’s difficult, but that is just something that happens in any aspect of business. But I’d love to be in the UFC, beating up all their guys and being the best heavyweight in the world, which I believe I am. So why wouldn’t I want to be there?"Of course, while the winner of the Grand Prix should find himself in a strong negotiating position, the same might not be true for the loser. Barnett’s a minor favorite according to oddsmakers, and he does have more than three times as many MMA bouts as the former U.S. Olympic wrestling team captain. Though Barnett described Cormier as "a good dude" with an impeccable wrestling pedigree, he isn’t quite sure that his counterpart in the Grand Prix finals is truly ready for the big time in MMA just yet, he said."I think it’s too early to say that about him. I think, give him some more time. Plus, I think he’s fast-tracking. With his inherent athletic ability and his wrestling background, it allows him to do that. In the current MMA landscape, being a good athlete -- or, I should say, being a great athlete, because he was an Olympian -- with an extensive wrestling background, that can take you very far, very quickly. I don’t believe that that alone has enough staying power to it at the top, but he’s got time to acquire all the things that will be necessary to be a long-standing figure at the top of the heavyweight heap. With just the skills that he has now, he’s proven that he can take just about anybody out when given the opportunity to get in the cage with them."And while we all know by now that Cormier is an excellent wrestler with heavy hands, Barnett added, "I also know that he’s smart. I know he’s working on his submission game. I know he’s working on his hands and his feet and becoming a more complete fighter. But he hasn’t really had the great luxury to open up his skills all the way and go into the areas that are likely the most difficult for him."Barnett also pointed out that he’s leaned down for Saturday’s bout with Cormier, dropping from about 262 pounds down to 252, in order to better deal with the smaller man’s quickness over the course of a five-round fight. And the secret to shedding those pounds? It wasn’t too difficult, Barnett said. He just "started loving a lot more ladies."What he has yet to figure out is how he’ll follow up on his memorable open workout performance during the opening round of the Strikeforce Grand Prix. He called upon his pro wrestling experience to entertain reporters the last time around, but how can he possibly top that now that he’s in the finals?Even Barnett doesn’t seem to know just yet. But, he told Helwani, "I always will have something to say. That’s for sure."

Posted in: time, prix, barnett, cormier, hersquo

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

This week’s episode starts with the heated argument between Vitor and Wanderlei that took place last week, but it’s time to look forward. It’s time for the fight announcement, and Wanderlei finally gets to make his first pick, but not before Wanderlei gets some jabs in and explains why he thinks it’s ridiculous for friends [...]

Posted in: time, fight announcement, week, wanderlei, episode

Read the full article at MMA Convert

With Nick Diaz no showing at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo last night in Long Beach, California, he continued his habit of not being able to 'play the game', as UFC President Dana White once famously put it. Leaving his opponent Braulio Estima, the crowd in attendance and those who had bought the online Pay Per View in the lurch, Diaz continues to be unreliable as evident by his drug test failure in wake of the championship fight with Carlos Condit, as well as missing press conferences that cost him a shot at the UFC Welterweight title to begin with. Due to his unreliability and behaviour, should Submission Grappling and MMA Promoters blacklist Nick Diaz from here on out? T.P. Grant: Yes. If Diaz can't be relied on to show up for a grappling match, that in the grand scheme of things didn't mean anything, he has blacklisted himself. "Does Nick Diaz show up?" will be a question that is asked every time he is scheduled to appear on shows from here to the end of his career. The worst part is, the people around him seem to refuse that it is a problem. Cesar Gracie, as Nick's coach, mentor and teacher, should be pushing Nick to get help if his social problems are really this bad, but instead he makes excuses. I think Cesar has lost sight of the line between teacher and friend, and is no longer acting in Nick's best interests. KJ Gould: If Diaz is true to his word and stays retired from MMA, it may not be an issue promoters have to consider. Since it's often hard to believe whenever a fighter as young as Diaz retires and sticks with it, promoters are in the bind of wondering if it's worth the risk counting on Diaz even if he can bring some money in.I think MMA and Grappling promoters should blacklist Diaz, to send a universal message about what happens to those who mess about and fail to act like a professional. Of course I can't see that happening, and there will be some promoters who will take a punt and find out the hard way.Diaz didn't just let his opponent, audience and fans down, he let down a charity: the St Jude's Children's Hospital, who he was in effect representing with his purse meant to go to them. It'd be good if the promoters made the donation regardless, but it doesn't look good on Diaz and shouldn't fill anyone with confidence that he's worth the time or effort to work with in the future. Brent Brookhouse: I think the point where you no show charity events is where it becomes inexcusable. Now we're starting to hear all the excuses. If there were issues with the weigh in or worries that the money wasn't going to be donated to charity, it's not like Nick and his people don't know how to get in touch with the media ahead of time. Instead, it's more selfish nonsense where nobody matters to Nick but Nick. If it was an issue with the weights? Who cares? It's for charity and it wasn't like it was something that mattered in the long term. I know it sucks, but just talk about it before and after the fight, letting people know that it's not at the agreed upon weight. No showing is never the way to handle something like this. Read more after the jump KJ Gould: Certain things don't add up about the excuses. Braulio Estima appeared to make weight 5 hours before the match, where as Diaz supposedly made weight the day before and had eaten. If anyone was at a disadvantage going onto the mat, it was Estima, and same day weigh-ins are pretty typical of most grappling events. Day before weigh-ins are reserved for Boxing and MMA because of the striking impact issue and brain hydration, among other things. Cesar Gracie off all people knows this.Then you have Estima showing up and doing everything professionally, after international traveling through multiple time zones, while comparatively Diaz only has to come from down the road.If there is any kind of issue with the money involved, that's where lawyers come in. Diaz and his camp have a really good one fighting the NSAC at the moment, so it's not as if they don't know where to look. Even then, when a small promotion like this (compared to the UFC) is putting on a show, getting paid once the gate takings and revenues collected post-event is pretty common.I think a lot of what we've been hearing is excuse and unfounded speculation. Diaz is just a head case that's talented at fighting, but the amount of time and money invested in him is producing diminishing returns. He's no longer worth it. Fraser Coffeen: As a promoter you have to weigh the pros and cons of booking Diaz. The pros are obvious - he's a name that has a lot of interest and he'll draw eyes to your product. This weekend's show is a prime example, as we gave it far more coverage than we would have without Diaz involved. But the cons are that it creates huge troubles for you down the line. In the short term - how will this weekend's promoters respond to the requests for a refund they are sure to get? In the long term, this reflects poorly on the organization. While the blame belongs on Diaz, fans who got screwed this time won't always see that and may be hesitant to buy your product next time. To me, those cons outweigh the pros, so yes, he should not be booked. Will that happen? No way. Because smaller organizations (and maybe even that one really big organization) are willing to roll the dice. The pros are going to happen - he WILL draw interest in your show. The cons? They might happen, or they might not. Promoters will still take that gamble in the interest of viewer-ship, and Diaz will just keep burning them. Ben Thapa: The word "blacklist" is not one we should be using. That concept implies that no matter what situation arises, the person being blacklisted would never, ever be part of the deal. They are excluded in totality. Persona non grata. You cannot do that with Nick Diaz. He is too skilled, too controversial and ultimately, too popular to exclude like that. The solution rests in opening honest and constant communications with Nick himself and not with his hangers-on - for I believe this missed Superfight debacle rests squarely upon Nick allowing the hangers-on around him to make him angry and paranoid. The continually belligerent and disconnected-from-reality Tweets, comments and words of the coterie surrounding Nick Diaz are indicative of an arrangement that truly does not serve Nick well. They serve as a bizarre echo chamber that mixes some facts, large helpings of conspiracy theories and the occasional dollop of self-serving nonsense into a corrosive atmosphere that works to Nick's detriment. The echo chamber does not confound Gil Melendez, Jake Shields or Nate Diaz - for they show up and they battle their hearts out. Nick has never been one to reach out and establish honest-if-not-congenial relationships with promoters, organizers or his opponents. They come to him and the unsettling of his opponents is always a desired goal of the Diaz brothers. However, that hurts Nick because when uncertainty over weigh-in arrangements starts, he can't get a clear, coherent answer from the promoters themselves and instead trusts those around him to have a secure grasp upon the truth and his best interest in heart. That did not happen and thus the fight did not happen. Nick Diaz is a very talented combat sports enthusiast, training in sambo, Brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai, judo and more. He is perhaps a more dedicated martial artist than someone like Georges St. Pierre. But he cannot stick to a schedule that gets him the fame and fortune he wants if he keeps trusting the people around him. They won't let him. That is what separates GSP from Nick - the professionalism and the showing up come hell or high water. Nick used to have that reputation, but the UFC 137 debacle combined with this no show means Nick is sliding in a bad direction and it has absolutely nothing to do with his fighting skills or will to battle. In the end, Nick Diaz is still worth it for promoters as a draw and as a fighter to watch. KJ Gould: With Diaz's history, and with him seemingly needing a nanny more than a manager to care for him when it comes to anything 'fight business' related, exclusion in totality looks like an attractive option. No matter how talented and popular he is, promoters should be genuinely concerned about not seeing a return on their investment. If promoters constructed contracts to protect themselves and make Diaz financially accountable, because he's 'high risk', is that something they could even get Diaz to sign? Ben Thapa: One of the oddest things about Diaz's sticking point being the weight thing is that essentially none of the BJJ fights that night took place with two people of the exact same size. For example, Caio Terra gave up anywhere from ten to twenty pounds to Jeff Glover. When you only weigh 130ish pounds, those extra lbs really matter - much more so than the five to seven pounds Nick was worried about at 180ish lbs. KJ Gould: Plus it's not like Diaz has never competed in anything that high in weight before, even in MMA against guys like Scott Smith and Frank Shamrock. Steph Daniels: I find it odd that none of the other competitors on the card had to weigh in except Braulio (he was even observed by a member from the Diaz camp), and why didn't Diaz weigh in with a member of Estima's camp present? Jack Slack: I don't think that Nick needs to be blacklisted from anything, but I do believe he needs to be broken of his silly whims. He has spent the last 5 years being pampered by Strikeforce; normally one of the highest paid fighters on the card, choosing his own opponents, never having to fight a decent wrestler. The UFC didn't do much better in treating him like a normal fighter - promise of an instant title shot, then a fight with a lightweight boxer in a division stacked with top ranked wrestlers. He'll need the money again soon I'm sure, and after all the crap he's pulled, the UFC will likely try to find some way of giving him a slap in the face - perhaps a match against a tough spoiler like Mike Pierce or Jon Fitch with no promise of a title shot. We can only hope. Dallas Winston: The thought of "blacklisting" Nick Diaz in the fight business is just unrealistic. He's so freakishly talented in so many different ways and I can't imagine a unified ban specifically for him, in MMA or grappling. I'm a huge fan of Nick Diaz and accepted a long time ago that we're all just along for the ride. Yesterday, before the grappling event, I was thinking about what a win-win situation this was for NIck. If he loses or gets submitted -- so what? It's Braulio f**king Estima. If he won or was even competitive, it would drastically increase his mystique and drawing power. Unfortunately, the no-show emphasized his unpredictability. Being a complete wild card has always been a big part of his appeal, but lately it's been too much unpredictability, and without the showcase performances to compensate. Steph Daniels: And no, I don't think he should be blacklisted. I wouldn't be adverse to him being assigned a handler, though. I think certain personalities need to be guided through their commitments, and he's definitely one of those people. Missed flights, pressers, seminars and jiu jitsu charity matches all equate to one thing. He needs a firmer hand nudging him in the right direction. A PR agent or firm might be wise also, because there seems to be nobody at the wheel in that department either. T.P. Grant: I don't think nick diaz should be blacklisted either but each time he does this he hurts himself. I don't think anyone can put him in as a headliner at this point and feel comfortable about it. I don't think he will get black listed, but it will limit future oppurtunties.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, time, nick, promoter

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Promoted to the Front Page By Anton Tabuena I thought that now would be a good time to share this video of Mo Lawal wrestling in the short lived "professional" actual wrestling league: Real Pro Wrestling Real Pro Wrestling only existed for one season (it ran out of funding during shooting of season 2) in 2005. It was an attempt to create a commercially appealing form of real wrestling. It was essentially freestyle with some Greco elements used for tie-breaking purposes and incentives for controlling the central zone of the mat. Much like the IFL, wrestlers were assigned to regionally affiliated teams. Assignment was theoretically based on some regional tie, but was often capricious. The season was formatted around a tournament to determine the weight class champion. Wrestlers were offered a "choice" of garb: bike shorts, board shorts, or singlets. I put choice in quotes because I am under the impression that the producers pushed the tight shorts on everyone who was not a heavy. The heavyweights all wore singlets (if I remember correctly). I wanted so badly for the whole thing to succeed. It had awesome moments, but overall its execution was way too hokey. You got the feeling while watching it that at any moment Poochie may appear and start wailing on a guitar. The most impressive part of the whole thing is that the top American guy in almost every weight at the time actually participated. Mo won his weight, as did Cormier who infamously spanked his opponent. Tommy Rowlands, as time expired in his final match. The field also included future mixed martial artists Joe Warren, Pat Cummins, and Eric Larkin. Just a weird relic from the past that I figured was now topical. Enjoy.

Posted in: time, short, mo, mo lawal, tiebreaking purposes

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Join Bloody Elbow for live coverage of The Ultimate Fighter Live episode 10, featuring the recently-injured Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber as coaches. The Ultimate Fighter airs live on FX Friday night at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Fraser Coffeen offered a preview for the show earlier today: Tonight, we get an exciting change in the UFC Ultimate Fighter Live format. Because for the first time, we are entering the quarter-final round, and that means two fights a week from here on out. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, as the potential for 6 rounds of action means they'll need to set aside a lot of time for the fights, but if the first fight ends in seconds, they'll need to fill that time. Which likely means less time for wacky shenanigans. Tough challenge for the editing team this week, and I look forward to seeing how they handle it. Our two quarter-finals this week both pit Team Faber vs. Team Cruz, and both have an easy favorite. Dominick Cruz #1 pick Justin Lawrence will face Urijah Faber #5 Michael Chiesa, while Cruz #5 James Vick fights Faber #4 Joe Proctor. Join us tonight and we'll see what happens!

Posted in: fight, time, fighter, cruz, faber

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Former UFC title challenger Frank Trigg has been around the sport for a long time as a fighter and announcer, and he probably has some pretty good stories. One of the more humorous ones popped up in a Rebellion MMA Radio interview recently, and it was able heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. Here's what he had to say about "The Last Emperor" (transcription via Fives Ounces Of Pain): "A lot of my stories are usually weird stuff from after parties that you really can't talk about but going to Japan a lot you really learn about a lot of different people. You see Jake Shields over there all the time, you see Gilbert Melendez over there all the time and it's just a weird situation when you're in this foreign land with all of these Americans but the most interesting thing was drinking vodka with Fedor. [We] are sitting there in the hotel bar and we're talking and we're having a great time and all of a sudden I realize that this fool speaks English. I was like ‘Come on man, you're really going to pull this?' It's not good English or clear English but you can definitely understand it enough to talk to him. He was just like ‘Nah, I don't like doing it because I don't feel comfortable on the microphone' and we were just talking for five minutes in a straight English conversation without a translator. Then he goes ‘You know it's funny' and I go ‘What's that?' and he says ‘The more you drink vodka, the better you think your Russian is.' That was when I first started realizing how the world works." I's hardly shocking that Fedor could speak some English. Like Anderson Silva, he just doesn't feel all that comfortable using it in front of hordes of people. As someone who has tried to learn a new language, I can definitely see where they're coming from. Still though, the thought of Fedor slamming back some vodka and going on in English is an amusing mental picture. Emelianenko will return to the ring on June 21st to take on Pedro Rizzo in Russia.

Posted in: time, fedor, emelianenko, vodka, english

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Join us, peons, for a look at the onscreen debut of the Enlightened One, Damien Sandow. As we all know, the ancient Greek master philosopher Aristotle once said “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Make it your excellent habit to stick with Fighters.com for ongoing coverage after Smackdown and RAW. You’re welcome! Sandow made his first live appearance on Friday’s Smackdown for a match against NXT mainstay Derrick Bateman, a Grass/Fighting-type Pokemon with high Speed and Sp.Atk ratings. Sandow was unveiled to a spotlight and a “Hallelujah!” Chorus that he casually air-conducted as he walked along holding a microphone like a wine glass, and that was the thirty seconds or so it took to get me to hop on the Sandow Bandwagon. In order to teach a lesson to the ignorant masses in the crowd, Sandow elected to walk away from this match until such a time when an opponent more worthy of his considerable intellect can be produced. The affable Brillo Pad, i.e. Bateman, has been a blast to watch on NXT (his highlights include a memorable double date with Daniel Bryan and the Bella Twins), which is sort of like the Great Lakes Avengers to RAW and Smackdown’s X-Men, but with more kidnapping and something called “redemption points.” So it was great that Bateman and his just-this-side-of-copyright-infringement superhero tights that he had his first moment of mic time on real-life TV, but, more foreboding was the answer to his open challenge. Holy Ryback, Bateman:  Ryback wins with his usual power moves. Bateman managed the slightest bit of offense. He’ll have more time to establish himself, but I don’t really get Ryback yet. I didn’t get him when he was beating down unknowns after they cut a three-second heel promo, as though those crowds being dissed by the 150-pound jobbers were really foaming at the mouth for someone to vindicate them and were all like YEAH RYBACK YOU TELL THOSE JERKS HOW WE DO IT IN GRAND FORKS. He’s getting a series of monstrous wins out of it that could lead to something over time, and maybe his squash of Bateman indicates he’s moving up to actually wrestling guys on the roster. But others including Lord Tensai and Brodus Clay are getting very similar pushes, yet the motivations behind those monsters are much more clear (Tensai: serving John Laurenaitis to be near the main event, Clay: romping, stomping, wrapping up this match as fast as possible to dance with the Funkadactyls and possibly children). Why is Ryback on TV asking for more when he could just feed himself fighting all the drunk d-bags at a bar after 3:00 AM? AJ needs outlets for her anxiety besides slapping Kaitlyn. I suggest cuddling with me and a puppy. The team of Randy Orton and Big Show defeated Cody Rhodes and Kane in a match of four people who desperately need to spend some time away from each other for a while. After putting clumsy-ass Big Show into a table in the most hilarious and conniving way possible at Extreme Rules, Rhodes had a rough time of it this week, being on the receiving end of Show’s WMD punch. I’ll be back soon with a few more notes, odds, and ends on Smackdown last week. Check out video from these matches on Smackdown and exclusive footage from Sandow, AJ, and Rhodes: Tweet

Posted in: time, smackdown, sandow, ryback, bateman

Read the full article at Fighters.com

What will it take for former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion B.J. Penn to return to competitive mixed martial arts? Is it a fight in Hawaii? Would it be a rematch against Nick Diaz? Maybe a big paycheck? It could be all or none of those things. The right offer matters, of course, but most important is timing. Or stated differently, time off. Time for things to change. If there's anything that becomes immediately clear in a conversation with Penn, he just isn't in a part of his life where returning to competitive fighting interests him enough to make the commitment. "I'm not really excited to jump into a training camp right now," Penn told Ariel Helwani yesterday on The MMA Hour. That isn't to say he's totally disinterested. After all, he's at least willing to entertain offers even if they ultimately don't move him into action. "Me and Dana sat down," Penn explained. "Dana said, 'I'm seeing a lot of stuff. You're saying you don't want to fight anymore.' Me and him just kind of talked and did a couple of hypotheticals back and forth and that was it. I know Dana wants me to fight again." "I'm enjoying training right now," Penn said. "You never know what the future holds. If Dana puts something together like 'hey, you want to do this?' You never know. You never know what could happen." It isn't just White that wants Penn to fight again. Legions of MMA fans are hopeful 'The Prodigy' won't retire, especially while many of his supporters believe he's still got the capacity to compete. "I don't know. I do get pumped up about it when I go different places and people are like ‘come on! You gotta fight again! You gotta fight again!" But it's a lot of work." It appears more than anything, 'a lot of work' is what's holding Penn back. After years and years the grind, the routine and uphill climb of training camp, the process is not as easy to be a part of as it once was. The toll on the body, the time away from family. Who wants that when you've accomplished so much, you're wealthy and you've got an infant daughter? Penn readily admits he thinks he still has what it takes to compete against the elite, but getting up for a training camp day after day just isn't appealing right now. "I guess being a competitor, you always have that itch. But what it is is...it's tough," Penn said with a laugh. "The training camps are tough, going through that. I've been with the UFC for ten years going through different things. All the different personalities you gotta deal with. I still look at some of the guys up there and of course being a competitor 'You know, I could beat that guy or I could do well with that guy.' It's just a tough question." Interestingly, though, Penn confirmed reports that Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez was offered to him and that he ultimately turned the fight down. "It was right after the Nick Diaz fight," Penn acknowledged. "[White] offered a fight against Gilbert Melendez in Strikeforce. We sat down and we thought about it for a little while. We talked back and forth. It was kind of one of those things where I guess at the end of the day we thought about it a thousand different ways and we were like 'Is that downgrading yourself fighting in Strikeforce? If you win the Strikeforce title are people going to say you did it because you couldn't win the UFC title?'" "At the end of the day, it just didn't make sense to us," Penn said. Penn noted it wasn't Melendez as an opponent he objected to ("If you decide you're going to be a fighter, you shouldn't have a problem fighting anyone"), but he just couldn't rationalize competing under a banner outside of the UFC. If it doesn't move the needle or add to his legacy, it's hard to move forward. In the wake of a serious thrashing at the hands of Nick Diaz at UFC 137, the two-division champion also confessed he's worried about departing the sport in an unceremonious exit. "That is definitely on my mind," admitted Penn. "I don't want to stick around and whether it's a lack of reflexes or a lack of motivation, whichever it may be. You end up getting laid out a few times that could've been avoided." "I would think that's on a lot of fighters' minds, but some people just do it anyway. They like the money or the attention. It's one or the other or both. We've seen that happen over the years to some of the greatest fighters of all time. That's definitely on my mind. Certain athletes like Randy Couture, they never needed the reflexes. They could've stayed around. I look at a boxer like Floyd Mayweather and think he's all reflexes. Once his reflexes go, it's probably time for him to maybe step out." As for Penn's future, there's no guarantee it could go any direction save for the one it's one now. To return to MMA, he'd need the right monetary offer against the right opponent at a time when he is willing to put himself through the rigors of training. It would all have to mean something and the day where it could may never come. Or maybe it will. For admirers of Penn, it's frustrating to live in limbo, but he simply doesn't know if and when he'll ever change his mind. Until something acts as a catalyst for change, he's content to enjoy his life away from professional competition. Yet, that doesn't mean Penn doesn't miss it or doesn't want more. He still dreams and dreams big when it comes to accomplishing goals in the sport. A fire still burns within the Hawaiian fighter. After all, Penn told Helwani he still has unfinished business in the Octagon. "You have dreams and aspirations to what you can accomplish. You never know what's going to be reality at the end of the day. No, I don't feel like I've done enough. I'd love to become a world champion again. I'm sure every fighter out there, that's all they think about all the time." "I'd love to - without a doubt - be a world champion again," Penn said.

Posted in: fight, time, right, day, penn

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

submitted by fobbymaster [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: time, ko, head kick, head, fobbymaster

Read the full article at Reddit

In the ultra-competitive and—at times—wacky world of mixed martial arts, MMA veteran Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg has seen and essentially done it all. From competing against Matt Hughes for the UFC welterweight championship to calling some of the best fights of all time in PRIDE FC as a commentator, Trigg certainly has an impressive resume in the sport. On the latest episode of Rebellion MMA Radio, Trigg was asked to share some of his most memorable stories in MMA and the answer was nothing short of epic. Up until his last three fights, Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko was viewed as the most dominant man in the entire sport. “The Last Emperor” dominated the heavyweight division for a decade without speaking a lick of English (and often without speaking at all) though apparently he could have said a lot more… “A lot of my stories are usually weird stuff from after parties that you really can’t talk about but going to Japan a lot you really learn about a lot of different people. You see Jake Shields over there all the time, you see Gilbert Melendez over there all the time and it’s just a weird situation when you’re in this foreign land with all of these Americans but the most interesting thing was drinking vodka with Fedor,” Trigg said. “[Fedor and I] are sitting there in the hotel bar and we’re talking and we’re having a great time and all of a sudden I realize that this fool speaks English. I was like ‘Come on man, you’re really going to pull this?’ It’s not good English or clear English but you can definitely understand it enough to talk to him. He was just like ‘Nah, I don’t like doing it because I don’t feel comfortable on the microphone’ and we were just talking for five minutes in a straight English conversation without a translator.” “Then he goes ‘You know its funny’ and I go ‘What’s that?’ and he says ‘The more you drink vodka, the better you think your Russian is.’ That was when I first started realizing how the world works.” To listen to the entire interview, click the link below: PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: time, lot, fedor, trigg, english

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

The last time Keith Jardine stepped foot inside the cage he was making his middleweight debut after a respectable run at 205 pounds. This next time he does so it appears he will be mixing it up with an opponent in the same position, as “The Dean of Mean” has been linked to a July match-up with Roger Gracie, a submission-savvy competitor who will be dipping down from light heavyweight for the first time in his five-fight career. Though no official date/location is set yet the show will likely take place in Portland, Oregon on July 14 or July 28 based on other Zuffa programming. It is believed a middleweight title-bout between champion Luke Rockhold and popular challenger Tim Kennedy will headline the event. News of the bout was first reported by MMAFighting where multiple sources were cited. Jardine made a name for himself in the UFC by taking out the likes of Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. However, the 17-10 scrapper has struggled to find success over the past few years, racking up a 3-6-1 record in his last ten tussles. Fan-favorite Jardine Talks Future in MMA Comparably, Gracie is 4-1 with a quartet of submissions to his credit. He will be looking to bounce back from his first career loss when he meets Jardine, suffering a strike-based stoppage to Muhammed Lawal last September. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: time, jardine, gracie, roger gracie, july

Read the full article at Fighters.com

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey -- Alan Belcher walked into the cage saying he wasn't afraid of Rousimar Palhares' submission game, and he proved he was up to the task of shutting it down. Despite finding himself in some precarious positions, Belcher worked free time and time again, and after weathering the storm, he found himself on top. From there, he used good old-fashioned ground and pound to finish the Brazilian in the first round of their UFC on FOX 3 fight. Things didn't look great for Belcher early. Palhares easily took him down in the opening minute, and after a scramble, Belcher tried a twister, but soon found Palhares attacking with a leglock. Palhares stayed on the limb for a while, but Belcher had no problem escaping. From the top, he smashed Palhares with a series of punches and elbows until ref Dan Miragliotta stepped in for the stoppage. The time was 4:18."Why don't you guys ask Toquihno who the baddest man in MMA on the ground is?" Belcher said afterward. It was clearly the biggest win in the career of Belcher, who at one point missed over one year in the octagon due to an injury that threatened to force him out of the fight game. Belcher improved to 18-6 with his fourth straight win. "I was so ready," he said. "I wasn't scared. I just wanted to prove I could beat the most dangerous guy on the ground. And baby that belt is mine, I'm going for it." Palhares fell to 14-4.

Posted in: belcher, time, palhare, i wasnt, positions belcher

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

If you want to understand anything about the Diaz brothers, you should probably get yourself to Stockton. If you want to understand the important differences between Nick and Nate Diaz, and how the latter’s life might have turned out very differently if not for the former, you should probably go twice.That’s how it worked out for me, anyway. In retrospect, I’m actually kind of glad it happened that way. But only in retrospect.The first time I went to Stockton was in the summer of 2009, when I was sent there to do a cover story on Nick for Fight Magazine. I was there for three days, and I never even saw the man. Not once. Not even after I waited all afternoon one Sunday in a Mexican restaurant with a photographer who wanted to know if all MMA fighters were this difficult (they aren’t). Not even after I staked out his gym in downtown Lodi literally all the next day, only to have one of his blue belts flash me a confused look when I asked if he was expecting Nick to show up at any point."I wouldn’t think so," he said, as if the question itself was slightly ridiculous. I left yet another voicemail for Nick, then the next morning I left Stockton without my story. I thought about that failed venture every time I heard Nick complain that nobody would put him on the cover of a magazine. I thought about it when he insisted that no reporters would dare come to Stockton and see the world from his point of view. You better believe I thought about it when the UFC Magazine wanted to send me back there to do a story on Nick’s younger brother a little over a year later. No thanks, I thought at first. I got a good look at that Mexican restaurant the first time. What reason was there to think that Nate would be any easier to work with than Nick had been?I found out how wrong I was almost as soon as I got to town. Nate had just finished training for the evening, he told me via text as I made the drive from the Oakland airport into Stockton. Did I want to meet him and some friends of his for smoothies? After briefly considering the possibility that smoothies was slang for a crazy type of weed I didn’t even know about, I told him sure, I could drink a smoothie. When I showed up at the smoothie place and he was actually there, as promised, I knew we were already off to a better start.We drank our smoothies outdoors on a warm October night and Nate explained to me why he hated the UFC’s practice of making fighters who might one day have to face each other in the cage share time and space at media appearances and in airport shuttles. The way he saw it, this was intentional. It was the UFC’s attempt to make professional fighting "like some sport," when, at least in his mind, there was nothing sporting about trying to break other people’s limbs and faces on live TV. To pretend otherwise was to buy into an illusion, which Nate seemed to believe would only harm his performance. Better for his opponent to assume he was a psycho hell-bent on destruction, he explained, than for the guy to get comfortable in his presence. The tradeoff was that it made him out to be a madman or a thug in the eyes of public, and he knew it."People can think what they want, but if you hang out with me, I’m chill," he said. "The only time people see me is when I’m on TV fighting, and that’s when I’m at war. That’s not how I am all the time."And that seemed true enough. We spent that night driving around Stockton in his souped-up Chevy Silverado with a Tupac CD as our soundtrack (the entire time I was with him, from the car to the gym, I don’t recall him listening to anything but Tupac). Nate explained how the Stockton I was seeing was a gentrified (my word, not his) version of the one he grew up in. These days it was strip malls and chain stores (though it was still on the verge of being named the most "miserable" city in America by Forbes magazine), but it had been much worse in the years prior. Growing up here, Diaz learned a certain tough guy code before he learned anything else. He learned how not to stare at people, and yet how not to look away. He learned when trouble was about to start up, and how to make other people believe he was ready for it.But Nate will tell you now that it wasn’t until high school that he really learned to fight. Even then it was more Nick’s doing than his. Nick was the motivated one, the focused one. Nate was just the kid who wanted to tag along with his big brother. At first, Nate admitted, he wasn’t terribly interested in jiu-jitsu. He also wasn’t very good. What kept him coming back was that, after practice, the older guys in the class would usually buy he and his brother a burrito from the food truck that pulled up near the gym each night."That was actually the main reason I wanted to go train," he said. "I didn’t have any money. At home we didn’t have s--t. I was starving all day. So if I went to train I’d get something to eat. Sometimes I’d be sitting at home and it was like, well, if I go train with Nick I’ll get something to eat afterwards. If I don’t I’ll just sit here and be hungry. ...I was going for burritos and dinner, and hey, I wanted dinner every day. Before I knew it I was a blue belt."As he got better at jiu-jitsu and went from being the tappee to the tapper, he also discovered a side effect he didn’t expect: happiness. The endorphins from the exercise briefly made him forget the anger and hopelessness he’d come to regard as normal. He wasn’t any good in school, and teachers were always telling him that the best he could hope for was staying out of prison, and they didn’t seem too optimistic about his chances of accomplishing even that. But after following his brother to the gym night after night, suddenly he had a skill worth cultivating. He had something resembling a future. And because Nick fought in local MMA events, it seemed completely reasonable that he should too. It wasn’t even much of a choice. Next thing he knew, he was a pro fighter.Here’s where it’s difficult to overstate the influence that Nick Diaz had on his brother. Without him to funnel Nate’s energy into something productive, who knows what would have become of him. The same was true even after Nate had a career to focus on.For instance, he said, there was the time the WEC wanted him to fight Hermes Franca for its lightweight title. At the time, Franca had more than 20 pro fights, whereas Diaz had about six. To make matters worse, when he showed up the week of the fight, the promoter had a few changes in mind that didn’t seem beneficial to Nate. He didn’t know better, so he was ready to agree to whatever the WEC management suggested. Then Nick stepped in. If they wanted his brother to fight, he told them, they needed to up his pay. After a little back and forth on the exact sum, Nick had argued the price all the way up from two grand to show and another three to win, to $12,000 -- win or lose.As Nick put it when I asked him about it later, "They changed all the rules for that fight. ...We decided he needed to get paid as much as I get paid."Nate remembered trying to keep a straight face throughout the last-minute negotiations, but internally it was a different story."I was just like, are you kidding me?! I couldn’t believe it. I thought, man, I’m going to be a thousandaire. I’m going to buy a house!"He lost that fight, but he wouldn’t lose another one until Clay Guida took a close decision over him at UFC 94, nearly two and a half years later. By then, he was well on his way to becoming a seasoned pro and a UFC lightweight contender, and all while he was still less than a decade removed from being the kid who had only showed up to jiu-jitsu in order to get fed.Does any of that happen without a big brother like Nick there to guide him and push him? Probably not. Probably something much worse happens instead. Probably most of us never learn Nate Diaz’s name, or at least not for any positive reasons. It’s easy for us to think about them as two halves of the same mean-mugging whole, as if they’re more or less interchangeable. We think about Nick’s legacy as a fighter and a genuinely fascinating, but also baffling figure in the MMA world. But when we think about him only as a fighter, we forget what he’s already accomplished as a brother.The closest I came to getting a true glimpse of the importance of that relationship came just before I left Stockton for the second time. I’d spent all Saturday in their Lodi gym, though this time they were both there, for several hours. When they finally wrapped up a marathon training session I got to sit with Nate in the locker room and show him an old photo of him, his brother, and -- according to Nate -- their sister, which had been floating around the internet for the last few years.Nate instantly recognized the photo when I brought it out, but it seemed as if he hadn’t looked at it in years. He certainly didn’t seem aware that it was on the internet, or that it had been passed around so much by fans who had become enthralled with the legend of the Diaz brothers and their life in the 209."We were like third grade or second grade here. It’s crazy," he said, his eyes misting over. "Man we grew up in poverty, in the ghetto, just a really s----y environment. Like right here, we lived in a hotel. Us and my mom, just living in a hotel."Back then, he explained, his big brother was his guide to the whole world, just like he would later become his guide to the world of MMA. Their mother, he said, tried to keep them out of trouble and focused on the positive things in their lives."We were pissed off kids, but she’d say, ‘No, people are good,’" Diaz said. "But growing up, Nick was older, he knew everything was bad. He knew other people weren’t like this, they had good stuff and nice houses. We’d be sitting in the motel waiting for my mom to get off work. My sister and I didn’t know any better. As long as cartoons were on, we were fine. But Nick, he knew. People would always mess with Nick. He’s always been like that."What are you supposed to say to these guys now that they’re grown men, living under the microscope of a sport that doesn’t always know what to make of them? How are you supposed to get them to play nice, to work well with others, after they spent most of their lives learning the opposite lessons? Maybe the answer is that you don’t. It’s hard enough just to get the vaguest idea of who they are and what they mean to one another. Even to get that, you’ve got to go all the way to Stockton. You might even have to go twice. In retrospect, you’ll be glad you did. But only in retrospect.

Posted in: time, nick, nate, brother, stockton

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

There's not much to say about Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, good or bad, that hasn't already been said. "Bones" has been called many things, all the way from "arrogant" to "greatest of all time." After his win over former Jackson's MMA stablemate Rashad Evans at UFC 145 in Atlanta, Ga., on Apr. 21, 2012, however, even Jones' staunchest detractors are starting to come around. The 24-year-old prodigy has come about as close to cleaning out a division in record time as mixed martial arts (MMA) fans have seen in this recent era of the sport, which is saying something when you consider the list of big names he has run through in no short order. But, in the world of hurt, no good deed goes unpunished. His next order of business will be former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion and PRIDE legend Dan Henderson, in a fight that is still yet to be given an event and a date. During an appearance on Spike TV's "MMA Uncensored Live," Jones talked about his upcoming opponent, as well as his infamous overhand right. No surprise, he's not really that worried: "No, I'm not worried about the 'H-bomb.' I fought Ryan Bader. He had an amazing overhand right. I think he won The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) with that overhand right. Rashad Evans ended up knocking out Chuck Liddell with his overhand right. Mauricio 'Shogun' (Rua) had an awesome overhand right. I'm just not worried about it. It's a single technique that I'm prepared for, extensively. 'Hendo' actually has a good left hook, as well, so, I'm not worried about single strikes." In the interview, Jones was asked about what might be next if he were able to knock off "Hendo." Specifically, he was questioned about the possibility of a "super fight" between either UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva or UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos. He was asked who of the two he'd prefer to fight, if push came to shove. Here's what he had to say: "Man, well, you know, I wouldn't wanna fight either of them, because of the relationship that I have with those guys. They're pretty awesome guys. If I had to choose, I would probably go with dos Santos." Following up on the question, Jones was asked about how he thinks a fight between he and "JDS" might go down. Perhaps having learned from his previous media faux pas with Evans, "Bones" was diplomatic in his response: "I dunno. You know, he's not on my radar. Dan Henderson's the guy that I'm focused on, the most. He's still a ways away. But, I don't know how I would fight Junior. But, you know, I definitely don't want this to be taken as me calling him out, by any means. I'm a light heavyweight, and I'm fighting Dan Henderson." Jones has been mentioned by some as being in the conversation of "greatest of all time." He believes it's a title he may one day deserve, but in the meantime, he plans on continuing to work as hard as he can and try to be deserving of his accolades: "It's very flattering, and it's an honor to be considered one of the greatest fighters of all time. It's something that I'm working towards, so to be near that, already, it's something that's a blessing and an honor and it reminds me that I'm on the right track to be where I want to be. I live up to it by training hard and by not wasting my days and realizing that these are something that I'll never get back and to really give myself the best odds of that being true." For now, Jones is quick to give the "greatest of all time" distinction to his buddy, "The Spider," but he also wanted to make it known that he's raised his own personal ceiling. It's not enough for him to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. He wants his name to go down as a legendary overall combatant: "The greatest of all time would have to be Anderson Silva. But, I'm starting to change my way of thinking, to not try to be one of the greatest martial artists or boxers of all time, (Muhammad) Ali or Anderson. I wanna be like 'Alexander the Great,' a guy who conquers and is fearless and who just love combat. That's the mindset that I'm trying to evolve myself to." It may be tough for some people to consider Jones in the same breath as "Alexander the Great," or even Muhammad Ali, after he was unable to finish Evans in a five-round bout that went to the judges' scorecard. Jones defended his performance in his last fight, indicating his new-found respect for taking his time: "You know, I have this thing where I don't like to rush. I definitely don't want to ever lose a fight by getting caught by a wild punch. There was a scenario where, Eddie Alvarez, I think that's who it was, where he like body shotted this one guy, then he ran up to him to try and finish the fight, and the last thing the guy hit him with, his last shot, and it ended up knocking out Eddie Alvarez. I think that's who it was. That haunted me. I would never want something like that to happen to me. So, what I do is, I take my time and realize that I have 25 minutes to methodically pick someone apart." According to Jones, he hasn't talked to "Suga" since the two did battle last month. However, he does wish him well. He even hopes that there's still a chance they may be able to re-kindle their friendship, one day: "I haven't talked to Rashad, but I definitely pray for him. I wonder how he's doing. I'm sure it's a lot to lose, especially to me. You know, it's a tough time in Rashad's life right now, so he's definitely in my thoughts and prayers. I'm sure he would have loved to beat me, but at the same time, I'm sure he remembers how easy it was for us to be friends. What's happened has already happened now, and hopefully, that friendship is still possible." You would think that Jones would be quick to say his last fight was his toughest fight. It was his first non-finish. It was versus a fighter who he had trained with and who he knew intimately and was a bout that brought with it much emotional baggage. But if you guessed the opponent that Jones considers his toughest challenge is Evans, you'd be wrong: "The toughest opponent, up to this point, would have to have been Stephan Bonnar. He pushed me to the limits. I hit him hard, and he kept coming with relentlessness." Definitely interesting, but it's hard to argue that "The American Psycho" is one tough fighter. Lastly, Jones talked about his game and his all-around skill set. Though he's known for his stand up and striking, his jiu-jitsu is an aspect that he continually works on in training. We just haven't seen much of it in the Octagon. Not yet, anyway: "During my training camps, I work a lot on jiu jitsu. It really varies on the opponent that I go against. You know, if there's a guy who has really great takedowns, and he has something that he likes to do on top, or he has really terrible takedown defense, and he has something that he always does on bottom, I focus on specific positions. Like, for 'Shogun,' we realized that 'Shogun' had been taken down 16 out of 18 attempts, and he immediately goes to half guard, and he tries to go for a sweep. So, me knowing that, I realized the odds of taking down 'Shogun' were huge, and I worked on my half guard." Maybe we'll get to see "Bones" working off his back in his next fight. After bludgeoning Evans' face for five rounds with standing elbows, it's hard to put anything past him at this point. He's full of surprises, and that's not a good thing if you're one of his opponents.

Posted in: fight, time, jone, he, im

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Like most people tapped into social media, I get a lot of my breaking news from Twitter. A tweet from CNN or a retweet from another news source usually fills me in on the latest big -- and sometimes inconsequential; looking at you, any headline with the word ‘Kardashian' in it -- story. Yesterday, the story was Junior Seau's apparent suicide, unfortunately. When it comes to someone taking their own life, it usually goes one of two ways. Either the signs were there -- depression, financial or personal turmoil -- or the act comes completely out of left field. In Seau's case, it was the latter. While purely speculation at this point, yesterday's tragedy brings up memories of Dave Duerson's suicide from February 2011. A member of the vaunted 1985 Chicago Bears squad, the former safety also took his life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest. But unlike Seau, he implored his family before his death to donate his brain to the Boston University School of Medicine almost as if he knew something wasn't right upstairs. They've concluded concussions led to Duerson suffering from a neurodegenerative disease. Football is a tough -- and dangerous -- sport. Any sport, really, has its share of dangers but a game like football, in which men are constantly crashing into each other with as much force as they can muster trumps just about all the others. Except for maybe mixed martial arts (MMA). Proponents can trump the safety measures in the sport all they want, be it the lack of a standing eight count or the mandatory medical suspensions following a knockout. But the fact remains, these men and women are punching, elbowing and kneeing each other in the head and body. And they're doing it as many times as they can to win the fight. That is the exact opposite of safe. I'm not calling for a boycott of the sport, obviously. I love it. I spend a large chunk of my time -- perhaps too much -- watching, analyzing, writing and talking about MMA. It's a huge part of my life. And there are some of you who know an equally large amount of time is devoted to professional wrestling. The difference between the two is obvious on the surface but on a personal level, the two are separated by innocence. In 2007, Chris Benoit murdered his wife and seven-year-old son before taking his own life. Later studies revealed his brain resembled that of an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient and he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) as a result from massive brain damage in all four lobes. Since then, I've been able to enjoy pro wrestling but there's a small pang of guilt knowing I am supporting a business which helped produce such an unspeakable tragedy. And the amount of damage some of these MMA fighters I cheer on can't be all too dissimilar from what Benoit's body and brain went through. Beyond head injuries, broken bones from submissions wear down on a body. Bones aren't meant to be broken and when they are, it's a shock and trauma to the system. Champions like Tim Sylvia, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mauricio Rua know this all too well. While snapped limbs are the exception rather than the rule, it's always in the realm of possibility. Imagine a job where violently losing consciousness or have your arm broken in to are not only credible occurances but to be expected depending on who your co-worker is on a certain day. MMA isn't safe, it's the most dangerous sport on the planet. The simple fact is, a fighter's mind and body are forever and irreversibly changed. It goes beyond what we see inside the cage. Fighters get rocked in practice while preparing for a bout, sit out a few minutes and then hop back in, not wanting to lose precious training time. Wanderlei Silva has gone on record he spars at full speed and force and has been knocked out more times than any MMA fan has seen inside a ring or cage. That sort of damage takes its toll. You see it in the eyes, seemingly always glassed over, of ex-boxers and fighters and hear it when their mumbled words leave their mouths. Punch drunk isn't just a throwaway term for over the hill fighters, it's often the result of traumatic brain injuries. When a fighter's journey ends, they are wholly different from the person they were when it began. That doesn't mean it has to be for the worse. One solution could be mandatory yearly CAT scans to determine any damage and keep track, if any, of its progress. Another would be to encourage and offer psychiatric help to any fighters who might feel they need it. Beyond this, the brass at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) need to be proactive in their support for further research into CTE and other brain trauma issues. They need to be the gold standard in this fledgling industry if they hope to avoid the stigma which is has seeped into boxing and beginning to do so in football. UFC President Dana White has said plenty of times he has forbidden his young sons from strapping on a helmet and heading onto a football field while championing the safety of the sport he represents. But MMA isn't all that much safer. There's an exhilaration from watching two fighters stand opposite one another, everyone knowing only one can leave the cage as the winner. It's beautiful but violent art. And the sooner we accept this, the sooner we stop comparing and contrasting MMA to other sports, the sooner we can actually take steps to help avoid tragedies like Seau's, Duerson's and especially Benoit's. If I'm lucky enough to still be covering this sport I love so much in 10 or 15 years, I don't want to write this story about Chuck Liddell, Jens Pulver, Rory MacDonald, Alexander Gustafsson or anyone else I've enjoyed fight over the years.

Posted in: mma, time, fighter, sport, brain

Read the full article at MMA Mania

NEW YORK -- When Alan Belcher arrived in the UFC back in 2006, he was like most eager newcomers. He wanted to fight as often as he could, impress his bosses, and hopefully got on the fast track to the top. As the Biloxi middleweight heads toward his UFC on FOX 3 main-card bout against Rousimar Palhares on Saturday at New Jersey's Izod Center, though, he's taken a more relaxed approach to his craft. And since he's mellowed out, he's paradoxically found himself closer to an elusive title shot than ever before. "My life's been kinda crazy the last couple years," Belcher said Wednesday at Lower Manhattan's Church Street Boxing Gym. "My whole mentality has changed. ... My mind works in a totally different manner. Before, I was in such a hurry to get a title shot, or paydays, or whatever. But now it seems like, as soon as I stopped trying so hard, as soon as I had my energy turn from so angry and negative and trying to do that hustle sort of thing, all my energy came back and it paid off." Of course, Belcher's newfound path wasn't discovered entirely by choice. Belcher had scored his biggest win to date, over Quebecker Patrick Cote at Montreal's Bell Centre at UFC 113, when he began losing his vision in his right eye over the summer of 2010. The resulting surgery kept him out of the cage for 16 months, with plenty of time to reflect. He returned in September and scored a first-round victory over Jason MacDonald, then took another prolonged break, in part due to the birth of his son. "It gave me some time to work on some things, my diet and things like that," said Belcher. "I had my latest child, a son, he's five months old now. I took a little time off after that, there's no need to fight every few months. I like my life, I don't have to fight all the time in a huge hurry." So if it isn't broke, why fix it? Belcher (23-6) has won five of his past six fights over the past four years. The only defeat in that span was a hotly disputed, split-decision loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 100. He's pocketed bonuses in four of those bouts: two fights of the night (vs. Akiyama and in a win over Wilson Gouveia at UFC 107) and two submissions of the night (a rear-naked choke of Cote and a guillotine against Denis Kang at UFC 93. All this has come as a result of his maturation process. "My focus has changed," he said. "My main thing is I've learned how to balance my eating schedule with my family and make it work for me year-round. I've learned how to live like an elite athlete. Why would a UFC fighter at the highest level of sports eat bad food and not take care of himself all the time?" But for all Belcher's focus, a bad loss to Palhares, a fighter who has been underestimated before, would put him back into the line at 185. Belcher knows that his opponent is mainly known for two things: His leg locks and his, umm, ability to act a bit odd in the Octagon from time to time. Four of Palhares' past five UFC wins have come via leg lock (three heel hooks and a kneebar). But Belcher's confident he'll be able to handle whatever Palhares (14-3) can throw at him for the simple fact that his Brazilian opponent is going to have to deal with some of the best striking in the middleweight division in order to even try to take Belcher down. "I feel like I'm one of the best strikers in the UFC," said Belcher. "Matching up against grapplers, they know they're going to have to come into my zone to get close to me. They know that I hit hard and am very versatile on my feet. I already have an edge, so they already know if I'm able to get in there and make that kind of fight happen, they're going to have a long night." Then there are the moments like Palhares' 2010 fight against Nate Marquardt, in which he stopped to complain to the referee mid-fight and was TKO'd for his trouble; or his Rio bout against Dan Miller, in which he thought the referee stopped the bout and climbed atop the cage to celebrate, only to find out the match wasn't over. "A lot of people are telling me he's crazy or wild or whatever, I don't know," said Belcher. "I've watched all his fights, it looks like he's just aggressive, mean guy and he does what it takes to win. ... We'll just see how he handles it, when he gets frustrated and he can't take me down."

Posted in: ufc, fight, belcher, time, he

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

submitted by bykliebhan [link] [6 comments]

Posted in: time, henderson, dan, hendo, bykliebhan

Read the full article at Reddit

Dress to impress? According to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, dressing properly and acting like a gentleman inside and outside the Octagon, are among the primary reasons he has been so financially successful in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA). Of course, his tremendous skills as a complete MMA fighter have helped somewhat, too. St. Pierre, who makes anywhere from $4 to $5 million per fight, also does very well monetarily promoting his major sponsors that he obtained thanks in large part to his gentleman-like attitude that he portrays outside of the Octagon, as well as his GQ-like fashion sense, which can be seen on full display each and every time the champ is present at a pre- and post-fight press conference. With more and more fighters like Light Heavyweight contender Rashad Evans and former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, just to name a few, following suit (no pun intended) St. Pierre says he was rocking his finest threads to press conferences long before it was cool to do so. At least, that's what he told MMA Fighting: "This is something that I've been doing since the beginning of my career. I wore a suit at press conferences when all the other fighters were making fun of me. (They said), 'Oh, look at St. Pierre, he doesn't wear his sponsor. I'm the one who first started doing this stuff, and I think the image and how you conduct yourself ... because the sponsor, the big companies in corporate America, they're not interested in sponsoring an athlete who is good in his sport but acts like an idiot outside of the Octagon. They want someone who performs well, of course, but acts like a gentleman outside of the Octagon. I understood that more than 10 years ago. That's why I behave the way I do and I do things that I do. That's why I have a lot of sponsors. I do have a lot of sponsors and a lot of money because of this. It brings money to the table. I'm in this business because I want to make it for a living, for money. People don't understand that. They used to make fun of me. Now 10 years after, now they start picking up on it. It's sad to see that it takes a long time for them to understand." It's safe to say, no one is making fun of this French-Canadian these days. "Rush," who is perhaps the biggest name in the UFC today with 205-pound champion Jon Jones not too far behind, has landed some of the biggest endorsement deals with major blue chip sponsors such as Gatorade and Under Armour clothing, two of the biggest, if not the biggest companies in their respective fields. Should the 170-pound king continue his winning ways, expect more sponsors to be knocking at his door, looking to get a piece of the St. Pierre pie. GSP is expected to face Carlos Condit, who is the current interim UFC welterweight champion, once "Rush" is fit to return to action following a string of injuries that have kept him out of action for the last nine months. And he will be rocking his fining suit when it comes time to promote his fight with "The Natural Born Killer," who also has been known to wear his Sundays best at press conferences from time to time.

Posted in: time, press conferences, pierre, st, sponsor

Read the full article at MMA Mania

We knew before Jon Jones ever stepped into the cage against Rashad Evans at UFC 145 who his next opponent would be if he won: Dan Henderson. Shortly after it was officially announced that Jones would be taking on Henderson his next time out, UFC president Dana White revealed that the two would likely be meeting at the impending UFC 149 event. Those plans no longer seem to be intact. Jones’ manager, Malki Kawa, spoke with MMAFighting this week and revealed that his client won’t be ready to return to training in time to make the date for the UFC’s first Calgary-hosted fight card. With the event scheduled for July 21, Jones would have just three months turnaround from his recent title defense over Rashad Evans. Jones battled his former rival for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory at UFC 145 earlier this month and would like to take more time than that to relax and recover. Henderson has been on the sidelines waiting for a shot at either the middleweight or light heavyweight titles – whichever one opened up first – since November, when he earned a narrow unanimous decision over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139. MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: ufc, time, jone, jon jones, henderson

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

"He’s a tough guy, so tenacious, and just doesn’t want to give up. He’s going to keep coming for the takedown. He’s not going to quit but I’ve got to break him. My wrestling defense is one of my best attributes, so I feel very comfortable in that. I’m just going to try to break him on the takedown the whole time, and I’m going to try to play my range on the feet. If we get to the ground, I’m confident in my jiu-jitsu. I just don’t want to be on bottom. He's a beast on top, so I ain't going to have that. He’s so tough mentally, we've seen it in all his fights. I think everybody has a breaking point, and I just have to find it. That’s the key. Even if it's just to make him change his game plan." Despite dressing like a woman and getting shot at in Iraq (not at the same time), Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold (via MMA Fighting) still believes he can mentally break Tim Kennedy when they eventually hook 'em up later this year on Showtime to battle for Rocky's 185-pound belt. The champ has been sidelined with a broken hand since smashing Keith Jardine to kick off his 2012 fight campaign and even has his sights set on UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva. Too big for his britches? Or focused and confident? Time will tell.

Posted in: time, tim kennedy, hersquo, bottom hes, takedown hersquos

Read the full article at MMA Mania

"I was. It was a long time ago, it was in school growing up and that's why I started doing martial arts, to defend myself. My dad taught me in the beginning then I went to a school and I started from there. I wish I could do that (get revenge on past bullies) but now I can be sued! I can't take my revenge on these guys." Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre talks to CNN about living in the shadow of a bully as a wee little Canadian boy growing up. While it's been a long time since anyone pushed around "Rush," Carlos Condit is going to give it his best shot when they hook 'em up later this year to unify the division and Interim titles. Anyone out there with a good bully-revenge story? Don't link to those YouTube videos we've seen a zillion times, let's hear some personal experiences in the comments section below.

Posted in: time, i cant, comments section, zillion times, canadian boy

Read the full article at MMA Mania

If may sound counterintuitive to speed up your career by slowing down, but to Alan Belcher, it makes perfect sense. It's a strange phenomenon he discovered during a period of severe adversity in his life. It happened when Belcher badly injured his right eye, a problem that put his career in jeopardy. Having to take a forced absence from the sport put things in their proper perspective. Gone was the overwhelming urge to do things at 1 million miles per hour. Family and health came first, he realized, and everything else would fall into place with hard work and time.The theory will get tested at next weekend's UFC on FOX 3 show, where he will face Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Rousimar Palhares, a man for whom there is rarely interested opposition. Belcher bucked that trend by accepting the fight before it was even truly offered to him. In that way, he made an opportunity where one didn't previously exist. To him, it was a logical move. The matchup presents an upgrade in opponent level from his last fight, a submission win by strikes over journeyman Jason MacDonald. That had been Belcher's first fight back after 16 months away. Palhares is considered a fairly ruthless competitor, particularly on the ground where 10 of his 14 career wins have come via tapout. His specialty is heel hooks (he's got six all-time). The fight is equal parts danger and opportunity. Belcher said that he believes Palhares, who he calls "the best submission guy in our division, and in MMA," to be capable of beating current middleweight champion Anderson Silva. So for him, a win would make a declarative statement that he is indeed all the way back to form. The irony is that for the first time in his life, he's in no rush to prove that. "It seems like once I slowed down and stopped wanting it so bad, that’s when everything came," he said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "It’s just a fact. I had all that animosity because I was trying so hard. I just wanted to get ahead and go so fast. The time I’ve taken off in the last few years, it's helped me grow so much as a person and as a fighter that it was really valuable time off. Slowing down has really helped me out a lot."Slowing down the fight might also be a key. Belcher noted that he doesn't want to get into scrambling mode with Palhares, acknowledging that in that type of fight, "he's going to catch me."But that's not the way he sees it playing out. In preparation for Palhares' dangerous ground game, he's spent some time training with fellow specialists like Dean Lister and Daniel Moraes, working on dictating the action even on the ground. As a result, his confidence level is high."I see myself getting a TKO or knockout," he said. "I really do. I think I’m going to frustrate him, catch him and hurt him and finish him. I think I'm going to get one of those bonuses."That would be most welcome, considering the Belcher family just added a new baby to their household last November. Spending the proper amount of time with his family and finding a balance between his work and home life have also affected his preparation. He said that in the past, he would go from one extreme to the other. When it was time for training camp, he'd separate himself from his family to get into fight mode in hopes of building intensity. Then, when the fight was over, he'd return home and become a family man, spending too much time relaxing and eating badly with little thought of training. Now, it's just enough of both. He spends most of his camp at home, leaving only for two weeks in Milwaukee with trainer Duke Roufus. That allows him to spend quite a bit of time with his wife and two children, and a good amount of time training."That's something I needed to do to make it to the top," he said.If it seems like family is a big part of Belcher's winning equation now, that's exactly right. The fighter has a soft spot in his heart for children, and in the leadup to this fight with Palhares, has promoted a fundraiser for the March of Dimes.Belcher believes he he has it all together now, everything in harmony. His eye is healthy, his family is thriving, and now, the time is right to prove his worth as a key player in the middleweight division."I want to impress the fans, and obviously the UFC leaders and show them that I’m the No. 1 guy," he said. "That’s what I’m woking for. I worked really hard for this fight. I feel really strong physically and mentally. I think I got a good plan going in. It’s wide open so I'm going to seize this opportunity and step into that spot."

Posted in: fight, belcher, time, palhare, family

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Rematches are hit or miss. Sometimes you can't wait to see them, sometimes you want to scratch your eyes to save yourself from having to watch them. In the case of Mike Kyle vs. Rafael Cavalcante, it's definitely on my list of rematches that I want to see. Cavalcante has had some good fights since their first 2009 meeting, and Kyle has had a fantastic run over the last two years, with the only blemish during that time being a loss at heavyweight to Antonio Silva. In a recent TapouT Radio interview, MAK talks about his upcoming bout with Feijao and who he thinks has the tools to topple Jon Jones. *Note: Interviewer is either my co-host, Evan Shoman of TapouT Radio, or myself. When I don't conduct these interviews by myself, I just put "Interviewer" to eliminate having to bounce back and forth between three different names. Interviewer: You are a completely different fighter than you were five years ago. What prompted this evolution in your style? Mike Kyle: I had to. With the way this sport has changed, jiu jitsu and wrestling have really taken off, so with me being at AKA, I really had to work on all aspects of my game. Now, I can actually say that I'm comfortable in a fight, from any position. Interviewer: What are your thoughts on Feijao's striking? Mike Kyle: You know, his boxing has gotten a lot better since the first time I faced him in June of '09. I ended up knocking him out in mid second round. He's had some good fights since then, but it's not too smart to trade with me. It's only a matter of time before something hits, and I really don't believe that guy has a great chin. His leg kicks worked good for him in our first fight, so I know he might try to capitalize by using those leg kicks. He might try to take me down, but my wrestling really has evolved. I believe that we're pretty much equal as far as jiu jitsu on the ground. I think I have the slight edge in wrestling, and I'm positive that I have the better hands. Interviewer: How did this fight come about? Related: Daniel Cormier Talks Strikeforce Heavyweight GP Mike Kyle: I was getting ready for Mousasi but had to pull out two different times due to injury. One was a broken hand a week out, and the other was a recurring staph infection after a major surgery I had. I couldn't get into shape because I was always out of the gym trying to heal up from the surgery and the staph. After I healed up, I was hoping to fight Mousasi, with the winner getting a title shot, I was told. Then he wouldn't take the fight due to me pulling out from the other fights. He had his reasons, but I would never back out of a fight unless it was a last resort. I understood where he was coming from. Dana White, Joe Silva and those guys must have understood where he was coming from, because they were letting him dictate what he wanted to do. The opportunity came up with Feijao, and he jumped right on it. Most fighters want the opportunity to get back a fight that they lost. I know that he's going to be coming for me. He's training harder. I'm training harder. It looks like it's going to be some fireworks. Interviewer: You fought for some time at heavyweight, and now you're at light heavyweight. What do you walk around at when not in training camp? Mike Kyle: Right now I'm walking around between 218-222 pounds. Before camp, I was closer to 235. I try not get any higher than that. If I'm out of shape, I'm at 240. I took my time dropping my weight off slow, and now I'm walking around at about 218. After my workouts, I'm at 215. I'm in great shape right now. I've never been in as great shape as I am right now. I'm hitting the cardio and working out twice a day now. I use organic apple cider vinegar early in the morning to spike up my metabolism, and it works good for me. I did get away from the heavy lifting, because I can go lift two times a week and I'm back up to 225. I have to be careful with how I lift, so I'm doing a lot of airdyne bike and cardio. The other day, me and Todd Duffee went on a 38 mile bike ride, so you know, I'm really getting after it. Interviewer: This is your third time under the ZUFFA umbrella. Are you noticing a big difference in how things are run these days? Mike Kyle: I do notice a difference. Burt (Watson) taking control of all the hotel arrangements, and running guys around. They are more organized as far as all that. They're helping us out with getting the insurance benefits stuff going. They still don't have the retirement plan that us fighters deserve and need. There's a lot of money out there that they're making, and it's only a matter of time before they start giving it back to the fighters. I pray for that every night, that I'm not hung out to dry at the end of my career. I'm very happy to be back with ZUFFA. I see them constantly improving their organization, and they're doing good things for their fighters. I plan on being the top guy, and I believe that they have faith in me. I really believe that I'm going to go out there and beat Feijao. Who knows how long Strikeforce is going to be around. Hopefully long enough for me to get a title, and then I can step in and challenge Jon Jones. I don't like getting off the subject of Feijao, but I really believe that I have Jon Jones ticket, and that I can reach his chin. He has a huge reach advantage on everyone he faces, and on me, he has maybe three or four inches. He's really versatile, but he's young. I've got a lot of experience, and I've fought a lot of tough guys. I've never seen him get hit hard yet. He is a tough kid, and athletic as hell, and I don't want to take away anything from his victory against Rashad Evans. It was a great fight. He got a little out of synch in that first round with all Rashad's movement, but he came back, started working, and getting that range down. Rashad stopped moving his feet. That movement that he had going, slowed down, and playing patty-cake got him caught with those elbows. It just goes to show, if you get off your gameplan, even for a second, the other guy will capitalize on it, and it can throw off the whole fight for you. I've been working at this for a long time, and now I finally have my mindset right. I'm training hard, and my body is working well. I'm doing the things I'm supposed to be doing in life. Follow Mike via his Twitter, @MAK4afight

Posted in: fight, time, mike, im, kyle

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Welcome back to my online diary documenting my very amateur experience training in Muay Thai. If you missed the previous entries on Bloody Elbow, read them here. It's been almost a year and a half since I started this journey, and this week marked for me a bit of a personal milestone. For the first time, I really felt like I was not "the new guy." Things clicked, everything worked as I wanted it to, and I thought to myself "I'm not terrible at this!" Which is a pretty great feeling. That's not to say I'm some sort of fantastic fighter at this point - far from it. But I felt truly comfortable in a way I haven't yet, which was quite welcome. This comfort came in sparring this week. Had an excellent sparring session where I was able to, at times, stop thinking and just let myself fight. Walking away from it, I can see how fighters become addicted to the feeling. Of course, I have no desire to just sit around and pat myself on the back. That gets nothing done in the long run. So I got a few pointers from my instructors, thought through things myself, and came up with this checklist of things to focus on next time I spar: Use my reach. This has always been a goal of mine, and I am using it somewhat, but still need to do more. Jabs and teeps, and a lot of them. Don't be predictable, but use that reach to keep my opponent outside always. Keep the hands up when I kick. I wasn't even realizing I was doing this until I got hit a few times. When working pads, I am careful to keep my hands up on the kick, but apparently in the moment of sparring, they drop down, leaving me wide open. No good, and needs to be fixed. My plan here is just to drill kicks, and a lot of them. Be more confident. That's the biggest advice my instructor left me with. And I get what he means completely. One of my issues right now is not delivering my strikes with power when sparring. I'm still not sure how hard to throw a punch to the head or a teep to the body when sparring. I want to establish control with those strikes, but also don't want to be the jerk in sparring who is going too hard. It's a fine balance, and at the moment, I'm being overly cautious and light. Need to work on stepping that up, but not so far. There are other things, but those are the big three. Many thanks to those I worked with who helped me focus on these - it can't be overstated how helpful it is to work with the right group in sparring and training, and the team at Conviction is great. Question for the week: When sparring, how do you best judge the level to go at? Video of the week: I'm adding a new little feature here, highlighting the fantastic "Muay Thai Minute" YouTube series. It's a great series of quick clips highlighting proper Muay Thai techniques, just 1 minute(ish) each. Very cool stuff, and every week I'll feature one. This week, a simple but great teep fake that I am absolutely stealing for next time. Watch the video in the full entry. I train Muay Thai under Andre Madiz at Conviction Martial Arts, 4430 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL. www.convictionfitness.com. If you are in the Chicago area, come join us, and be sure to say hello.

Posted in: time, week, muay, thai, im

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

It is said a man can be known by the company he keeps. This timeless proverb could not be more applicable for both UFC lightweight John Cholish and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt John Danaher. In the former’s Octagon debut last December, fight fans instantly knew almost all they would ever need to when the latter was introduced as Cholish’s head coach. This immediate recognition or near a priori understanding of Cholish because of Danaher’s presence can similarly be likened to Danaher’s indelible integrity from his work with and subsequent praise from Renzo Gracie, Roger Gracie, Matt Serra, Chris Weidman, Greg Jackson, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, and many others. As Danaher has never been an animal of competition, his legend as a teacher will forever be linked to the overwhelming success of his students, including the 8-1 Cholish.“John was one of the first guys I met at Renzo Gracie’s Academy in 2006,” tells Cholish. “Georges St-Pierre is such a highly respected fighter and to have a guy like that speak so highly of John speaks for itself. He's a black belt and I think he is one of the best teachers of the overall game of jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts. One of the things that I think makes him so great is he is still a student of the game. Whether he is working with a white belt on a technique, teaching a class, or drilling with Georges St-Pierre, he's constantly learning and developing and trying to find something new. He's just so open minded and looking for new possibilities and new techniques and new strategies. Not just with jiu-jitsu. He could be studying a new gymnastic move in which he thinks the hip movement will correlate to jiu-jitsu or a judo technique. It's really interesting how he brings the academic side of the sport over to the practical side of the sport. His dedication of how many hours he spends in the gym is above and beyond anyone else I know.”At 28 years old, the New Jersey native looked completely unaffected by any “jitters” inside the Octagon at UFC 140, which Cholish easily equates to his enigmatic mentor. “John's coached Georges St-Pierre in numerous title fights, so I had pretty much a full mental breakdown of what the week would entail from the Tuesday getting there all the way up until fight time,” says Cholish, who scored a systematic second round TKO over Mitch Clarke. “He did a great job just reassuring me about everything I was going to walk through, so I wasn't at all surprised or nervous or anything. As far as it being the first fight of the night, the best part is you’re the only one who is on time because you know exactly when you're going to start. It was just like another day training, except this time it was in the Octagon.”The finish of Clarke improves Cholish to an eight fight win streak with the past seven by stoppage. The sole loss on the former division I wrestler from Cornell University’s record was in his first MMA fight, which Cholish took on a lark after training a year of BJJ at Renzo Gracie’s Academy in Manhattan. Although that 2007 defeat on a baseball diamond in Fort Myers, Florida is technically a blemish on his professional record, it was the watershed moment for Cholish, as he fell in love with the sport while grinning through every punch he ate. Afterward, Cholish dedicated himself to learning each aspect of this new combat passion and has gone undefeated ever since, but Cholish is far from content at his current level of expertise.“John and my father tend to harp on me about me being my toughest critic,” reveals Cholish. “Before I even get back into the locker room, I'm talking to John like I did this wrong and this and that. I always try to pick myself apart and I sometimes get in trouble over-analyzing myself. At the end of the day, you have to say, 'did you get the result that you wanted?' And I did. I set a decent pace, I was able to kind of dictate where the fight went, and in the second round I picked it up. I felt like I was landing consistently on the feet and starting to get my rhythm. When we had that little flurry, I was able to secure a good transition and get to the back and finish the fight. You always have to get better from fight to fight because your opponents are going to be doing the same thing. Overall from my first fight in the UFC, I was definitely satisfied with the performance, but I'm definitely looking to improve upon it.”At UFC on FOX 3 in his home state, Cholish will get that desired step-up in competition with Danny “Last Call” Castillo. “He's got a real reputable name and fights out of a great camp,” admits Cholish of his 13-4 opponent, who is a member of Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. “I am excited about it. He has a great record fighting in the WEC and the UFC, so he's a great challenge for me. I'm definitely looking forward to the opportunity of testing my skills and abilities against him.”Besides the given that Castillo is a tough well-rounded fighter, which is noted by his wins over Dustin Poirier, Joe Stevenson, and, recently, Anthony Njokuani, Cholish likes to unconcern himself with his adversary and leave the tape watching to his coaches. “My main belief, I really enjoy training and I train so much, and when I'm just training for the love of it and having fun I improve a lot better as opposed to training with subtleties in the back of my mind of what my opponent does, because I'll focus on those areas a little more,” explains Cholish, who benefited greatly from this practice in his Strikeforce win over Marc Stevens as Stevens, a righty, started their bout as a southpaw. “When you rely on what you see, you go in practicing that and studying for your whole fight camp, and you are going to be in a little bit of a deficit if you go out there and all of a sudden your opponent does something different. I try to be as good as I can in all the areas of the game, so no matter where the fight goes, I hopefully can dictate the pace or dictate where it goes.”In preparation for his second UFC outing, Cholish is busy criss-crossing New York City’s first borough to train all the As in MMA. Outside of his work with the academic armbarrer from New Zealand in Danaher, Cholish’s other two cornermen are his standup coach Joseph Samperi and BJJ black belt Erik Owings, the owner and operator of Mushin MMA in Union Square. Cholish can also be found at Church Street Boxing, doing gymnastics at Chelsea Piers, and learning the “Jantzen Ride” from friend and former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion from Harvard University Jesse Jantzen. As Cholish sharpens his weapons all over the Big Apple, they are all used accordingly by Danaher’s guidance. “When working with him, I put 100% all the trust in him, his abilities, his words, and what he does,” affirms Cholish. “I have the confidence that when he tells me to do something, whether it sounds like it makes sense to me or not, I can 100% fully put my confidence into what he says. I can believe if I do what he says I will get a positive result. He's not out there with a huge camp, so I do feel very honored he takes the time to spend time with me and work with me. I definitely owe a lot of my successes to him.”If being a rising prospect in the shark infested waters of the UFC’s lightweight division wasn’t enough to spend his days on, Cholish maintains a full-time job as a Commodities Broker for an OTC Energy Brokerage Firm where he primarily focuses on brokering Natural Gas and Crude Oil options, futures, and swaps. Essentially what that means is that when Danaher references Pareto’s Principle of economics in a grappling seminar, Cholish gets it. It also means that a couple of the suites at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey will be rocking with Cholish’s white collar co-workers.“They're nothing but supportive at work,” states Cholish. “Of course, I need to not let my work slack, and my work comes first and I need to make sure everything goes well in the office. As far as the fighting goes, they love the sport and they're big fans of the UFC. Having that support and having that camaraderie in the office is definitely nice to have on my side. In all honesty, it's nice fighting in New Jersey because I won't have to take off as much time for work. When I have a fight, that's actually my vacation time. Most people wouldn't call that a vacation. It's nice that it's close by and I'll definitely have a lot of family and friends there to support me, which is definitely a plus. Being able to sleep in my own bed and train at my own facilities is obviously going to be a big benefit.”On May 5th, Cholish’s mix of brains and brawn will collide with the California contender, Castillo. “I want to put on a strong performance and use everything I've learned in training and get a strong finish that's in a technically sound way and is hopefully aesthetically pleasing too,” asserts Cholish, which in laymen’s terms translates to another choke or knockout finish for a biased and bellowing Jersey crowd. “Obviously, fighting is a risky and dangerous sport, and getting into a cage with another guy takes a lot of guts, but at the end of the day, these people are here to watch a fight. That's what I plan on doing. I'm bringing a lot of fast paced action, using skill and technique to show how beautiful mixed martial arts can be.”Describing a stoppage win over Castillo as a pursuit of beauty, Cholish sounds exactly like the company Danaher would keep.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, cholish, danaher

Read the full article at UFC

The easiest way for me to end this is to admit that very little turned out the way I planned. Because I was dumb or naive or both, I thought I’d spend a year following a fight gym, beginning in January and ending in December, and by the end of it something would become clear to me. I thought the stories of all these lives and careers would somehow open and close according to the calendar, and by the time it was all over I’d be able to present them as fully formed, complete narratives. I wonder now what I was thinking.People’s lives almost never work this way, and the life of a fight gym is, in many ways, as complex and incomprehensible as the life of a person. The story is messy and complicated. A lot depends not only on what you see but where you’re standing and what else happens to be going through your mind when you see it.Even after you’ve seen what you came to see, then there is the problem of telling people about it. Here we are at the end of this series, and there’s so much I still haven’t told you. For instance, I never got to tell you about Duane Ludwig, a UFC welterweight and one of the Grudge gym’s true old-school hardasses. The first time I saw Ludwig in the gym, I almost mistook him for a Mormon missionary. He showed up one weekday morning in a short-sleeved collared shirt and tie, exchanging department store slacks for Muay Thai trunks just in time for a little mitt work with head trainer Trevor Wittman. He’d come to the gym straight from his new baby’s baptism, he explained once his workout was over. The new baby was the reason he kept fighting hurt, Wittman told me after Ludwig had finished a training session punctuated with multiple painful pauses. Clearly, he wasn’t feeling great, and yet he couldn’t afford to sit home and let his injuries heal while his bank account dwindled. A familiar story, and one that Ludwig lived without complaint, even when he had to fight Amir Sadollah with a neck so badly injured he couldn’t even spar during his training camp. He won the fight anyway, then had surgery (the UFC’s fighter insurance covered it) and soon enough he was back in the gym, this time in a t-shirt and jeans, leaning up against the ring with a cup of coffee in his hand during one Saturday morning sparring session, yelling at his teammates to "Stop taking it easy; it’s time to fight now, mother----ers!" (Duane Ludwig gives a little encouragement to his teammates. Photo by Ben Fowlkes, MMA Fighting)I also never told you about Justin Salas, the Grudge lightweight who got the skin on the bottom of his foot burned off by an overheated mat at a local MMA event in Denver to start the year, then spent much of the rest of 2011 in a frustrating purgatory as he tried to find a fight big enough to get him noticed by the UFC. Salas’ struggle was representative of what many up-and-coming fighters go through when they get stuck between the minor leagues of MMA and the big show of the UFC. When you’re good enough to beat most people in your division outside the big show, and yet not famous enough to make it worth the risk of losing to you, fights suddenly become tough to come by. Salas fought just twice in 2011 -- a decision victory over Rob Emerson in the foot-burning incident in January, then a decision over Joe Ellenberger in October -- but he was a fixture in the gym during all the long, fightless months in between. One thing I could always count on when I walked through the doors at Grudge is that Salas would be there, training as if he had a fight in two weeks, even though he spent most of his year waiting and hoping.Then there are the little moments, the snapshots of life in the fight game that come into focus for a few minutes at a time. Like when Wittman and Nate Marquardt spent a post-workout stretching session trading oddly lighthearted stories about the dangers out getting hit in the head for a living. Wittman, of course, told about Verno Phillips, who would not only ask the same questions over and over after a fight, but would occasionally even start hitting on women at the post-fight celebration, forgetting that his wife was only a few feet away. This prompted Marquardt to recall a story about Japanese fighter Akihiro Gono, who, he said, got rocked so badly during a fight that he returned to his corner at the end of the round unsure of where or even who he was. According to Marquardt, Gono later recounted the strange look on his coaches’ faces when he sat down on the stool and asked, in all seriousness, "Am I here to fight? Am I a fighter?"They went back and forth this way for a long time, like men will do when they get to trading and comparing stories. One anecdote after another about the funny things people say and do after suffering minor brain trauma in the ring. As if that world wasn’t also their world. As if the risks were something for other people to worry about, but never them.And then there are the moments that, months later, you still aren’t sure what to do with. Like the day one of Grudge’s own came home from the wars after being blown up by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Wittman and a few others gathered around as he shuffled inside and sat down on the tattered sofa in the gym’s front room for an impromptu reunion. His wife stood nearby holding their six-month-old baby as he told his old training partners the story of a deployment so violently unlucky it was noteworthy even by military standards."He’s been feeling pretty negative about a lot of things lately," his wife said to Wittman, as if imploring the coach to give one of his pep talks. But this wasn’t like losing a fight or getting dropped from the UFC. This was a whole different realm of bad. He suffered a traumatic brain injury in the blast, the soldier explained. He had burns up his arms. When he came to in the dirt several yards from his exploded vehicle, the first thing he asked the fellow soldiers who came to his aid was whether he and his manhood were still acquainted. They were, his comrades told him, and one can imagine the relief that must have washed over him in the seconds before he moved on to worrying about everything else.Days later, Wittman was still shaken by this encounter. The eager young fighter who went away to war and the wounded veteran who came home were in no way the same person. Sitting there on that couch, the soldier had talked almost optimistically about the possibility of doctors amputating one of his damaged fingers, because at least then he might be able to make a fist again. Then he might be able to return to the gym and hit the bag a little, he said, and the idea alone seemed to lift his spirits ever so slightly.Sure, Wittman had told him, nodding along and trying to seize on the positive. You never know what you might be capable of with a little time, some physical therapy. But later, when thinking back on it, Wittman would find himself at a loss. Even with his relentless positivity, how do you begin to cheer up someone whose best-case scenario now begins with losing a finger? How do you even make sense of a world that takes healthy young men and blows them up along the side of a dirt road in a foreign land? What were you supposed to say to make this one better? (Trevor Wittman works the mitts with Ludwig. Photo by Ben Fowlkes, MMA Fighting)Wittman had his own struggles to deal with that year. After being released by the Alchemist Management team and effectively severing his working relationship with both Marquardt and Brendan Schaub -- two of his biggest, most profitable fighters -- the financial health of the gym became his chief concern. He was no longer getting a percentage of big fight purses, no longer getting a regular check in the mail from the Alchemist clothing line. Just a few months ago there had been talk of opening a whole chain of Grudge gyms. The next thing he knew Wittman was cashing in coins just to pay his utility bill.But in some ways this reversal of fortunes was a good thing for Wittman, and for the Grudge gym. Beginning in the summer of 2011 and into that fall, Wittman went from pouring all his attention into a few top guys to spreading it out more evenly within the gym. He cornered some Grudge representatives at a local Fight to Win event in Denver -- something he almost never did before -- and made changes to the practice schedule in an attempt to promote greater team unity. Before, the team had split training sessions between lightweights (welterweight fighters and below) and heavyweights (middleweights and above). The star power on the team was disproportionately tilted in favor of the heavyweight half, meaning the lightweights often got less attention from the gym’s cadre of coaches. No more of that, Wittman decreed, and from then on the team practiced together, as one unit. One Saturday morning I watched as Wittman lined all the Grudge fighters up against the wall before sparring and lectured them on the importance of being there for one another. Whenever a Grudge team member fought, he said, whether it was in the UFC or on a local card down the street, he wanted everyone showing their support, even if it was just via text message."And don’t just text him if he wins," Wittman added. "I hate that s--t. If he loses, you pick him up. That’s when he needs you."Perhaps out of pure financial necessity, Wittman also began paying more attention to attracting and retaining paying members -- even the kind who would likely never, ever fight outside the gym. He made it a personal mission, he said, to make the gym into a financial success, if not for him than for his brother, who was the official owner of the Grudge Training Center. By the time 2011 came to a close, the gym might have had fewer UFC stars carrying the flag on pay-per-view fight nights, but it certainly had a healthier, more unified team behind closed doors.Which is not to say that Grudge became one big, happy family without a few casualties along the way. By the end of the year, Wittman had parted ways with a number of his staff, and he was never known as a man who parted ways on the best of terms. Gone was front desk fixture Jen Berg, who had a bitter split with Wittman that ended acrimoniously on both sides. Gone was Ricky Vasquez, who managed the careers of many lower-level Grudge fighters until a dispute over money turned ugly in a hurry, as such disputes tend to do. Even boxing coach Fareed Samad found himself on the outs with Wittman after a fairly innocent tweet attempting to cheer Ludwig up after a loss to Josh Neer in January of 2012. As for Wittman and his fighters, the relationship with Schaub eventually improved after the loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in Brazil. The relationship with Marquardt mostly didn’t, which seemed just fine by both men. Shane Carwin spent much of the year out of action with injuries, but whether he was on the mats or not he always seemed to hover above the fray, as if he simply didn’t have time for these petty squabbles. Grudge light heavyweight Eliot Marshall managed to hold on to his UFC contract after the loss to Luiz Cane, thanks in no small part to his manager, Alchemist’s Lex McMahon, who was quick to remind UFC officials that Marshall had done them a favor by stepping up to take the bout on short notice. But then Marshall lost a heartbreaker of a decision to Brandon Vera in October, and though it was perhaps the best performance of his UFC career, he was cut soon after.Marshall had vowed to retire from MMA if the UFC cut him a second time, since the organization almost never granted third chances to fighters who’d already been cast off twice. At first I doubted he’d stick to this promise if it came down to it, but it seems like he has, at least so far. He hasn’t fought since the Vera loss, and claims he has no desire to. As he explained to me once, with a young son at home who was growing up far too quickly, he couldn’t justify missing any more important moments in his child’s life just so he could fight for a couple grand on some Indian casino fight card somewhere in as part of a desperate attempt to hold on to a dream that had most likely slipped through his finger already. He’d begun to think about it while he was still in the UFC, he said. He’d come home exhausted from training, wanting to do nothing but lay on the couch until it was time to go back to the gym, but then he’d open his eyes and his son would be standing there, wanting to play, wanting his father’s attention. How could he say no to that? How could he explain to a toddler that daddy needs to save his energy for beating people up?"Being a fighter doesn’t define me," he said when I pressed him on whether he could really give this up so easily. "Being a father and a husband defines me. My life will go on after this."It struck me as an incredibly healthy attitude for a fighter to have, and yet one incompatible with success in a business like MMA. How could you reach the top and stay there if it didn’t mean absolutely everything to you, the way it almost certainly would to the people you’d be locked in a cage with on Saturday night? And yet, if it did mean everything to you, what kind of life was that? How could you know for sure whether all those sacrifices -- the time away from your family, the time spent hurt and tired and sore and cranky -- were really worth it?The conclusion I eventually arrived at was: if you’re the type of person to seriously consider the question, you already have your answer. If it even seems like a choice to you, it’s probably best to go do something else. Because that guy who’s going to be standing across from you when the moment of truth comes? He doesn’t have a plan B. He is not considering any other career path or wishing he was home playing with his kids. He wants only to hurt you. He wants it more than he’s ever wanted anything, and if you don’t feel the same about him then you’re in the wrong place.It’s a hell of a way to make a living, when you think about it in those terms, and yet it is not a job. A job demands some things -- things like time and energy and a little bit of focus -- but this is so much more than that. This business will take everything you have, and even if you’re willing to give that there’s no guarantee that it will give back. You spend weeks and months laboring out of sight, only to show up on fight night and take your shirt off before an arena full of people who have all been looking forward to seeing what will become of you. You will give them someone’s pain -- yours or the other guy’s, maybe a little bit of both -- and in return they will give you money and something resembling love. Is it a fair trade? Tough to say. Sometimes the exchange rate seems more favorable than others, but either way it’s the only deal you’re going to get, so you take it. You take it for as long as it’s offered, or for as long as you can stand it. Whichever comes first. Whenever it comes.

Posted in: fight, time, way, gym, wittman

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Joe Ellenberger was not used to this. This was the time to feel robust, that I-can-walk-through-fire or anyone-at-anywhere time a fighter always builds during training. That time to rinse the mind and become invincible.

Posted in: time, fighter, training, mind, anyoneatanywhere time

Read the full article at Sherdog

The Make-A-Wish Foundation celebrates World Wish Day on its 30th anniversary this weekend and all-time leading wish-granter John Cena, along with Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Jon Stewart, Tiffani “Kelly Kapowski” Thiessen, and others, are set to take part in a wish-granting fiesta all day in addition to being featured in a video on an electronic billboard in Times Square. While the day will no doubt bring a ton of joy to those in attendance, including the wish-granters, it also shows how committed Cena is to the cause after celebrating his 35th birthday yesterday and opting to spend some of his time off at the event instead of at home, enjoying some much-deserved time off. ESPN.com celebrated Cena’s birthday yesterday with a couple of fun facts about the top WWE star, including the time before his main roster debut that he spent as a robot and his extensive work with the Make-A-Wish foundation. The WWE Universe also paid homage to Cena after last night’s RAW went off the air including a beautiful rendering of Happy Birthday by none other than the Great Khali. Check it out below: PHOTO CREDIT – WWE Tweet

Posted in: time, cena, birthday, times square, makeawish foundation

Read the full article at Fighters.com

This article was created to make you feel inadequate about your inability to not break your neck when you attempt to execute a back flip. Not everyone can exist in a universe that has the same physics as Ninja Gaiden. Also, not everyone can have a last name that sounds like part of an incantation in Elder Scrolls. Look at that, two video game references in less than a 10-second time frame. It's like I froze time and granted the world with something really cool, like that chick in 'Out of this World.' For those not adept in random 90s sitcoms, Out of this World takes the premise that a half-alien teenager has supernatural powers obtained from her full-alien father. She occasionally contacts her father through the use of a multi-dimensional glowing cube that she keeps on her bed stand. Ah, the 90s -- back when television could be ridiculously confusing and still maintain a watchable level of awesomeness. These post-fight antics of Maximo Blanco and Marcus Brimage at UFC 145 were pretty amazing, but still not as amazing as every word you've just read in this article. [Source]

Posted in: world, time, marcus brimage, time frame, halfalien teenager

Read the full article at Middle Easy

ATLANTA --In a massive upset, Eddie Yagin topped Mark Hominick, dropping the former featherweight No. 1 contender twice in the first two rounds and surviving a tense third to earn the most significant victory of his career. Yagin won on points, as the judges scored the three-rounder for him by tallies of 29-28, 29-28, 28-29. Hominick had been as much as a 6-to-1 favorite to win th efight. Yagin nearly knocked Hominick out in the first, flooring him with a right uppercut/left hook combo. He punished him with ground strikes that had ref Mario Yamasaki looking intently at the action, but he let it go, and Hominick held on, then got back to his feet and fought competitively for the rest of the round. By the end of the first, Yagin's nose was bloodied while Hominick had developed a mouse under his right eye. Hominick began finding his rhythm in the second, pumping out the jab while utilizing his significant reach advantage, but Yagin countered with leg kicks. About two minutes in though, Yagin dropped him again, this time with a straight right. Yagin went all-out for the finish but Hominick stayed active on the bottom. Hominick eventually got to his feet and worked his kickboxing, but Yagin's power found its mark at times, too. Likely realizing he was far behind, Hominick turned up his aggression in the final frame, letting his right hand go. He backed Yagin up repeatedly during the round and hurt him several times. Yagin's face was covered in blood by the final horn, but it still wasn't enough for Hominick. Yagin, who won in the UFC for the first time, improved to 16-5-1, while Hominick lost for the third straight time and is now 20-11.

Posted in: mark, hominick, time, right, yagin

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

UFC 145 in Atlanta is now just hours away, so let us tick away the time with a few last questions, concerns, comments and predictions. Here are eight of them, presented in no meaningful order.I. It must be almost fight time, because there is absolutely nothing new to say about the Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans bout. More and more, I wonder if this is the true sign of a big time fight. If the night of the event rolls around and you don’t feel completely sick of the same storylines, the same questions and same answers, then it must not be a fight that really matters. If it were, our media-saturated sports culture would have talked it to death already, as we have with Jones-Evans. The fighters know it. They couldn’t even fake it convincingly during the pre-fight press conference this week. All the talk has been "almost therapeutic" according to Jones, but there’s a reason therapy isn’t considered a spectator sport. Was it always this way? Were people this sick of hearing about the "Thrilla in Manilla" by the the time the fight finally rolled around? How about the Punic Wars? Surely by the third one even some Carthaginians must have wished they’d just burn the damn place down and get it over with already. The Jones-Evans saga of friendship and teamwork and rivalry and betrayal might have been too enticing for its own good. Like a hit pop song that drops just in time for summer, this is a story that was destined to get told over and over again, blaring out of every car stereo at every stoplight until we couldn’t stand it anymore. At least in MMA (unlike pop music) we have a built-in end point to that particular brand of madness, and we’re almost there. Nothing left to do now but shut up and wait, and at least one of those is optional. II. A brief story about Greg Jackson, told to illustrate a point. An agent who shall remain nameless once told me a little tale about a Jackson’s MMA fighter who shall remain nameless. This fighter was offered a fight in the UFC that this agent thought was a bad idea. Not only was it a difficult style match-up, it was also one of those pairings that’s short on positives and long on negatives for one of the two fighters. The agent advised against taking it, he said, but the fighter wouldn’t hear of it. So the agent called up Jackson and told him what the UFC had in mind. Okay, Jackson said. We’ll start looking at tape and working on a game plan. Here’s where the agent asked Jackson for his honest opinion. Did he think this was a smart fight for this guy to take at this point in his career? Oh no, Jackson is said to have responded. He didn’t like the match-up at all. Seemed like a very bad idea, actually. "That’s when I realized that Greg doesn’t really worry about that side of things at all," the agent told me. In other words, he became a fight trainer because he wanted to be a fight trainer -- not because he wanted to be some sort of MMA mogul. I bring this up now because of all the emails and tweets I’ve been getting that paint Jackson as ruthless capitalist who purposely undercut Evans in favor of a more profitable relationship with Jones. I know the internet loves a conspiracy theory, but anyone who actually knows Jackson knows that he’s the rare figure in this sport who really is as honest and forthright as he appears to be. That’s why he opts to stay out of the murky waters of fighter management and career manipulation altogether. If anything, he stayed too far out of it while this Jones-Evans thing was building under his roof. The only thing you can really fault him for here is his naive belief that grown men could sort stuff out for themselves. Obviously they couldn’t, which is how we arrived at this bitter conclusion. Is that Jackson’s fault? He says it is, but I don’t know. All I can tell you is that if you think he did this on purpose, you give him far too much credit for long-term planning.III. A moment of silence for the fighters on the undercard. Usually the top couple bouts on the main card stand at least a chance of sharing the spotlight with the main event. Not this time. Not even close. Granted, the UFC saw it coming and saved most of its secondary star power for subsequent events, which was probably the smart move. Jones and Evans are the ones selling the tickets and pay-per-views here, and we all know it. There are still plenty of interesting fights on the undercard, but good luck getting them noticed with this hype storm around the main event.IV. As long as we’re on the subject of the undercard, take a gander over at Rory MacDonald, who some oddsmakers have pegged as a 6-1 favorite over Che Mills. You might remember Mills from his 40-second TKO of Chris Cope in his Octagon debut back at UFC 138. An impressive showing, certainly, but against a guy who seemed to exist in the UFC only to give others an opportunity for an impressive showing. Now he takes on MacDonald, who seemed to be on his way up the ranks after wins over Nate Diaz and Mike Pyle. Now he gets Mills, who’s an exciting talent, but not necessarily a logical next step after wins over two established UFC fighters like Diaz and Pyle. That creates a tricky situation for MacDonald. Up until now he’s been the up-and-comer trying to knock off contenders one at a time, but this opponent will be trying to get a little of MacDonald’s hype to rub off on him. You don’t gain much that you didn’t already have if you win a fight like that, but you sure do lose a lot if you find yourself on the wrong end of an upset. On paper it looks like a showcase fight for MacDonald, and maybe it is. There are just a lot of ways for that to go wrong, and only one way for it to go right.V. How confident is Brendan Schaub in his ability to take one and give one back after his loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira? In this match-up against Ben Rothwell, Schaub is probably the quicker, more athletic fighter. But the same was true against Big Nog, at least until Schaub got clipped on the chin. What Rothwell brings to the table is power. He can take a lot of punishment, and while his skills tend to diminish the more he gets worn down and beaten up on, he rarely goes away easily. Schaub, meanwhile, has been knocked cold a couple of times in his much shorter career. That’s not to say his chin is suspect, but you do have to wonder how good he’s feeling about his own ability to withstand a blow. If he’s hesitant to exchange with Rothwell, look for it to cost him in a hurry. It he comes out firing, at least we’ll know his confidence is solid. He just has to hope his chin is too.VI. Toughest fight to call? Without a doubt, it’s Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald. Experience vs. youth. Veteran savvy vs. raw talent. McDonald has a full head of steam after his quick KO of Alex Soto, but he’s never faced anyone with the ability or the big fight experience of Torres. Is McDonald really as good as advertised? Does Torres‘ decade-plus in the fight game really count for as much as he thinks? These two questions are equally difficult to answer, which explains why this fight -- at least according to oddsmakers -- is the closest match-up on the card. Beware, you riverboat gamblers. Anyone who tells you he knows exactly what’s going to happen here is either lying to you or to himself.VII. We’re about to find out just how much wonder Stephen Thompson really has in his bag of tricks. The matchmaking here feels like something out of a Patrick Swayze movie. The lifelong martial artist who’s all fancy kicks and Pokemon moves takes on the snarling hard-ass who looks like he might only swap out his chewing tobacco for his mouthpiece when the referee makes him. Brown has been joking all week about the Thompson mystique, as if he’s some sort of ninja who might materialize next to you in an elevator. It’s fun to play with that notion, but how much truth is there to the idea of Thompson as a karate whiz kid? He scored a superb knockout in his UFC debut, but just as with his kickboxing career, it’s tough to tell what role the quality of his opponent played. Brown is a tough fighter -- not to mention a desperate one at this point in his career -- but he’s also someone who makes his share of mistakes. If Thompson can make it out of the first two minutes, Brown is bound to give him some type of opening. You just wonder what it will look like, and if "Wonderboy" can make it count for something.VIII. One last thing about Jones-Evans, then I swear I’ll let it go. For the past 13 months of his life, Jones has ended every triumph with Evans staring him in the face, often literally. His former teammate has hovered in the air above the greatest nights in Jones’ young career like a storm cloud that just won’t pass. It’s been a source of frustration and aggravation for Jones, but all he could do was wait. If he is victorious against Evans on Saturday night, and if he does so in a fashion that effectively puts the matter to rest once and for all, what then? How will he feel when he turns from this one and sees no more Evans staring back at him? Will he be relieved that it’s finally over, and he’s once again alone at the top? Or will he feel something else, like the emptiness that comes with the end of a challenge he didn’t realize he depended on so much until it was no longer there? Maybe. Or maybe not. Maybe I should take my own advice on this one, and shut up and wait. Matter of fact, yeah. Let’s do that instead.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, fighter, hersquo

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Stop if you've heard this one before: Bellator puts on a big fight during a major UFC weekend and it gets totally lost in the mix. The latest rendition is Friday night as former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez rematches Shinya Aoki in one of the most high-profile bouts they've ever had, but one that isn't getting a lot of chatter amidst the Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans buzz. The History Alvarez and Aoki first fought in the co-main event of DREAM/K-1's New Year's Eve show in 2008. At the time, Alvarez was 15-1, compiled in promotions like Bodog and DREAM. Coming off wins over Joachim Hansen and Tatsuya Kawajiri, Alvarez was prepared to win the...ahem...WAMMA lightweight title in a very notable fight. Then 18-3-0-1, Aoki had established himself as one of the best non-UFC lightweights in the world. A fixture in Japanese MMA organizations, Aoki's submission game was well-known, even if he wasn't known to mainstream MMA fans. A winner in four of his last five going into the battle, he had the hometown advantage and used it, submitting Alvarez in under two minutes. Alvarez was aggressive, controlling the center of the ring early. He would secure a takedown, but it ended up spelling his doom. As the two scrambled, Aoki got Alvarez's leg and began to torque it just right until he got the heel hook for the tap in just 92 seconds. For what brought them to Friday's Bellator 66 and what the outcome means, join us after the jump. Since Then Alvarez (22-3) went to Bellator, won seven in a row and took the promotion's 155-pound title in the process. While the competition at times wasn't the best, he earned the rep as one of the top lightweight fighters in the world. That run ended at the hands of Michael Chandler last November as he lost his belt via fourth round submission in one of 2011's best fights. Aoki (30-5-0-1) has continued to mainly compete in Japan, winning the DREAM 155-pound title in October 2009 -- a belt he still holds today. He has ventured to the U.S. a handful of times, notably fighting Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez in a lackluster bout. Since that defeat, he's won seven straight and five by submission. What The Fight Means The most interesting storyline here is Alvarez, who may be making his last Bellator appearance Friday as his contract is coming to a close. A win here puts him in a great position to ride into the UFC, both financially and stature-wise. There's an outside chance he could remain in Bellator, but he'd need to go through the tournament again to get a shot at Chandler, which is frustrating but the situation at hand. For Aoki, this bout has been a long time coming and is likely just a one-off fight for some decent pay. Sure, he could be considered by Zuffa but if he hasn't been brought in yet, is there a reason to think that will change now? Stats Alvarez: 28 | 5'9" | 69" reach | 154.5 weigh-inAoki: 28 | 5'11 | 72" reach | 154.5 weigh-in The fight is live on MTV2 with the lightweight tourney kicking things off at 8 PM EST. SBN coverage of Bellator 66

Posted in: fight, bellator, time, alvarez, aoki

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Rashad Evans was always the young gun – flashy, fast, powerful, able to leap tall buildings in a single…you get the picture. He’s not that guy anymore. The skill is still there, the power and the speed seemingly undiminished. But at 32, he’s the old man compared to his opponent in the main event of UFC 145 this Saturday night, light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.Evans knows what he brings to the Octagon this weekend, so you get the impression that such talk doesn’t bother him, but watching his alternatively intense then bemused looks in the lead-up to the bout show a former phenom that has settled into the role of wily veteran. You may think you know what he’s thinking or planning, but you really don’t. And even after countless interviews to promote one of the organization’s biggest bouts this year, he has yet to show his cards.That’s something that only comes with time and experience, and Evans has both on his side. It wasn’t the case when he held the title, when his consecutive knockouts of Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin forecast a long reign that ultimately ended in his first defense against Lyoto Machida in 2009. Four wins later, it remains the only loss of his pro career, and that’s with good reason, as he’s learned from the mistakes he made when he was on top.“One thing about it is that I just control the people around me and not let them make a big production out of everything, and that’s what happens sometimes,” said Evans. “When you get to a certain position, everybody wants to help you, but they really want to help themselves in a sense. So by helping you, they’re really helping themselves. Everybody has a bit of advice, everybody has a new way you could do this, everybody has a new way you can get better, and I don’t know everything and I don’t claim to, and I find great enjoyment learning, so I can learn anything from somebody, but at the same time, you gotta tune it down a little bit and cut down on the noise, because if you get too much coming in at one time, it’s gonna become a distraction, and it doesn’t help you at all.”If there’s one thing surrounding Evans’ opponent, Jones, in the last few weeks, it’s been plenty of noise. The phenom from Endicott, New York is seemingly everywhere, and while he appears to be taking everything in with a certain level of grace, Evans showed that same poise when he was holding the belt, and look what happened in the Octagon and behind the scenes. So when Evans talks about Jones and what he expects to happen if he doesn’t keep everything together physically and mentally under the intense pressure and scrutiny he’s under, it bears listening to. Yet while Evans hopes to precipitate that fall from grace by taking the belt from his former training partner this weekend, when asked if he would feel some empathy for Jones should that fall happen, “Suga” says he would.“I can say that, and I’ll say that to him,” he said. “Because honestly, as much as I want to destroy him and beat him and shock the world and prove who I am, a part of me goes out to him because I know he’s setting himself up for a fall and I don’t know if he can take it. He’s wrapped himself up in a lot of falsehoods and I don’t know if it’s because he’s young, but he really can’t see the fall coming. And when I say this, I don’t want to make it seem like with everything in life you always have to be like ‘oh, I can’t do this because I’m gonna fall.’ No, you can reach for the stars, but you have to understand a fall for what it really is. And there’s usually a lesson to be learned every single time you gotta take a step back, and if you can find a lesson, you can become stronger from that fall. But if you don’t understand it for what it is and you don’t accept the fact that it’s going to happen, when it does happen, your denial about it makes sure you don’t grow from it. I don’t know if he’s gonna be able to handle that part, and I wish for him to because honestly, I like Jon in some ways and I developed a relationship with him when I was training with him, so a part of me roots for him and hopes that he does well in life and stuff like that, but he’s delusional sometimes.”Some would say that’s a necessary evil for all fighters, to lie to themselves and say getting punched, kicked, and choked doesn’t hurt, and that all that pain is only in their mind and not in their aching limbs. Evans agrees…to a certain extent.“I think you need to be delusional sometimes, but sometimes you gotta be rational,” he explains. “I think what happens is that when you become too delusional in life, you lose touch with reality and that’s bad. You have to keep at least one anchor close to land, just in case you gotta pull yourself back to shore. You don’t want to be way out there and get a hole in your boat and be shipwrecked and not know how to get back, because that’s when fools get crazy. They get too far away from reality.”And for all the trash talk and bad feelings surrounding this fight, Evans is grounded in reality. When he says he’s going to beat Jones, it’s not out of arrogance but in a belief in his skills and his training. And when he assesses the champion, he doesn’t dismiss him as a young, wet behind the ears, kid. He knows what “Bones” brings to the table, and he’s prepared accordingly.“From the first time I trained with Jon, I knew he was gonna be really good,” said Evans. “I never knew how fast he was gonna be good because somebody can be good in the practice room but really not good in the fight. So when I saw that his mental game was just as good as his physical game, I knew there was no rate on how fast he could go because he actually believes a lot of the stuff that he says, and I’ll tell you what, belief is 99.9% of it. If you believe, you can go really far with this just on belief alone.”It’s a surprising admission from Evans, considering that his eight year pro career has proven him to be a master of the mental game. With one comment, one gesture, or one move, he can take an opponent out of his element and play him like a video game. He’s done it for years, and in the lead-up to the fight, he’s poked and prodded Jones to find the weak spot and get in his head. Jones looks to have weathered that storm nicely, but with the exception of pre-fight pushing or jawing matches (none of which have happened here), the true winner of the mental chess match only shows up on fight night. So expect Evans to continue to try and work his magic every minute until that bell rings.“When you’re able to make somebody go somewhere mentally where they haven’t gone before, that’s always a good thing because with that, you get a new reaction and a new way, and it’s gonna be interesting to see how he (Jones) handles that,” said Evans. “He’s gonna try and divorce himself from all the feelings that he has towards me and towards the situation and try to make it like a normal fight. But with the added pressure and everyone around, it definitely has to seep in a little bit. He feels like he’s fighting for the honor of Jackson’s gym, and he’s here to defend his master, Greg Jackson. And I’m sure Greg is putting things in his head like oh man, you’ve gotta beat Rashad because Rashad has said this about me, and I offended Greg, so I think that Greg is now wanting to see me get beat.”If anything has been made clear throughout the year long buildup to this fight, it’s that Evans’ true animosity may not be with Jones, but with Jackson, his former coach. And deep down, that animosity may hide a deeper hurt about how things played out when Evans and the Jackson’s MMA team split after Jones won the 205-pound belt in 2011.“It (the split) just lets me know what people are about sometimes,” said Evans. “People are about their best interests, and Greg is no different. At one point, we came up together. If it wasn’t for the fighters out of his gym, nobody would even know who Greg Jackson is. He would just be a guy in Albuquerque who has pretty good jiu-jitsu and pretty good MMA, and another guy who had a gym. It was the fighters that actually got him known, and through what he showed us and through what we experienced together, we created something that the world is talking about, and other fighters sought him out to be a part of the team. So when he looks to destroy me, he’s destroying a piece of himself because without me, he wouldn’t be. Without Keith Jardine, he wouldn’t be, without Georges St-Pierre, he wouldn’t be, without Diego Sanchez, Joey Villasenor, or Nate Marquardt, he wouldn’t be. We were the guys who made Greg Jackson the guy who people wanted to come to.”At this point, a day removed from the big fight, Evans is talked out. He was talked out weeks ago, as his days were filled with questions about his sparring sessions with Jones, their former friendship, and every intriguing angle revolving around this match of 25 minutes or less.“I’m so tired of it I can’t even go on Twitter or any social networks because that’s all everybody’s talking about,” he said. “That’s good to an extent that everybody’s talking about it, but I can’t escape it. If I post a picture of me doing something else, somebody would say something like ‘oh, you should be training for Jon Jones.’ They must think I just sit in the gym and train 24/7 and do nothing but that, and only break to go and eat, and when I eat, I only eat salads.”Evans laughed, finding a spark of humor in the midst of the madness. He’s been here before, comparing it to another long-simmering grudge match, with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Evans made it through that process painlessly, winning the 2010 bout via decision and putting that feud in his rearview mirror. It showed a lot about how far he had come since the Machida fight, and in subsequent wins over Tito Ortiz and Phil Davis, he also showed off his versatility and finishing power (against Ortiz) and his ability to go five rounds for the first time (against Davis).So he’s ready for the dynamic Jones and whatever he brings to the Octagon. Sure, Evans is older now, but he’s also wiser, and with that wisdom comes the realization that nothing lasts forever, so that when you get your time to shine, you need to make the most of it.“Right now, this is my moment in time to embrace this and enjoy it for what it is because the truth of the matter is, it won’t be like this always,” he said. “These fights are few and far between, so when you get an opportunity like this, you just gotta enjoy it. So whenever I find myself getting frustrated, I just try to enjoy it because before you know it, it will be all over with, I’ll be an old man telling a story about when I fought Jon Jones. (Laughs) I understand what can happen in a fight of this magnitude and what can happen when you get caught up too fast with everything around you and how it can drain you and really make the fight bigger than what it is. What this fight comes down to is that this is a guy that I know very well, this is a guy I used to train with, and this is just another sparring session after we haven’t faced each other in a long time. So it’s gonna be interesting.”

Posted in: fight, time, jone, ’t, evan

Read the full article at UFC

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

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

Read the full article at Fighters.com

ATLANTA -- Look out UFC welterweight division. Georges St-Pierre's knee is getting stronger, and it appears he's on track for a fall return.The champion is in town for UFC 145, and with his rehabilitation progressing well, he was all smiles as he walked pain-free and limp-free into the event's open workouts. During a brief interview session, St-Pierre told the media that he recently began running, as the two surgeries on his right knee continue to heal well on the long road to recovery. Because of that, he's on schedule for his return to MMA training, which he hopes will be in about two months."In two months it will be 100 percent," he said. "Now I feel something that it's not 100 percent, but in two months there's no doubt in my mind. I don't want to mess it up. If I try to jump and go too fast, I will have to do it all over again and I don't want to make the same mistake." The "same mistake" refers to a previous injury to his left knee. That time, he believes he came back too quickly and overcompensated with his right knee, leading to unnecessary damage.Because of that, St-Pierre is restricted in what he can do. He said he's currently engaging in a lot of pool exercises, gymnastics, and running. He's also getting the itch to get back in the gym, which is one he won't be able to scratch for some time. When he does return, interim champ Carlos Condit will be waiting for him.Given the timeline, a return on the promotion's November 17 return to Montreal sounds like a real possibility, but St-Pierre said given his layoff, which will hit the one-year mark on April 30, he is only concerned about when he returns, not where."Wherever it is, in England, the US, I’ll fight. I'm just going to be happy to be back and fight. When you get hurt for a long time and you're forced to pull away from training and you're forced to stop doing what you like to do everything, it makes you see things in perspective. And I just want to get back. Wherever the fight will be, I will be glad to fight, and I’m very anxious to come back."St-Pierre, who will turn 31 years old next month, said that while he has no problem in facing Condit, he wouldn't fight teammate Rory MacDonald, who many consider to be a future threat to the title. St-Pierre said that by the time MacDonald reaches the No. 1 contender spot in around two years, perhaps he will have moved on to middleweight. But first things first, and that's returning. He's on the short end of his six-month overall recovery time, and now he can start to think about fighting again."It’s awesome," he said. "I’m in good shape now, but I’m not in fighting shape."

Posted in: fight, time, return, he, stpierre

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

By Bryan Levick, special to MMAFrenzy.com Before an injury forced him out of his bout with Chael Sonnen in January on the UFC on FOX 2 card, UFC middleweight Mark Munoz was on one hell of a roll. He had won four straight fights including wins over Chris Leben, former UFC Middleweight Championship contender Demian Maia, C.B. Dolloway and Aaron Simpson. In fact, since coming over to the UFC from the WEC, Munoz has a record of 7-2, with his only losses coming to light heavyweight Matt Hamill and another former number one contender in Yushin Okami. Munoz has become the guy that no other middleweight wants to fight. The bout with Sonnen was to determine who would go on to face current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, but as fate would have it, Munoz was unable to soldier on with injuries he had been fighting with for a long time. Being the man and the fighter that he is, Munoz chooses to look at the time off as a blessing and despite being 34 years old; he knows that the time off was something his body and his mind really needed. Munoz knows even the toughest warriors have to know when to say when. “I feel great. I’m training and sparring, I feel really good,” said an excited Munoz in an interview with MMAFrenzy. “For the past few years I’ve had problems with my elbow. I kept ignoring it until they found out I had some bone spurs after my fight with Chris Leben. My elbow was throbbing and the pain was so great, my doctors told me I needed surgery, but by that time I was already informed of the fight with Sonnen for the FOX 2 card and I didn’t want to pass up that opportunity. While I was training my elbow popped and it felt a lot worse than it ever had before. I tried to work through it, but it was too much to bear. I tried to pick up my gym bag and I couldn’t even lift it. “It turns out that those bone spurs had made their way into my joints. They ended up pulling out 24 pieces of bone six of which were a centimeter and a half in diameter,” Munoz continued. “I was so disappointed afterwards because I had been waiting to get a title shot for a long time, but everything happens for a reason and now I am coming back stronger than before. There is still a little bit of pain, but it’s only been a few months so that’s to be expected. I am definitely looking forward to getting back inside the Octagon and continuing on towards a shot at the championship. I fought eight times in three years; the fight with Sonnen would’ve been my ninth fight in 26 months. I’m not sure when I’ll be back for sure, but my doctors are optimistic about being able to fight in July.” When Munoz does make his way back to the Octagon there are rumors flying around that an opponent has already been selected. Unbeaten Chris Weidman is the man that many people feel Munoz will face when he comes back and that bout would certainly be an interesting one with certain title implications behind it. Weidman last fought Maia on the FOX 2 card as a replacement for Michael Bisping who stepped into the co-main event slot opposite Sonnen. “I have been hearing those same rumors as well,” admitted Munoz. “I feel like I match him up against him really well. He has great stand-up and he is a solid wrestler who takes people down and uses top control to force his will on them. He has good BJJ and is always looking for submissions and chokes. I am definitely looking forward to that fight if it does happen. I want to fight someone who makes sense, someone who is going to get me closer to a title shot. I feel like I have earned that opportunity and by defeating someone of Weidman’s caliber I believe I would deserve a title shot.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, sonnen, munoz

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

It is 3:30 p.m. on a sunny afternoon in Las Vegas and Forrest Griffin has discreetly settled into a popular sushi restaurant. Tipping the scales at 226 pounds, he gulps down 20 or so pieces of sushi – salmon, yellowtail salmon, eel and tuna. He adds a large salad for good measure and washes it down with his favorite beverage of all-time: a 16-ounce coffee. “This will be my biggest meal of the day,” he says, though he hints he may have overdone it given that within an hour he will begin lacing up for another evening MMA sparring session. A politically astute man of many opinions and diverse interests far beyond MMA (he’s written two New York Times bestselling books, after all), the former UFC champ was kind enough to let me tag along and quiz him on the diet behind one of the sport’s most well-conditioned cardio machines. Curreri: You said you were 226 this morning. It’s interesting because you’re a big light heavyweight and could fight some at heavyweight if you chose to. Griffin: Yeah, I had six or seven fights at heavyweight. Light heavyweight is a deeper weight class but there are two problems: One, I don’t have the pop, the power. Two, I no longer have a heavyweight chin. You know, I get the best of Roy Nelson 70 percent of the time. But that other 30 percent of the time – same with Frank Mir – with these little gloves, I just can’t take their shots. The other thing is, when Roy gets on top of you the world feels like it’s ending. So heavyweights are not fun.Curreri: How long have you been conscientious about your diet? Did it start with being a pro fighter? Griffin: No. I was one of those guys, I remember growing up in high school and I would eat a can of tuna every day after fourth period. And then in college I tried to play football (at the University of Georgia). I would keep a notebook and try to eat 6,000 CLEAN calories a day. Do you know how hard that is to eat 6,000 CLEAN calories a day? It’s hard. I was working out 2 to 3 hours a day, lifting, running, sprinting. At that time I had such a high metabolism. I was reading all the bodybuilding magazines and stuff. I was on the practice squad and stuff but I just realized that no matter how hard I tried I just wasn’t as talented as those guys.Curreri: You played defensive end in high school. How big were you?Griffin: When I graduated high school I was 223 with 5 percent body fat. I ran a 4.6 40 (yard dash) and I could dunk the s--- out of a basketball.Curreri: Can you still dunk a basketball?Griffin: It’s sad. It took me three tries last time but I did it. One-handed. I remember eating cake (years ago) and I remember thinking, ‘When was the last time I had anything with this much sugar in it?’ And it had been over two years. So I was eating super-clean even in my early 20s. Curreri: You’ve got so many different diets out there today: Vegan, Paleo, High protein/low carb, etc..Does your diet relate closely to any popular diet in particular?Griffin: I kind of make up my own diet. I was talking about that the other day … the less steps between you and your food the better. I still eat processed foods, but I try not to. So I eat organic most of the time. I notice, too, that the more sugar I eat the more often I get sick. And that just stands to reason: you’re making your body more acidic. I’m a big believer in the Paleo diet, I just don’t have the discipline for it. My wife and I buy expensive meat and expensive veggies. And I’m telling you, I bought some organic kale and the last little bit of it went bad. I was pissed. ‘Man, it was six bucks for that kale! We’re just throwing money away!’ I drink green drinks, throw some spinach in there. I don’t TRY to eat healthy, I ENJOY eating healthy. But I also want to eat unhealthy, too, you know?I usually supplement with a lot of protein shakes. So I eat 5 to 7 times a day. I eat a lot of food. But I’m lucky because I really enjoy working out. I always have. I don’t care what it is but I’ve got to do something for a couple of hours. Curreri: If we were to peer into the Griffin home refrigerator right now, what would be in there?Griffin: There’s coconut milk, vegetables, tons of spinach, Greek yogurt unsweetened that my wife makes dip with. Tons of good stuff. Avocado, homemade guacamole. I actually eat out more than I’d like to. The old standby for me is Jason’s Deli. I’ll get a salad or a wrap. I won’t eat cheese or anything fried. I don’t touch fast food. The pink slime and that kind of stuff, we have no concern because we’re never eating that stuff. I don’t drink fruit juices or do juicing, either. If sugar is bad, then why is lots of sugar in juice good? If I’m going to eat something bad, (screw) it, I’ll eat Ben & Jerry’s or cake. No processed cookie crap. High acidity causes more wear and tear on your body, and perhaps, this is what Randy (Couture) used to say, more lactic acid in your muscles. Refined sugar is poison. We all know that. Anything that tastes really good is really bad for you. The older you are as a fighter, the more diet plays a part because you need all the help you can get. But you can’t eat foods, alcohol or stuff that breaks you down further. You are what you eat. And unfortunately, you are what your food eats. I remember when my mom used to buy liver. You can’t buy liver anymore! It’s so shot out because of all the hormones, steroids and antibiotics that destroy an animal’s liver. So you wouldn’t want to eat that. I’m super fortunate because my wife’s family are big hunters. So I’ve got a freezer full of boar, venison, a freezer full of good game. But it’s fresh meat. A deer will not willfully sit in another deer’s s---. Cows don’t have a choice. Curreri: Do you cook?Griffin: It’s funny you ask. I actually cook the same thing every day. I cook two or three pounds of ground lean organic turkey or chicken, then I put broccoli or spinach slaw and that’s dinner every night. I might put some olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette. I also might put some barbeque sauce or hot sauce. I eat a lot of hot sauce and it’s great because it doesn’t have a lot of calories. But never use hot sauce before a workout. I get the worst indigestion if I do that. I’ll be on fire.We pretty much buy everything organic from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. The diet that I eat, over time you might notice that you get sick less and feel less tired. But it’s not an overnight thing.Curreri: Tell me about your diet growing up. Griffin: My mom was a hippie and looking back that was cool because we always ate healthy. It was just me and my mom and we didn’t have a lot of money. We ate a lot of stews and ghouloshes, stuff that at the time I hated. But looking back they were actually pretty healthy. I remember on weekends we would eat Breyers ice cream. My mom was really into not taking Aspartame, not taking BPA, things like that. Curreri: I would be remiss if we didn’t talk about your extraordinary coffee consumption, up to 14 cups of coffee a day. A certified coffee addict. Is caffeine ever an issue for a pro fighter?Griffin: Caffeine obviously beats your system up, it causes you to get sick more, and it causes you to break down more. Anything that gets you going will be by nature catabolic and cause you to break down more at some point. That being said, I just love coffee. I’m never going to NOT take in caffeine. I just don’t take any caffeine after 4 p.m. and I don’t usually have any trouble sleeping. I just started drinking coffee my freshman year in college. There are a lot of papers that wouldn’t have gotten written if not for coffee.Curreri: Forrest Griffin the fighter minus coffee. What would that be like? Griffin: I would be awesome. I would be so much healthier. I just would never make it to the gym!

Posted in: time, day, ’t, griffin, diet

Read the full article at UFC

One of the hottest up-and-comers in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ranks today is ready to prove to the mixed martial arts (MMA) world that he is ready to shed the "prospect" label and leap into legit title contender ... if he hasn't done so already. Fast rising UFC Welterweight, Rory MacDonald steps into the Octagon this weekend (April 21, 2012) at UFC 145 after an eight-month layoff because of injury as the 22 year-old Canadian takes on former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) hopeful, Che Mills. The match up may have caught a few people by surprise, given the fact that many expected MacDonald to get a "bigger" name after defeating the likes of Nate Diaz and Mike Pyle, as well as giving Carlos Condit all he could handle in their June 2010 match up at UFC 115, which saw the young fighter fall victim to a questionable late stoppage. Not to say Mills isn't a great fighter by any means. In fact, he, too, has been on a recent tear, winning five consecutive fights. The match up, however, was a bit strange, given the fact that Mills has only one UFC bout under his belt and is now co-headlining one of the biggest cards of the years opposite MacDonald, who UFC President Dana White and Georges St. Pierre consider to be the next "GSP." None of that matters, though, as MacDonald cannot overlook Mills this weekend in Atlanta, Ga., if he hopes to continue his rise up from prospect to contender. Speaking via his SportsNet blog, MacDonald says he is out to prove his vast improvement from his last outing and is looking for an early stoppage win. Check it out: "Fight week is finally here and I can't wait to get my hands on my next opponent Che Mills, and add him to my list of beaten victims. I've been preparing for this moment for weeks, months even, and am so close I can almost taste it. The hard work is done, the time is nearly up, and I'm itching to show the world what I've been working on all this time. There won't be any negativity in my head at this point. No doubt, anxiety or fear. I don't allow any of that stuff to enter my head. If anything, this is the most confident and self-assured I have ever been in my life. You have to be, moments before you step in the Octagon and fight. You have no other choice. As far as the fight is concerned, I hope to achieve what I always hope to achieve. I plan on showing techniques that I've been working hard on in the gym and, as always, try to project a better version of myself than the fans saw last time I fought. Oh, and I'm gunning for another stoppage win. The quicker, the better." A win for MacDonald could set him up nicely for a top contender his next time out, a loss could be disastrous for the young star, given the fact that he already has his sights set on capturing the title at 170-pounds and moving up to the Middleweight division and wreaking havoc there. Looking to spoil the party is Mills, an Englishman who looks to make the most of this great opportunity and prove that he indeed deserves the right to co-main event a huge card, and make a name for himself in the process by getting past the very tough and talented McDonald. Something, rather someone, has got to give in "Hotlanta" on fight night. Who's it going to be?

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, macdonald, mill

Read the full article at MMA Mania

ATLANTA -- A trainer can't blame a fighter for following his advice, even if it works against him. Greg Jackson tells his fighters to adapt, to not rely on even their most reliable weapon. What happens when that backfires? At one time, Jackson was Rashad Evans' most reliable weapon, the guy whispering in his ear. The guy spotting the holes in his opponents' attacks. But no more. Now he's on the opposite side, the enemy. Indulge me in a theory for a moment, one in which I play armchair sports psychologist. It goes like this: Evans wanted out, needed out of Team Greg Jackson, even if it was a subconscious thought in the deep recesses of his brain. It's not like he set out to lure Jon Jones into his camp and create a rivalry so he could escape. But on the other hand, when the tension became a flicker, he didn't try to blow it out. He doused more gasoline on it and set it ablaze.In my opinion, Evans was willing to sacrifice that relationship for his own self-improvement, a trade both cold and fair. In other words, he adapted. Why? The everyday grind of being a fighter is taxing. Everyone knows about the aches and pains. But that's just the start of it. Staying mentally sharp is even more difficult. One camp melds into the next. The drills get repetitive. The faces in front of you begin to represent safety and comfort rather than challenge. Before you know it, the drive you had has seeped away a little at a time, replaced by the routine. That is not a championship formula. So what do you do when something is stale? You throw it out. You trash it, even if it was something once worth having. This is a theory, and not one Evans addressed, but if you listen to him, if you hear his words, the clues are there. For example, when he was asked about what is different about him from the time he trained with Jones, this was his answer. "It's really hard to say but for the most part I enjoy the fight a little bit more than I did before. Under Jackson, I felt like that part of me slipped away from enjoying the process of the whole fight and everything that has to do with it. Being in this new camp with my new training partners, learning new things helped me get the flame underneath me again."Fighting the staleness of monotony is an ongoing challenge for veteran athletes. That's why coaches get fired so frequently in major team sports. When you're young and everything is a new experience, that's not a problem. That's why Jones can sit in front of the media with a smile and say that he's enjoying every part of this process. He's 24 years old and he's only been fighting in the UFC for a little over three years. He's only been with Team Jackson for a little over two. He's only been champion a little over one. Everything is still new and exciting for him. The world is still his. It might not always be that way.Ask Evans, who said that from the beginning, he's been a "paranoid thinker," with the feeling that everybody's always against him. He gave a deep look into his pysche while equating this Jones fight to his UFC 88 bout against Chuck Liddell, a fight that launched him into stardom and a title shot."There’s a lot of similarities to that," he said. "I went to that fight and doing interviews, people were interviewing me like, 'What have you done to even get a chance to fight Chuck? How can you even step into the cage with him?' That's the kind of questions I was getting. I was very invisible at the time. But it was something that I took with me. I said, 'You know what? I'm just going to go in there and just do me.' And it's the same way I feel right now. I'm going to go in there and do me. Nobody sees me winning this fight. Nobody sees me winning this fight, so I'm going to go in there and do me and see what happens."See, that chip on his shoulder is something nearly every champions has. They all have something to prove. Even when they don't, they create a scenario that exists only to them, because they need to have that focused intensity that only comes with wanting to succeed when everybody says you can't. Someday very soon -- probably on Saturday night at UFC 145 -- Evans and Jones will shake hands and admit they have more in common with each than they have let on for all these months. And probably not long after that, Evans will make peace with Jackson. He served his purpose when he trained Evans, and he served his purpose when he didn't. If each time resulted in bringing the best out of Evans, he did his job, even if it resulted in hurt feelings. If Evans wins, he won't look back on this time with any regret. The lifespan of a pro athlete isn't much past the blink of an eye. In that time, difficult decisions must be made for the advancement of careers, ones that fray old friendships, ones that create conflict where there is none. Evans may not have intentionally set out to nuke his relationship with his old team, but deep down, he probably did what he felt necessary. He chose an uncharted course over familiarity. He chose movement over standing still. He followed the advice of his old coach, even if it meant going against him.

Posted in: fight, time, jackson, evan, he

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

FOX will televise its third UFC card in less than a year on May 5, and for a second time they'll compete for headlines with one of boxing's biggest matches of the year. UFC on FOX 3, headlined by Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz, takes place on the same night as Floyd Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto on pay-per-view. The UFC faced a similar scenario when UFC on FOX 1 aired on the same night as Manny Pacquaio vs. Juan Manuel Marquez last November. Much like last November, the UFC event will be over before the boxing main events kicks off, and according to UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, FOX doesn't mind sharing national spotlight with boxing's best. "That's kind of FOX's deal," he recently said. "They do all the research; they're really smart guys. They like that fact that we're going to go on at the same night, but the window is different. Meaning, we'll be done before Floyd fights Cotto. And the last time that that happened was when Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez fought on the same night as Pacquaio and we peaked at over 9.9 or whatever million viewers (ed. note: the ratings actually peaked at 8.8 million viewers, a North American MMA record). The theory is that people are home. It's a great fight night; you're going to watch Pacquiao or whatever; you can turn on FOX, you can watch our fight; you'll have a great night. "The reality is, not to piss any boxing guys off, but nobody watches those undercards anyway at the end of the day. So you can watch the UFC and switch over when it's done. But we do suffer from a press standpoint. He'll (Mayweather) hog the press." Ironically, it appears as though boxing is starting to learn from its UFC counterparts, because familiar names like Shane Mosley, Canelo Alvarez and Carlos Quintana have been added to the Mayweather-Cotto undercard. Still, from a promotional standpoint, all the focus has been on the Mayweather-Cotto tilt. Boxing purists have long argued that there is no connection between MMA and boxing fans, however, Fertitta, a long-time boxing fan himself, thinks otherwise. "I think that they are pretty similar," he said. "I think if you like boxing, for the most part, you like mixed martial arts. I think that there is a bit of an age difference in the demographic, I think boxing generally skews older, but my personal belief, I think HBO always comes out and says, 'Oh, we did research. There's no correlation.' Really? That's interesting. When we have DirecTV and In Demand do research, they see a lot of correlation between who buys boxing and who buys the UFC. There's definitely a correlation there." And that may be precisely why the UFC won't look to compete against Mayweather or Pacquiao on pay-per-view anytime soon, as they did three years ago when they aired UFC 103 on PPV on the same night as Mayweather vs. Marquez. "Now, if you would ask me, I would never go head-to-head (with Mayweather or Pacquiao) in a pay-per-view. We tried that once and we got killed. But it's on free TV and people are already home." Major boxing matches only garner national attention a few times a years when either Mayweather or Pacquaio fight. Of course, the fight everyone wants to see is Mayweather vs. Pacquaio, but Fertitta thinks the promoters involved are doing everything they can to not deliver that mega-fight for the fans. "It's one of those things where they're fighting one or two times a year and people do care at the end of the day because they're all looking forward and hoping at one point they actually fight each other. Unfortunately for that sport, from a business standpoint based on the way it's structured, it makes more sense for guys like Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions and Bob Arum to keep milking the public over and over again because once they fight it's over, right? Unless they keep doing rematches. I mean, how many times are they going to resell Cotto and Mosley and all these guys? I think I bought that pay-per-view like three or four times, (and) it wasn't that good of a fight. Just get on with it. Make the fight. C'mon." So while annual pay-per-view estimates suggest the UFC isn’t playing second fiddle to boxing anymore, on May 5, they’ll be content serving as the free appetizer to Mayweather's latest high-profile sparring match. Consider it one of the rare times the perpetual rivals compliment each other.

Posted in: ufc, fight, mayweather, time, boxing

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

For good reason, all of the spotlight before and after UFC on FUEL 2 centered on Alexander Gustafsson, the lanky Swede who is quickly proving himself worthy of a top 10 slot and continued advances in competition level. The 25-year-old is rangy and poised and well-versed in all aspects of the game. In other words, he's a legitimate contender. But what now do we make of his opponent, Thiago Silva? At 29, he's not exactly old, but his body has seemingly betrayed him over and over with back injuries that have robbed him of some his mobility. While light-heavyweight is not a division completely dependent on speed, it is a class heavy on wrestlers at the top. So if Silva struggles with Gustafsson's movement, you have to wonder how he'll fare with opponents who feature the takedown as a key component of their arsenal. It's hard enough to stop a Jon Jones, Rashad Evans or Ryan Bader takedown when you're healthy. When your back and body core are unstable, how do you deal with that?This is a question he must face down in his near future. If he's losing the striker vs. striker matchups, how much is left for him? Alexander GustafssonEven though Gustafsson was favored to beat Silva, the ease of his performance was probably the most striking aspect to his win. He was never in any trouble and stayed composed even when Silva charged forward. That's a great sign for his future momentum, as he'll be seeing all sorts of various attacks from the different skill-sets that reside at the top of the division. Because there are a few top fighters waiting for their next fight date, there are several opportunities available, but I think one makes the most sense.Prediction: He faces Ryan BaderThiago SilvaAfter 15 months on the sidelines, perhaps we can give Silva something of a pass on his loss, even if it was fairly one-sided. To his credit, he declined the chance to chalk up the loss to ring rust, saying he simply couldn't find the proper striking distance. But he only gets the benefit of the doubt once. If he has the same problems next time around, we have to wonder if his back condition is simply degenerative, and if we may have already seen the best of him.Prediction: Since Brandon Vera's taken, Silva faces Stephan BonnarBrian StannIt was a fight Stann was supposed to win, facing a guy who'd been off for over one year and specializes in the same style as him, though with a suspect jaw. Stann has performed well as a middleweight, with his only loss coming to No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen. He deserves a high-level opponent, but unfortunately, many of the division's best are already locked into fights in the near future. That may force him to wait a while until his next booking.Prediction: He faces the winner of May's Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher fight.Siyar BahadurzadaThe Afghan-born welterweight couldn't have asked for a more impactful debut, becoming the first man ever to finish the durable Paulo Thiago. There's an explosion of welterweight matches coming in the next two months, so there's no obvious opponent of a similar rank available for him. Then again, his win was so quick that he shouldn't be made to wait very long. Prediction: He fights John Maguire, who also won last Saturday night.Dennis SiverAfter nearly missing weight in his first time at 145 pounds, there were concerns about how Siver would perform in a fight that could go the distance, but he didn't appear the worse for wear in beating Diego Nunes by decision in a three-rounder. Prior to the fight, Siver said that he would only decide if he'd stay at featherweight after the fight, and determining how his body felt. Since he didn't appear at the post-fight press conference, no one has had the chance to ask him just yet, but I'm going to assume he'll believe the second time around will be easier, and he'll stay at 145.Prediction: He faces Yuri Alcanatara Brad PickettPickett's had an up-and-down career in Zuffa, but always seems to engage in one of the night's best scraps. At 33 years old, he still harbors title hopes (remember, he once beat bantamweight No. 1 contender Demetrious Johnson), but could be running out of time after splitting his last four fights. That means it's time to start a winning streak and make a statement.Prediction: He faces Chris Cariaso

Posted in: fight, time, silva, opponent, hell

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

When Brent Weedman steps into the cage this Friday night (April 20, 2012) for Bellator 66 against Brazilian striker Thiago Michel, he'll be fighting for more than one. There's a very special someone who's due to arrive just two days after his bout in the Bellator season six lightweight semifinals, someone he "can't mate to wheat!" That special someone is his son, Will. His wife, Emily, has been about to burst for about two weeks now and according to Weedman, she's been handling the pregnancy like a trooper. Now more motivated than ever, the Carl Sagan and Neil DeGrasse Tyson fanatic is gearing up to do some serious damage in the semifinals of this Bellator lightweight tournament. Besides, there's no better way to prepare for a child's college education than bringing home that prestigious $100,000 grand prize. Weedman spoke about his upcoming fight and his upcoming baby during a guest appearance on Bloody Elbow Radio last week and much, much more. Check it out: Matt Bishop: First thing I've got to ask you is, how's your wife? Brent Weedman: She is incredibly pregnant. Yeah, my wife is 5'1 and we had an ultrasound a week and a half ago and the baby was 8 pounds 11 ounces so for those of you that have had kids or know anything with two weeks to go, that's pretty massive. He's going to be pushing 10 pounds so she's kind of miserable. Matt Bishop: What's that been like for you juggling what she's going through and what you're going through preparing for a big fight? Brent Weedman: Well we had the fight 3 1/2 weeks ago and as soon as we got back, the whole mantra of the whole house was, "Alright buddy, you can arrive any time know. It would be great if you can show up early," and then these last couple days, we've crossed over and we're back to, "Stay in, stay in buddy." His due date is Sunday, so two days after the fight so I'm really, really hoping he decides to stay in and will give me a chance to see him be born because that would be pretty rough. She's gonna go full term which is scary for her for any number of reasons. I don't if you guys know this but at the later stages, the baby grows anywhere from a half pound to a pound a week. He was already a large baby so now we're working on gargantuan. Matt Bishop: So I'm sure you "Can't mate to wheat your son," right? Brent Weedman: Absolutely in fact we just had a new batch of Weedman nation shirts which on the back say, "I cant' mate to weet you." I'm just throwing that out there in case anyone wants any Weedman Nation swag, we can hook you up. I get punched in the head a lot and as you guys saw in the last fight, I was pretty emotional afterwards. It's a big deal, my son coming and he's the sole motivator for everything I do now. I wanted to say, and in fact I said it correctly the first time but I made the mistake of saying it twice. I meant to say, "I can't wait to meet you," and the second time I said, "I can't mate to wheat you," and of course the internet message boards started heating up and I started getting text messages. It was a bit of dyslexia I suppose so everyone said it was a cute moment. I'm putting it on the shirt to be a good sport about it. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Can you tell me Brent, now that you've had the experience, how comfortable did you feel fighting at 155 for the first time? Brent Weedman: Oh man, I felt great. I felt really, really good. I felt light on my feet, no pun intended because I actually was lighter. I felt spry. I felt quick. I almost wish I would have had a chance to kickbox more just so everyone gets a chance to see the improvements I've been making but trust me, the guys at the gym see it, my sparring partners see it. I feel really good. My cardio is through the roof. What's kind of scary is, I feel my cardio has improved since the J.J. Ambrose fight. I know that sounds ridiculous but my speed and conditioning is really, really great because I got to step right back in to a full camp and it was like I never left. I feel really great about this new weight and I'd be lying if I said the extra motivation from my son didn't help. In the last semifinals when I was rolling in to fight Jay Hieron, I was really starting to get banged up from constant training for months and months and months. It was really starting to drain on me but I don't feel like that this time. I didn't get hurt at all in that last fight at all which was a big bonus. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You pulled off a pretty rare submission. Now you've said you've done the Von Flue choke many times in practice. How long has that been one of your go-to moves for you in that position on the ground? Brent Weedman: It's a little technical, but long story short, I do use the Von Flue quite a bit. The Von Flue and a few other moves from that position you could say that I end up in all the time. A lot of it is the style of side control that I like to play. Bloody Elbow's breakdown of that was the best that I've seen so far. There was a quote in there that I was forcing him to make bad decisions. Do you want to get kneed in the body or do you want to give up submissions and I though that hit the nail on the head. That's my philosophy. The Von Flue, I may have shocked the commentators there and the people in the crowd but everyone was laughing about it at the gym back home.

Posted in: fight, time, week, brent, weedman

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Hello. My name is Bryan, and this is Reaction from the Action. I figured I had to introduce myself and let you know what this is, considering this past weekend’s UFC on Fuel TV 2 was the first event in six weeks. That event, which took place in Stockholm, Sweden, featured a top prospect fighting in his hometown in Alexander Gustafsson. “The Mauler” took on Thiago Silva, who was returning from a year-long suspension. Although Silva was a replacement for Gustafsson’s original opponent, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Gustafsson had little trouble with the former top contender in Silva. Gustafsson stifled the Brazilian with his speed, accuracy, and pace. Despite the strong and overwhelming performance, commentators Mike Goldberg and Kenny Florian could not stop comparing Gustafsson to light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. I understand wanting to praise Gustafsson’s performance, but the comparison makes little sense. Jones overwhelms opponents with unexpected moves and positions, along with staying out of his opponent’s reach. Gustafsson did nothing of the sort, as he was simply precise with his strikes and outpaced Silva. Gustafsson compared more to his Alliance MMA partner Dominick Cruz than he did to Jones. Regardless, Gustafsson deserves praise for his performance, specifically for doing so in front of his hometown crowd. The Sweden fans were loud throughout the event, and were deafening when Gustafsson came out for the main event. For this and his performance in the cage, Gustafsson deserves a top opponent. However, with the current rankings, along with Dan Henderson’s desire to wait for the Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans winner, Gustafsson’s next opponent likely will not test his weakness, which is his wrestling. That was the case in his lone UFC loss, when now-training partner Phil Davis exposed that hole at UFC 112 in April 2010. But since then, Davis has admitted that Gustafsson has improved immensely since that time, as they have trained together at Alliance MMA in San Diego since that fight. At 25 years old, Gustafsson still has plenty of time to grow. Unfortunately for him, a 24-year old is currently the champion in his division. But that should not force others to rush him up and prematurely make him the top contender for Jones. Gustafsson should and will likely fight at least two more times before he fights for the title, regardless of who the champion is. Biggest winner: Siyar Bahadurzada Bahadurzada has been gracious during his time in the UFC, specifically with making his nickname “Siyar the Great” which allows us writers to call him by his easier-to-type first name. Aside from that, Bahadurzada impressed in his UFC debut against Paulo Thiago. Coming into Saturday, Thiago had never been finished during his MMA career, which included losses against Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez. But Bahadurzada took just 42 seconds to knock out the Brazilian. After the win, Bahadurzada was ecstatic after the win and stated to Fuel TV “I just want to put Afghanistan in positive news headlines”. Biggest loser: Diego Nunes “The Gun” has long been one of the most talented featherweights, but he has never been able to put that on complete display. Since joining WEC in December 2008, Nunes has fought 9 times. In that span, Nunes has gone to the judges 9 times, losing three of those matchups. Nunes always teases fans, showing off what he is capable of, but he never capitalizes on his opportunities. Surprisingly, the man named “The Gun” just never pulls the trigger. Biggest question: Will Dennis Siver be able to remain at 145 pounds? Siver failed to make weight on his first time on the scale at the weigh-ins, but was eventually able to make weight a few hours later. In his matchup with Diego Nunes, Siver faded at the end of the third round, which seemed inevitable given his size. While overpowering, and having the height of a featherweight, Siver’s base seems too big to remain at featherweight. If he is able to, though, he is a prime contender to fight for the title within the next year. Future Matchups to Make: Alexander Gustafsson vs. ‘Shogun’ Rua: I predicted this matchup after Gustafsson defeated Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 141, so I am just going to keep trying this matchup until it happens. But actually, this is a solid matchup that would push the victor into the top echelon of the light heavyweight division. Rua would certainly take more chances than Thiago Silva did against Gustafsson. Brian Stann vs. Costa Philippou: Much like Stann and his matchup with Alessio Sakara, this would pit two top strikers against each other. Those usually end fantastically, something Stann has had a habit of doing since joining the UFC’s middleweight division. Since losing his UFC debut, Philippou has impressed in three consecutive wins. He deserves a chance to see just how far he can make it in the organization. Dennis Siver vs. Hatsu Hioki: It seems that if Hioki was to challenge Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 149, he would have been named the opponent already. After winning at UFC 144, Hioki stated he felt he was not ready for the title fight yet. Because of that, a matchup against Dennis Siver would really determine just who is ready to fight for the title later in 2012. Siyar Bahadurzada vs. John Maguire: Bahadurzada’s win over Thiago deserves quite a bit of praise. Unfortunately for him, it might not earn him a top welterweight because the division is so tied up. But Maguire cannot be looked over, as he was able to pull out a submission win over DaMarques Johnson on Saturday. The two prospects going against each other would help determine who truly is ready to become a contender. Brad Pickett vs. Brian Bowles: Pickett has quite a resume since joining the WEC in 2010. He holds wins over Demetrious Johnson and Ivan Menjivar, along with losses to Scott Jorgensen and Renan Barao. He has always seemed very close to moving to the top tier of the bantamweight division, but then suffers a setback. Bowles suffered a similar setback at UFC 139 against Urijah Faber, as he lost by submission in the second round. A win against the other would put the victor on the right track at 135 pounds.

Posted in: ufc, time, bahadurzada, gustafsson, matchup

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

Ultimate Fighting Championships got things off to a very strong start yesterday (April 14, 2012) in the opening bout of the UFC on Fuel TV 2 main card with an absolute barnburner between bantamweights Brad Pickett and Damacio Page. Both Pickett and Page have had experience against some of the best in the 135 pound division, but injuries have kept them from being active since the WEC merger and both had previously lost their UFC debuts against elite competition. They were both healthy, and when it was all said and done, both men went home $50,000 richer having earned the "Fight of the Night" post-fight bonus, although it was Pickett who also captured his win bonus. So what helped Pickett take command as the fight wore on? And what's next for both exciting 135-ers?Follow me after the jump for our Brad Picket vs. Damacio Page UFC on Fuel TV 2 fight review and analysis In typical Page and Pickett fashion, the first round got off to an incredible start with both men trading a high volume of heavy strikes and connecting solidly. The key difference was when Pickett got clipped, he resorted to his ground game, scoring a pair of nice first round takedowns to halt any of Page's momentum. Page did a nice job threatening with submissions from bottom which forced Pickett to back off but after a few minutes at such a hectic pace, he wasn't able to keep up. In the second round, Pickett took over with his strong boxing skills and repeatedly connected with some strong combinations. His left hook in particular was very effective and he was able to drop Page midway through the frame. After Page got back to his feet, "One-Punch" landed another beautiful combination which hurt him and this time, Pickett didn't let "The Angel of Death" off the hook. Once on the ground, Pickett opened up with punches which softened Page up and once Page turned away, he locked in a fight-ending rear naked choke. Both fighters received a rousing ovation from the thoroughly entertained fans afterwards. For Damacio Page, he did what he usually does which is start strong and showcase some serious power but he couldn't keep up with Pickett as the fight wore on. He clipped Pickett a few times and scored some very nice knees on the inside but was unable follow up because his British foe would put him on his back whenever he was in any sort of trouble. The only thing honestly that could help Page right now would be for him to use his $50,000 bonus so he didn't have to work part-time while training at Greg Jackson's. Page is still a very fun fighter to watch but if is to be kept around, they can't keep throwing him in against top 10 bantamweights. All of his losses in the past few years have been to the best of the best in the division. It's time he caught a break. I'd like to see him take on someone who's equally had a rough time like Kid Yamamoto, Walel Watson or Reuban Duran. For Brad Pickett, this was an incredibly strong performance. He held his own with Page even when "The Angel of Death" was at his most dangerous in the opening few minutes and he wisely used his full skill-set to keep himself safe when put in any sort of danger. Pickett looked great in terms of cardio, striking, wrestling and lastly his submission skills. This was an all-around performance that proved Pickett, at 33 years old, is still here to stay in the division. I'd like to see him step up and take on Brian Bowles, perhaps the loser of the Miguel Torres - Michael McDonald fight or possibly Yves Jabouin if he gets past Jeff Hougland next month. Pickett is a top 10 bantamweight in the world and he should continue to face strong opposition. He always puts on great fights and can be counted on to be a contender to take home a bonus every time he steps into the cage. So what did you think, Maniacs? Was there any doubt that this fight deserved "Fight of the Night" honors? Who would you like to see Pickett and Page square off against in their next bouts? For complete UFC on Fuel TV 2 results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, page, pickett

Read the full article at MMA Mania

The Sports Business Journal reports that Fox Sports will have programming on Saturday night prime time for the next 28 of 32 weeks.  This will include NASCAR, Major League Baseball, College Football as well as the UFC on Fox The UFC will only cover 3 of the next 28 Saturday night events for Fox on Saturday nights.  But, the overall strategy for Fox to air sports in prime time will boost ad sales and attract advertisers that would not usually purchase time during sports programming. At this point, there has been no pushback from local affiliates that may have its own time cut into due to sports overrun. Payout Perspective: While the UFC will play a small part in the Saturday night prime time strategy, it’s the possibility of drawing advertisers that do not traditionally buy into sports that could be intriguing for the UFC.  It is the intent of Zuffa and Fox to attract more mainstream sponsors for its programming and the ownership of Saturday night programming by Fox Sports should help.  With the further exposure into prime time for the UFC, it can only mean a better possibility of attracting mainstream sponsors.

Posted in: time, fox, sport, saturday, fox sports

Read the full article at MMA Payout

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) concluded its first weekend campaign in a whopping seven weeks, as UFC on FUEL TV 2: "Gustafsson vs. Silva" brought a card full of mixed martial arts (MMA) excitement to Stockholm, Sweden yesterday (Sat., April 14, 2012). The main event showcased a light heavyweight battle between two men, Alexander Gustafsson and Thiago Silva, who sought to move themselves one step closer to a title shot. For Gustafsson, a win would have given him five in a row and put him "in the mix," maybe needing just one win or two more victories to earn himself a championship bout. Silva was looking to make a successful return to the Octagon after being sat down for a year for using a masking agent to disguise an illegal substance in his urine. A win would show everyone that he was back and serious about making a run in the 205-pound division. A loss would put him in a dangerous position from a career perspective. No one one wants to be in the "two-going-on-three-losses" club in the UFC. It's just bad business. Unfortunately, only one man can be left standing and last night, it was Gustafsson who proved to be the better man. It will be interesting to see who matchmaker Joe Silva pairs him up with next, though UFC President Dana White has already stated that he'll get a top five opponent next. After the jump, we'll take a look at the entire list of fighters who emerged from UFC on FUEL TV 2 as the big winners and lowly losers: WINNERS: Alexander Gustafsson -- With a huge win over Thiago Silva, Gustafsson should be one or two fights away from a title shot now. As mentioned previously, he'll certainly get a top five guy in his next contest and he deserves to. He proved that he has some of the best striking and footwork in the light heavyweight division. He's going to be a force to be reckoned with for a long time to come. Brian Stann -- I love this guy, so if I'm biased, it's going to show. There's just not much to dislike about "All American." At UFC on FUEL TV 2, he absolutely devastated Alessio Sakara and made him sorry that he chose to stand and trade with him. He's been saying for a while now that his power is unsurpassed in the middleweight division. He may be right. Siyar Bahadurzada -- This guy is for real and he showed the whole world with a nasty first round knockout over Paulo Thiago. We'd heard a lot about him leading up to this fight, and he showed his "killer" reputation is well deserved. I can't wait to see what he does next! Francis Carmont -- The 185-pound Georges St. Pierre protege is still a bit "green," but he keeps improving and looked really good -- for the most part -- in his win over Magnus Cedenbland. He has a lot of little things to work on, but he's an up and comer in the middleweight division that everyone needs to be on the lookout for. James Head -- There's nothing like taking on the hometown hero in front of his friends and family and absolutely smashing him. You know who picked Head to win this one? Nobody, that's who. But MMA fights aren't won on paper. They're fought in the cage. I'm not ready to crown the guy a top contender, but it was a big win. Brad Pickett -- "One punch" demolished Damacio Page. Simple as that. He overwhelmed him. He took his best shot, and then he returned fire with a bevy of blistering punches and an eventual submission win. We've been expecting big things from Pickett for a while now. It looks he's starting to live up to the hype. Cyrille Diabate -- I'm not going to go crazy with compliments, but I have to give credit where it's due. Diabate has taken a lot of heat for his ground game in the past, and deservedly so. Last night, he appeared to have improved enough to at least handle himself on the canvas. Not only did he show decent submission defense, but he also made use of some wicked ground and proud. Good job. Dennis Siver vs. Diego Nunes -- I have a hard time really calling either of these guys a loser after a fight like this. For Siver, it was a great first fight at featherweight. For Nunes, it showed that he's still one of the toughest guys at 145-pounds, even though he lost. This was a war, and if you missed it, you need to find the video, ASAP. LOSERS: Papy Abedi -- After starting off his career at a very impressive 8-0, Abedi is now 0-2 in the UFC and has not looked great in either loss. It just shows how big a difference there is between the minors and big show. Two times he's fought in the UFC. Two times he's been the victim of a rear-naked choke. Abedi makes Frank Trigg look like an expert at defending the "RNC." He needs to take a few months off and work on his ground game and his cardio. Maybe it's all those cigars. Damacio Page -- This loss makes three in a row. It was a bad one, too. I remember the first time I saw Page. It was on an episode of "TapOut." "Mask" and "Skrape" and "Punkass" were doing what they could to make a real pro fighter out of him. He had a great story. I was rooting for him. I still am, but it may be the end of the UFC road for him. At least for now. DaMarques Johnson -- Johnson is just one of those guys who you never know what you're gonna get out of him. He might score a vicious KO. He might get schooled on the ground and get finished. He just seems to be a real enigma in the sport. He has a lot of pondering to do. Referee Robert Sundel -- I usually leave the officials alone in these posts, but Sundel really grinded my gears on Saturday. I felt like every time I saw him, he was telling fighters to "work" or standing them up from a completely active and viable position. I understand we don't want guys to "lay and pray" in the cage, but it seemed like he had zero patience for any kind of grappling, whatsoever. Here's the weird thing: Sundel actually used to (and may still) compete in MMA and jiu-jitsu. Apparently, he's a submission specialist and former jiu-jitsu champion. I don't get it. You'd think a guy with a background like that with have a better idea of what he was looking at, but he was way too anxious to break and stand fighters up from spots that I thought should have been left alone. Anyway, that's my laundry list of big time winners and the lowliest of losers. Did I leave anybody out? Feel free to make your well-though out corrections, additions and subtractions in the comment section below! For complete UFC on FUEL TV 2: "Gustafsson vs. Silva" results, including blow-by-blow details of all the action, click here.

Posted in: ufc, time, guy, gustafsson, he

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Chuck Liddell had lost three fights in a row and five of his last six. The mohawked warrior who once ruled the light heavyweight division with an iron fist, stopping each and every one of his opponents struggled to find a win. The final nail in his coffin was a knockout loss to Rich Franklin, a blown up middleweight not known for putting opponents to sleep. Randy Couture was finding success moving between light heavyweight and heavyweight, taking showcase bouts more than anything. But after three consecutive wins, the possibility of another title shot became more realistic. Nearing 50 years old, he was booked against Lyoto Machida but the former champion's crane kick not only knocked out Couture tooth's, it also forced "The Natural" to retire for a second -- and more permanent -- time. Tito Ortiz, once the poster boy for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has only won one fight in over five years. The past half decade has been marred by losses, injuries and more tabloid fodder than Kim Kardashian could handle. It's expected his UFC 148 bout with Forrest Griffin will be "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy's" last. These three men were all responsible for bringing the UFC to the level it is at today. Ortiz's dominant run through the 205 pound division gave the company the star it needed to survive "The Dark Ages" and those early, shaky years after Zuffa became owners. Liddell and Couture served as coaches on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and became instant stars as a result, ushering the company into a new era. But the latter two are retired and Ortiz looks to be on his way in few months. The UFC found replacements in Brock Lesnar, Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre but the heavyweight is once again a professional wrestler, the middleweight kingpin is no spring chicken and the French Canadian's bevy of decision wins have worn fans' patience thin. Not to worry as UFC on Fuel TV 2: "Gustafsson vs. Silva" proved there are plenty of young up and comers to take their place. Who are these heirs apparent? Find out after the jump. Siyar Bahadurzada finally made his Octagon debut last night and didn't fail to disappoint. As I highlighted last month, "The Great" has a nasty penchant of knocking his opponents out in brutal fashion and lived up to the hype when he stepped inside the cage with Paulo Thiago. A little over 30 seconds into the fight, the Brazilian charged forward and caught a short punch to the jaw which immediately put him to sleep. "The Killer" had mounted another victim and turns 28 on Wednesday. John Maguire was a highly touted British prospect when he signed with the UFC late last year. He boasted a record with 16 wins and only three losses when he was picked up and booked for UFC 138. His win over Justin Edwards wasn't anything to write home about but when he stepped inside the Octagon last night against DaMarques Johnson, it was a completely different affair. The TUF 9 runner-up was thoroughly outclassed in every department. Johnson couldn't defend any takedowns and once the fight went to the mat, he was outgrappled by his British opponent. A longshot kimura attempt from the American led to a beautifully transitioned armbar a la Matt Hughes' win over Georges St. Pierre at UFC 50. The Briton is still a year and some change away from his 30th birthday. The main event saw Alexander Gustafsson, only 25 years old, completely dominate Thiago Silva, a five year UFC veteran. In that time, Silva has stepped inside the Octagon with the best of the best. He's taken on Machida and Rashad Evans while notching up brutal knockouts over Keith Jardine and Houston Alexander. Gustafsson almost made him look like an amateur. Almost every time the Brazilian threw a punch, it connected with nothing but air. The Swede used his reach to keep Silva on the outside and peppered away with jabs, busting up the Brazilian's face in process. And that's not even including the first round knockdown "The Mauler" managed to score. Gustafsson looked better than he ever had in his previous six UFC bouts. Is he ready for a title shot? No. Are Maguire and Bahadurzada? Again, that would be negative. But these three young men, all under 30 years old, prove old stars will retire but new ones will always be there to take their place. We saw a few of time shine last night.

Posted in: ufc, time, silva, year, gustafsson

Read the full article at MMA Mania

It has been six weeks between since the last Zuffa event. During that time, we've seen "King Mo" Lawal suspended nine months for steroids, Cris "Cyborg" suspended one year for steroids, and Alistair Overeem fail a drug screening due to an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio. It's a bit disconcerting that in the wake of all that, the UFC returns with a main event headlined by yet another fighter connected to a PED suspension.To be fair to the promotion, Thiago Silva has paid his penalty, sitting out for one year as mandated by the Nevada state athletic commission. In any other sport, when an athlete returns from a suspension, he generally reclaims his spot without much debate or criticism. That's whether he hits cleanup for his baseball team, like Manny Ramirez, or is a star linebacker, like the NFL's Brian Cushing. When you're back, you're back without restriction.On the other hand, the main event slot carries some cachet. It's a role with distinction, a ceremonial spot customarily earned through hard work and success. Even though Silva wasn't the UFC's first pick as Alexander Gustafsson's UFC on FUEL 2 opponent, the pairing is bound to leave some feeling a bit uneasy. But such are the ethical dilemmas of sport in 2012, where it's no longer just about winning and losing. Silva's reasoning for using PEDs is in many ways germane to the analysis of this fight. He said that at the time, he reinjured his back, and realized the only way he could continue with a scheduled fight with Brandon Vera was to take injections that contained banned substances. Silva's back has been an ongoing source of concern for years.The first time he publicly mentioned his back as an issue was back in 2008, when he was forced out of a proposed matchup due to an injury. In 2010, after losing to Rashad Evans, he confirmed he had suffered herniated discs. A few months later, he withdrew from another bout due to a back injury. The failed drug test at UFC 125 was the fourth known time he had hurt himself.If you follow sports, you'll know that most back injuries are chronic. Silva was 13-0 before his first public disclosure of back problems. SInce then, he's gone 1-2 with 1 no contest. What's different? The issue affects your core functioning and mobility, and while he still possesses punching power, he doesn't have the same lateral movement he once had. That could prove to be a big key against someone who moves as much as Gustafsson (13-1). For such a big guy (he's 6-foot-5), Gustafsson doesn't mind expending energy with his footwork. He's tall, he's rangy and he doesn't mind dancing around on the outside, confident that his constant movement will take him into and out of striking range safely. In that, you see faint shades of UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz, who Gustafsson has trained with off and on for a few years now. This isn't his first time facing a hard hitter. He faced Cyrille Diabate, James Te Huna and Matt Hamill consecutively without many problems. Despite the difference in their styles -- Gustafsson is active while Silva is more stationary and lumbering -- Silva is historically more accurate. According to FightMetric, Silva lands 52 percent of his strikes, quite a bit better than Gustafsson's 40 percent. He also is hit less, as Gustafsson's opponents connect against him 52 percent of the time while Silva only gets hit on 35 percent of the strikes against him.While those numbers are a bit surprising given their favored fight styles, they became less important when you determine how they'll play against each other. Silva's connect percentage, for example, might be high because he's historically fought a series of opponents who stand in the pocket and trade, fighters like James Irvin, Tomasz Drwal and Houston Alexander, to name a few. When he's faced opponents who feature more movement, like Lyoto Machida and Evans, the results weren't the same. Gustafsson is also a younger fighter still finding his true style, so he's more likely to show marked improvement from one fight to the next. That's essentially what we've seen from him in the last two years, as he's worked on his wrestling defense and sharpened his standup. If any strike has paid dividends for him recently, it's the uppercut. That's been his money punch lately, but it's also a shot that can get you in trouble, as you can't throw it from distance, and it requires you to lower your hand, leaving you open to a counter. Silva is savvy enough to know that it's coming, so watch for exchanges whenever Gustafsson tries to fire it off. Since Silva has had so much time off, it will be interesting to see if he changed anything about his game. He's a BJJ black belt, but he's never been a guy who spent much time looking to take the fight to the ground. Doing so here would take away a lot of Gustafsson's advantages, but will he try to do it? I have my doubts. Neither Vladimir Matyushenko or Hamill could take Gustafsson down and they're far more accomplished wrestlers than Silva. That's actually been an underrated part of Gustafsson's game, as he's shut down 88 percent of takedown tries against him.So that leaves us with a fight that is almost certainly going to be fought vertically. Gustafsson's continuing mastery of fighting from distance to go with his technique are likely to accumulate more points. Even though Silva probably has the power edge, Gustafsson's shown enough chin to suggest his durability will stand up. The X-factor is Silva's time off. Fighters can deny the phenomenon of ring rust all they want, but most of them eventually admit their timing is affected when they don't stay sharp. To add to it, Silva's long-held back injuries may catch up to him late in the fight if fatigue becomes an issue.I see Gustafsson scoring from the outside while Silva looks for the big punch from the outside. Taking two to give one rarely works at the highest levels of striking, and I believe Gustafsson to be heading in that direction. The top five may soon be in his future, and he takes one step closer on Saturday with a unanimous decision win over Silva.

Posted in: fight, time, silva, gustafsson, he

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

By now we should all have realized that whatever Jon Jones says will be scrutinized, deconstructed and overanalyzed. Depending on the viewpoint, Jones is either the most charismatic or infuriating athlete in mixed martial arts. That doesn't come along with the territory for every champion, only the ones that become so good, so fast, so young.Like any criticism, sometimes it's warranted, and other times it's way off the mark. And then sometimes, he unwittingly, even innocently, provides them ammunition that they simply can't let pass. Take, for instance, what he said on a Friday conference call for UFC 145, a statement that is sure to set off his detractors, and perhaps even an entire other sport.Let's set the scene a bit. Jones is on the cover of the current edition of UFC Magazine. The cover photo of Jones in a striking stance while underwater is very similar to a picture shot with Muhammad Ali 50 years ago. The obvious insinuation is that Jones may be this generation's Ali. He didn't ask to be on the cover. He didn't ask to recreate the Ali photo. But when he was asked about the comparison, he gave an answer that will surely rattle some cages. Here it is, in its entirety:"I just find it fun, that’s all," he said. "I definitely don’t consider myself Muhammad Ali. I thought Muhammad Ali had many flaws in the person that he was, but at the same time, I love Ali, I’m a huge fan of Muhammad Ali. I’ve watched every interview he’s ever done. I’ve read Muhammad Ali books. I have his autograph signed ‘Cassius Clay,’ I have his autograph signed ‘Muhammad Ali.‘ I’m a huge fan, a huge fan of Muhammad Ali. But I’m not trying to be Muhammad Ali. I strive to be the best Jonathan D. Jones there ever was. I want to do things better than Muhammad Ali."I just want to have fun," he continued. "I never came out and was like, ‘I want to be Ali,’ and ‘put me on the cover.’ That was the UFC’s idea. So that’s the people on the outside looking at me in a positive regard. And I’m truly honored. I think it’s awesome. And what it does, with most fighters, it would probably get to their head. ‘I’m the man. Look at this cover.’ It would deteriorate a lot of young fighters. But me? It motivates me. It empowers me to train harder. And to realize that if I don’t become greater than Muhammad Ali, it’s my own fault. So I realize that it pushes me farther. That’s why I train five times a day."Now, what exactly is controversial about this? The answer is nothing. Like anyone who ever steps into professional sports, Jones has set his sights high. He reached the top of his division in record time, the youngest champion in UFC history. So how do you top that? You aim for an icon. Using any icon as a comparison is risky, but using Ali is PR risk of the highest order. He is of course one of the most beloved figures in combat sports history, and globally revered as possibly the best boxer of all time. To suggest your goal is to surpass what he's done is both completely understandable yet shocking provocative. That quote, especially taken out of context, will leave some with a taste of arrogance. Athletes don't tend to speak in such historic terms at a young age. All it does is add extra pressure on your plate and invite greater scrutiny. If Jones goes through a tough time in the future where he loses a couple of fights, these are the types of statements that will come back to bite him. On the other hand, isn't this exactly the type of ambition we should want our athletes to have? Don't we watch in hopes of seeing the extraordinary?For now, it won't matter. Jones is likely to face another news cycle in which the comparison to Ali stands out front, despite the fact that he didn't simply offer an unwanted opinion out of the ether. It's something he's probably getting quite used to. Hearing his words used against him isn't even new. You remember the often-cited interview Jones on Versus in 2011 that supposedly started this whole feud? The one in which Jones indicated an openness to fighting Rashad Evans with a rather understated answer that noted UFC president Dana White's influence and that 'if that's what he absolutely wanted to happen, I guess that's what would have to happen."Well, Evans says now that it wasn't exactly the straw that broke the camel's back. That Jones had previously said things that were "dismissive" of him."Who cares about the interview?" Evans said. "It’s really about what was said before and how Jon really, really feels. And now I know how he really feels. Jon always wanted to fight me. Jon never wanted to be teammates and never wanted to be like brothers. Jon came on the team to learn a way to beat me so he can fight me."Now, Evans isn't exactly a fan favorite, but few will take that as an egotistical statement, even though it presupposes that Jones would pick up his entire family and move across country on the off-chance that he would rise up to title contendership (he was just three fights into his UFC career at the time) and meet Evans somewhere down the line. What were these things that Jones said? We don't really know. Perhaps that was between them, or perhaps it never happened, or perhaps Evans heard what he wanted to hear when he listened to Jones talking.That doesn't make him any different than anyone else piling on Jones right now. When we want to hate something, we look for evidence to back our already existing opinion. That's easy when someone talks with grand plans as Jones does. As if he needs to apologize for ambition. As if he needs to explain away his desire to be the best. He couldn't if he tried because we wouldn't let him. Is Jones in Ali's class? Not yet, not by a long shot. But that doesn't mean he shouldn't aim for something that seems unreachable. Let the man say what he wants, knowing history will have the last word.

Posted in: time, jon, jone, ali, muhammad

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

It’s going to take you several attempts to understand Renato Laranja’s English if you’ve never heard him before. There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s completely normal. You should probably start with this video. Once you’re ready, only then should you click play on the video below. There’s an important message in that video about BJ Penn returning to MMA, but if you struggle with the thick Portuguese accent of the 27 time Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, you might miss it all together. I missed it the first six times I watched it until I saw the excerpt on BJPenn.com that translated it for me. Good folks over there at BJPenn.com. I’m happy that they took the time to give us hope that BJ Penn will, in fact, be returning to MMA. It’s the best news we’ve heard since the North Korean long-range missile launch screwed-up and fell into the sea this week. Some people say it’s because North Korea doesn’t have the technology, but all of us know better: BJ Penn is training again, and as long as he is, the entire North Pacific is safe.

Posted in: bj penn, time, penn, bj, times i

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Ben Askren might have maintained his perfect mixed martial arts (MMA) record and defended the Bellator Welterweight belt with the 10th consecutive win of his career over Douglas Lima recently, but it was a performance which didn't win him many fans and provoked a chorus of boos from the crowd. Afterward, the former two-time NCAA Division One champion and US Olympian wrestler was blunt with the audience, telling them that if they didn't want to see the ground game they should go and watch boxing. Ariel Helwani also accused him of being boring and was greeted with equally short shrift. However while Askren remains defiant he is also looking to work on some of the weaker aspects of his game and word coming out of Singapore is that he is expected to spend an extended period of time training at Evolve MMA, possibly with a view to working on finishing fights after a run of six straight decision wins. Askren's wrestling is world class and he has been working on his striking with Duke Roufus and holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). However, he remains primarily a wrestler and it is this base which he has relied upon for all of his recent wins. If he wants to improve on his striking and submissions there is no better place to do it than Evolve MMA, which is home to no fewer than nine BJJ black belts and some of the most renowned Muay Thai trainers in the world including Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn, Attachai Fairtex, Orono Wor Petchpun and Lamnamoon Sor Sumalee. It is difficult to find stand up coaches with this level of experience anywhere in the US as most of the Thai legends at Evolve MMA have over 300 fights under their belt and many, like former WBA Super Featherweight Champion Yodsanan Sityodtong, are also accomplished boxers. There are also a handful of BJJ world champions including Rafael 'Gordinho' Correa De Lima, Leandro Issa, Zorobabel Moreira and Alex Silva and while Askren is no slouch on the ground he will only benefit from rolling regularly with such decorated grapplers. By the time Askren arrives Shinya Aoki will probably be enjoying some time off after his rematch with Eddie Alvarez while Rafael Dos Anjos will be in Brazil making final preparations to face Kamal Shalorus. He could still find himself training alongside Riki Fukuda and Jaideep Singh as both are currently at Evolve MMA with the Indian K-1 veteran looking to make his MMA debut later this year. There are rumours of more Japanese fighters moving to Singapore to join the Evolve MMA fight team and Tatsuya Kiwajiri's name has been repeatedly linked. Another fighter who might well make the move is former K-1 Champion Buakaw Por Pramuk who is currently involved in a contractual dispute with his former camp. Evolve MMA founder and owner Chatri Sityodtong was tight lipped when I emailed him for further info. He did confirm the rumour that Askren would be training in Singapore and said he would be arriving in a couple of weeks and that some other deals were 'in the pipeline'. Rich Franklin will be returning to Evolve MMA for the second time this year and will be basing a fight camp outside of the US for the first time in his career. Him and trainer Matt Hume will both be working with the team in Singapore, which has been bolstered by the addition of Heath Sims since they last visited, as he prepares to return to middleweight to take on Cung Le at UFC 148. Evolve MMA has a well established reputation as being the best training facility in Asia and with Fukuda, Singh Askren and Franklin among the many visiting fighters who will be working alongside the existing full time fight team 2012 looks set to be a busy year. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, mma, time, askren, singapore

Read the full article at MMA Mania

It has been six weeks between since the last Zuffa event. During that time, we've seen "King Mo" Lawal suspended nine months for steroids, Cris "Cyborg" suspended one year for steroids, and Alistair Overeem fail a drug screening due to an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio. It's a bit disconcerting that in the wake of all that, the UFC returns with a main event headlined by yet another fighter connected to a PED suspension.To be fair to the promotion, Thiago Silva has paid his penalty, sitting out for one year as mandated by the Nevada state athletic commission. In any other sport, when an athlete returns from a suspension, he generally reclaims his spot without much debate or criticism. That's whether he hits cleanup for his baseball team, like Manny Ramirez, or is a star linebacker, like the NFL's Brian Cushing. When you're back, you're back without restriction.On the other hand, the main event slot carries some cachet. It's a role with distinction, a ceremonial spot customarily earned through hard work and success. Even though Silva wasn't the UFC's first pick as Alexander Gustafsson's UFC on FUEL 2 opponent, the pairing is bound to leave some feeling a bit uneasy. But such are the ethical dilemmas of sport in 2012, where it's no longer just about winning and losing. Silva's reasoning for using PEDs is in many ways germane to the analysis of this fight. He said that at the time, he reinjured his back, and realized the only way he could continue with a scheduled fight with Brandon Vera was to take injections that contained banned substances. Silva's back has been an ongoing source of concern for years.The first time he publicly mentioned his back as an issue was back in 2008, when he was forced out of a proposed matchup due to an injury. In 2010, after losing to Rashad Evans, he confirmed he had suffered herniated discs. A few months later, he withdrew from another bout due to a back injury. The failed drug test at UFC 125 was the fourth known time he had hurt himself.If you follow sports, you'll know that most back injuries are chronic. Silva was 13-0 before his first public disclosure of back problems. SInce then, he's gone 1-2 with 1 no contest. What's different? The issue affects your core functioning and mobility, and while he still possesses punching power, he doesn't have the same lateral movement he once had. That could prove to be a big key against someone who moves as much as Gustafsson (13-1). For such a big guy (he's 6-foot-5), Gustafsson doesn't mind expending energy with his footwork. He's tall, he's rangy and he doesn't mind dancing around on the outside, confident that his constant movement will take him into and out of striking range safely. In that, you see faint shades of UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz, who Gustafsson has trained with off and on for a few years now. This isn't his first time facing a hard hitter. He faced Cyrille Diabate, James Te Huna and Matt Hamill consecutively without many problems. Despite the difference in their styles -- Gustafsson is active while Silva is more stationary and lumbering -- Silva is historically more accurate. According to FightMetric, Silva lands 52 percent of his strikes, quite a bit better than Gustafsson's 40 percent. He also is hit less, as Gustafsson's opponents connect against him 52 percent of the time while Silva only gets hit on 35 percent of the strikes against him.While those numbers are a bit surprising given their favored fight styles, they became less important when you determine how they'll play against each other. Silva's connect percentage, for example, might be high because he's historically fought a series of opponents who stand in the pocket and trade, fighters like James Irvin, Tomasz Drwal and Houston Alexander, to name a few. When he's faced opponents who feature more movement, like Lyoto Machida and Evans, the results weren't the same. Gustafsson is also a younger fighter still finding his true style, so he's more likely to show marked improvement from one fight to the next. That's essentially what we've seen from him in the last two years, as he's worked on his wrestling defense and sharpened his standup. If any strike has paid dividends for him recently, it's the uppercut. That's been his money punch lately, but it's also a shot that can get you in trouble, as you can't throw it from distance, and it requires you to lower your hand, leaving you open to a counter. Silva is savvy enough to know that it's coming, so watch for exchanges whenever Gustafsson tries to fire it off. Since Silva has had so much time off, it will be interesting to see if he changed anything about his game. He's a BJJ black belt, but he's never been a guy who spent much time looking to take the fight to the ground. Doing so here would take away a lot of Gustafsson's advantages, but will he try to do it? I have my doubts. Neither Vladimir Matyushenko or Hamill could take Gustafsson down and they're far more accomplished wrestlers than Silva. That's actually been an underrated part of Gustafsson's game, as he's shut down 88 percent of takedown tries against him.So that leaves us with a fight that is almost certainly going to be fought vertically. Gustafsson's continuing mastery of fighting from distance to go with his technique are likely to accumulate more points. Even though Silva probably has the power edge, Gustafsson's shown enough chin to suggest his durability will stand up. The X-factor is Silva's time off. Fighters can deny the phenomenon of ring rust all they want, but most of them eventually admit their timing is affected when they don't stay sharp. To add to it, Silva's long-held back injuries may catch up to him late in the fight if fatigue becomes an issue.I see Gustafsson scoring from the outside while Silva looks for the big punch from the outside. Taking two to give one rarely works at the highest levels of striking, and I believe Gustafsson to be heading in that direction. The top five may soon be in his future, and he takes one step closer on Saturday with a unanimous decision win over Silva.

Posted in: fight, time, silva, gustafsson, he

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Light heavyweight Thiago Silva will fight for the first time in more than a year this weekend when he faces rising star Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of UFC on Fuel 2. As most already know, his extended hiatus was not the result of an accident or injury but rather an intentional attempt to bypass the rules by doctoring his urine to mask steroid use. The lack of judgment resulted in a fine, an overturned victory, and a yearlong suspension in addition to the damage done to his reputation. However, now that he’s done his time the 29-year old Brazilian is aiming to start fresh in every sense of the word. Not only did he utilize the mandated break from action to heal/strengthen his body but he also hopes his accountability for the drug use will provide a rare “second chance” in the eyes of fans and his peers. “I did a lot of rehab and lifting weights to make my whole body stronger. I also did sparring, but not a lot. I allowed my body to heal during the time off, and I constantly have to work on my core so it won’t happen again. I have to listen to my body when I feel something is wrong,” said Silva in an interview with the UFC’s website, referring to the back problem influencing his decision to use steroids. The affliction became so bad at one point he even lost feeling in one of his legs. The next step to putting the past behind him will come when he enters the Octagon on Saturday night in Sweden (afternoon Stateside). Though it’s been a long road, the payoff of a headlining tilt against Gustafsson seems to have been worth it for Silva. “I was like a kid in a candy store,” he said of receiving the call from Zuffa headquarters. “I was very excited when they asked me if I wanted this fight, and I just wanted to fight as soon as possible. It didn’t matter who my opponent was, I just want to get back in the cage and fight.” When it comes to actually throwing down Silva was unsure as to whether his opponents will approach him like the heavy-handed finisher of the past few years or a guy who relied on banned substances to flourish. He also doesn’t appear to care. “I don’t worry about if guys respect me or not, but if they don’t, they will find out the hard way,” the 14-2 Silva stated blankly. Thirteen of his victories have involved some form of finish. Fans can catch Silva’s scrap with Gustafsson tomorrow when the main card fires up at 3:00 PM EST. Prelims start on Facebook three hours earlier. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: fight, time, silva, body, guys respect

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

You’ll get different answers when asking a fighter what he missed the most during a long layoff. Some are brutally honest and say the paychecks, others simply crave the competition and the camaraderie of their training partners. Thiago Silva cuts right to the chase as he gets ready to return to the Octagon for a Saturday main event against Alexander Gustafsson in Stockholm, Sweden. What did the Brazilian banger miss the most?“Fighting,” he said through translator Primo Miranda. And if you know the 29-year old’s personality and Octagon style, that’s as truthful a statement as you’ll ever hear. Sure, this is how Silva provides for his family, but you get the impression that if he worked a 9 to 5 somewhere, he would still find a way to compete in this sport. It’s simply in his blood.If you need any proof, consider that for a long time, the Sao Paulo native had been dealing with a back problem that just got worse and worse. In an important 2010 bout with former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans, the injury acted up, only to get to the point after the three round decision loss where he could barely move.“It was a very frustrating 12 months I had,” he said. “When I injured my back the second time in April, after the Rashad fight, I lost feeling in my thigh and didn't regain the feeling until last year.” But with a good spot in one of the UFC’s most competitive divisions, Silva, whose 5-2 record only had losses to champions Evans and Lyoto Machida, was not about to take an extended break to get better. He accepted a January 1, 2011 bout with Brandon Vera, and he impressively won a three round unanimous decision. The only problem was that to get his back well enough to compete, he took injections of a banned steroid and then attempted to hide the appearance of this substance in his urine. When his post-fight drug test came up as “inconsistent with human urine,” the Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended him for a year and fined him, and also rendered the Vera bout a no contest. Silva owned up to his punishment and served his suspension, and while he was out, he finally got the time to heal properly, even if it wasn’t an ideal situation.“I did a lot of rehab and lifting weights to make my whole body stronger,” said Silva. “I also did sparring, but not a lot. I allowed my body to heal during the time off, and I constantly have to work on my core so it won't happen again. I have to listen to my body when I feel something is wrong.”After his suspension was up, Silva was eager to get back in the Octagon, and he was scheduled to get his chance in May in a rematch against Vera. But an injury scrapped the bout almost as soon as it was made. “I didn't have time to get excited about it because he pulled out two days after it was announced,” said Silva, and while a replacement opponent was found in Igor Pokrajac, a better offer came through in early March when he was asked to replace countryman Rogerio Nogueira against Gustafsson this weekend.“I was like a kid in a candy store,” he said. “I was very excited when they asked me if I wanted this fight, and I just wanted to fight as soon as possible. It didn't matter who my opponent was, I just want to get back in the cage and fight.”Silva doesn’t even worry about being the “bad guy” in Stockholm when he faces the hometown hero in the UFC’s first visit to Sweden. Not that you thought he would.“To me it doesn't matter,” said Silva. “At the end of the day, it's only him and I in the cage. I don't pay attention to the crowd because I am focused on my opponent.”And focused on getting his promising career back on track as he looks to erase the turmoil of the last year. “I just want to make up for lost time and fight as much as I can in 2012,” he says, and while many would consider rehabbing an image to be an uphill battle, the 29-year old Silva has said his apologies, and now he’s going to do his talking in the Octagon. And if his future opponents want to hold his past against him, that’s fine, but he’s still going to fight.“I don't worry about if guys respect me or not, but if they don't, they will find out the hard way.”

Posted in: fight, time, silva, year, octagon

Read the full article at UFC

We’re BAAAAACK! UFC on Fuel TV 2In Sthlm and soon fight week! Cant wait!!!  -Alexander Gustafsson ‏ Showing off some ink #UFConFUELTV #sweden http://pic.twitter.com/QbWa6WkM   -Alessio Sakara ‏ Thanks everyone. Fight time soon. I appreciate the energy and prayers.   -Tom DeBlass ‏Right all weigh-in bang on 170pounds (77kg) now its donut time #YeahBuddy #GypsyJiuJitsu #UFCSweden http://twitpic.com/99aks5   -John Maguire ‏ lets go get that W weighed in at 135 on the dot!!!   -Damacio Page ‏ Made weight!!!!!! Tomorrow the execution!!!!!!!!  -Siyar Bahadurzada ‏ See you in a couple hours, Stockholm! Me and my coaches are visiting for UFC on Fuel 2, gonna be a great event IMO!  -Stefan Struve ‏ TUF GuysToday was an awesome day of practice & i think @TheDomin8r has a foot fetish. Ready to take the lead tomorrow #TeamFaber @ufc @LancePalmer  -Urijah Faber ‏ @UrijahFaber love my @Vladofootwear! guna go ahead n sponsor u a pair 2 cover the hobbit feet up.  -Dominick Cruz ‏ It's that time again! #TUFLive #FightNight @BadBoyTickle vs. @JoeProctor tonight at 10 on @FXNetworks!  -Inside TUF ‏ #TUFLive's Team Purple talk about Chris Tickle, lotion that smells like girl, being BFFs, and M&M anonymous http://on.ufc.com/I4gain  -UFC ‏ Got 2 get my hair cut today...you look good, you feel good, you fight good! I hope ur all excited and ready 2 watch me go 2 war this friday  -Joe Proctor ‏ got reprimanded 4 starting the wine bottle smashing championships last nite and 4 hunting imaginary deer in the backyard 2 mins ago.  -Al Iaquinta ‏ Everytime I land chicago airport I think I should really invest in shoes with lil skate wheel in heel. #heelies  -Eric Delfierro ‏ Shoulda Said "Chatty"The loquacious @JoshLBarnett. Reserved phenom @dc_mma. Which will take the @strikeforce #HWGP title come May 19? http://ow.ly/i/z0jo   -SHOWTIME SPORTS ‏ @SHOsports @dc_mma @strikeforce   What did you call me SHOsports!?  -Josh Barnett ‏ You’ve Been WarnedIt's National Kiss Day! If any random person tries to kiss me I'm treating them like a terrorist.  -Tim Kennedy ‏ He Went with “BANG” InsteadLookn a bit young here. My friends used to call me the " angry boy scout" http://pic.twitter.com/oXwk69Vy   -Duane Ludwig ‏ And Now Wandy with the NewsNEWS!!!!   -Wanderlei Silva ‏ Super Samoan: Tweet Junkieman over 1000 tweets i am a JUNKIEEE AHAHHAAThey ask me wat world are u in I say tweeter verse lol  -Mark Hunt ‏ FoGriff Ponders the Mysteries of LifeAt what point is one so hairy they should start using conditioner on their body hair. Cus I'm getting close  -Forrest Griffin ‏ Ronda’s Doh! FaceThis is the face you make you you think you're about to start blogging but actually take a picture on accident http://pic.twitter.com/i7EQExlK  -Ronda Rousey ‏ Joe Likes the Nightlife, He Likes to Boogie…Plse keep ur eye out for this man He's 5'4" 180 lbs Dresses dapper & may b attached 2 a small Italian woman @JoeJitsu  http://pic.twitter.com/y9QGdYTa  -Urijah Faber ‏ VOTE OR DIE!UFC fans - let's get your votes - which fighter has the best Twitter account? (Fighters, feel free to jump in here....)   -UFC ‏ @ufc THAT TALL GUY PAT BERRY DOES!!!   -Pat Barry ‏ We May Have to Give These Boys a Timeout@sonnench don't worry-you're a beatdown away from obscurity. I'll be happy to beat your head in-that's if it's not still on a pike in Rio.  -Jason Mayhem Miller ‏ MayHem: Due to time constraints I am currently confining my Twitter wars to active, relevant, fighters ONLY. Buy a T-shirt on your way out.  -Chael Sonnen ‏

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, fighter, tweet

Read the full article at UFC

Only when World of Warcraft had it's hooks deep in me circa 2008 would I completely block out the world and keep doing whatever I was doing at the time. Which in 2008 Azeroth was probably saving up to buy my epic flying speed for my Mekgineer 'copter or Raiding Karazhan. Good times in Medivh's haunted tower. Good times. This dude must've felt the TKO victory in his arms like a piece of Warlock tier 5 armor, but we still think he went a little overboard, it's never good when you have to be yanked off your defeated opponent via a rear naked choke by the your foe's corner. Ignore the Zuffa esque production values in the beginning and go to about 3:05 to see the craziness go down. Sometimes these things happen... [Source]

Posted in: time, tko victory, dude mustve, mekgineer copter, foes corner

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Everyone will have to excuse me as I'm doing this essentially backwards. In any other TopX list you'll see the absolutely tp guy at the top. But I don't agree with that. We all know who the indisputable top guys in the sport are and that last post will turn in to a ridiculous discussion about who deserves to be at 3 instead of four or 2 instead of 1. Instead of that, I'm going to lead off with the easy picks first: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} 1. Fedor Emelianenko - This one should be obvious. He is, without a doubt the greatest HW of all time. His unbeaten streak at Heavyweight against the highest level of competition in the division is absolutely unheard of. 2. Anderson Silva – Again, another gimme. Anderson has made much of his competition look absolutely foolish for trying to compete with him. 3. Georges St. Pierre – With the exception of Anderson (depending on your side of the debate) he is the most dominant champion the UFC has ever seen. It took Jake Shields about two dozen eye pokes to even the playing field. 4. BJ Penn – Penn has oft been criticized for his ability to rise to the occasion or come from behind in a fight. However, during his Lightweight reign he was an incredibly dominant champion. Additionally he was incredibly influential in the success of the division for the UFC. 5. Jon Jones – It amazes that at this point in his career that Jones still receives the amount of hate he does. His run throughout 2011 is almost unmatched in the history of MMA. He’s an incredibly talented fighter and I don’t see him slowing down any time soon.

Posted in: jake shields, time, ndash, anderson, i dont

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

Zach Makovsky is one of the most studious fighters out there. His ability to digest fights and break down an opponent's style is one of the key reasons behind his tremendous success. That obsession with MMA has even been a detriment at times, but it fuels him to keep getting better. The results are obvious. "Fun Size" won the inaugural Bellator bantamweight tournament in 2010 and has finished both opponents in his non-title Bellator bouts while waiting for the first title challenger to emerge. Now, the Philadelphia Fight Factory product is gearing up for his first title defense. He'll be battling the highly-touted Brazilian Eduardo Dantas this Friday night (April 13, 2012) at Bellator 65 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Drexel University alumni spoke to MMAmania.com during a special guest appearance on The Verbal Submission this past weekend about preparing for Dantas' explosiveness, the unique Nova Uniao takedown defense and even how feels he matches up with UFC champion Dominick Cruz. Check it out: Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You won the title back in 2010 and you got to have a couple "superfights" but how does it feel to actually be defending this title for the first time? Zach Makovsky: It feels good. I would prefer the belt was on the line every time I fought. Bellator is a growing company and they're getting more and more tournaments in so hopefully every fight from here on out will be a title defense but yeah, I'd prefer to have the title on the line and have an opponent the caliber of Dantas. It should be good. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): And it has to be nice that they seem to be putting a good focus on the bantamweight division with all these signings and they've got the next bantamweight tournament already taking place so the next title challenger will be good to go in a few months, probably. Zach Makovsky: Yeah, well win this one first and then we'll worry about that. (laughs) Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I'd like to talk about your training a little bit. You normally work with the Drexel wrestling team but their season ended so where have you been putting in your time to replace that energy? Zach Makovsky: I was training with them up until March when they're conference tournament started so I was with them up until then. The last month, and really what I do for most of my camps is I get away from just doing a jiu-jitsu class or just doing a wrestling workout and kind of always putting everything together so it's more specific to what the fight will be like. I always try to incorporate everything and just try to train MMA so I've been doing that. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I know that you're a guy that has this obsession with mixed martial arts. You study it a ton and it's always on your mind so when you're looking at these Nova Uniao fighters, these terrific athletic Brazilians, they have a unique form of takedown defense. I'm sure you've had a chance to study this a bit but they don't sprawl against wrestlers on a shot, they more dance out of it and twist out of it. I want to know, what do you think about how they're able to stop takedowns from elite wrestlers? Zach Makovsky: Yeah, they kind of are focused on getting their leg free and even if they do get taken down, they have the mindset of, "Okay, you got me down but you're not going to control me and keep me here," and they seem to pop back up. I've seen Dantas and Aldo pop back up on numerous occasions. It's something that we're working on and working on how to control when we get there but it may not. I think if you time a takedown properly in MMA, it's very hard to stop. if they're throwing a punch and I'm shooting, they're pretty much standing straight up and I'm on their legs, I don't think there's too much chance of stopping the initial attack. Maybe they can get back up and not let me control the takedown but I think it's about timing. I think a lot of these high level wrestlers that kind of get into MMA maybe don't set up their takedowns the same way. I try to make sure that they're throwing a punch at me when I shoot, not like me throwing a punch and then I shoot. Generally when that happens I think they're backing away and when they're backing away from you, it's much harder to get in. I study people like St. Pierre who has no real competitive wrestling background but in my opinion, is the easiest at timing takedowns in MMA. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Was there anything that you could take from Dantas' last tournament fight? I know you're not the same type of fighter as Alexis Vila, but he does have that Olympic background in wrestling. Did you take anything away from what Dantas was able to do against his shot? Zach Makovsky: Yeah, nothing that I didn't already know but Vila got in a lot and was fighting for takedowns. Another thing that's different from wrestling is you don't have a wrestling shoe on so it's real easy to pull your leg out where in wrestling you have that grip and it doesn't happen. Dantas did that to Vila a couple times. If I get in on a takedown where it's costing me a lot of energy where I'm gonna have to scramble and fight more than I really want to, especially when if I get him down he might just pop right back up, I'm gonna probably just let it go. I don't want to be like super not getting off his leg. I think that takes a lot of energy and you've got to be smart about what takedowns you pursue and what takedowns you don't. I'm gonna have to make the right decision. Gerry Rodriguez: I had a question about the other bantamweights, Nakamura and Travis Marx, were you impressed with them? A lot of the opinions of the fans were they weren't the most exciting fights but they got the wins and advanced. What are your thoughts on them? Zach Makovsky: I thought they both looked pretty good, they both looked tough. Ueda has had some big wins in his career, he had a decision win over Dantas. I kind of had a suspicion that I wasn't sure. I've seen a lot of his fights in Japan and I know he's a good wrestler and has good submission attacks from the ground but I was kind of suspicious that his style wouldn't translate to the American MMA way especially against a guy like Marx who's a big, strong American wrestler who could take away his biggest strength. I thought the Nakamura fight was very close. I thought Lima was attacking a lot from bottom and it could have gone either way. He was controlled and beat up a bit. Both were caught in submissions and they toughed it out. It was my first time seeing either of them so I'll look to see more from them in their next fight. Gerry Rodriguez: The champion of the UFC, Dominick Cruz, is a pretty big dude. How do you think you would match up with him? Zach Makovsky: I don't know. It's hard to say. He's obviously I think the best guy out there right now. He's been beating everyone and beating everyone pretty handily. He continues to improve in all areas. His fight against Demetrious Johnson was different in that he had to focus more on his ground game which looked very good. There's really not many holes in his game. I think someone who can take him down and control him there is gonna give him problems but it seems every time he's taken down, he pops up pretty quick. I don't know how I'd do. I think I have a skillset where if I take him down and keep him there, I'd have a pretty good chance. Ben Thapa: You talked about putting it all together earlier. I'm wondering how exactly you do that in this day and age where you've got a boxing class and wrestling class and a jiu-jitsu class. When and where do you exactly put it all together? Is it just like inside your home and in your head a bit? Zach Makovsky: Well, yeah, it's something you definitely think about. When I train, we have three days a week where we have MMA class and we put everything together and we have one MMA class where it's more focused on the ground about punching and passing and submission attempts as you're striking and all that kind of stuff. The other days are focused more on standing. Those classes are all about putting it all together and we work on it then but I'm always trying to keep that in mind. Even when I go to like a muay thai class, I'm not thinking about muay thai for muay thai, I'm always thinking about muay thai for MMA. Especially when you get in there, people get into a mode where they're like, "I'm gonna strike because we're starting standing," and then someone initiates a clinch and then they're wrestling and then they're on the ground and doing jiu-jitsu but they don't necessarily put it all together. That's something I try to do and I think since I've been becoming better at putting everything together, I've been having more success in MMA. Ben Thapa: When you did train with Eddie Alvarez and so on, is there something you noticed that they're particularly good at that you need to catch up to or were you almost there and they were just more established? Zach Makovsky: There's definitely things that Frankie Edgar and Eddie are better than me at but it plays into their style too. If they're good at some things, that's more how they fight and how they approach their fight. Like Eddie is much better than me at stepping in and landing solid shots in combinations but he also gets hit more than me so it's kind of a trade-off where I'm trying to pick up stuff from them but not like steal it outright. I want to figure out how to work it into my style. I really think Frankie's movements and takedowns are awesome and when Eddie steps in to hit you, that's good too but I'm trying to figure out how to work that in from my style. I'm always trying to learn from everybody I see. Ben Thapa: When did you realize that you were pretty decent at mixed martial arts and you could hang with the best? Was it a specific moment or was it more of a gradual process? Zach Makovsky: It definitely wasn't a specific moment. It's just kinda like you take it as it comes. I wrestled in college and even in college I was training in no-gi grappling and no-gi jiu-jitsu and competing in grappling tournaments and I gradually decided to take a fight and I liked it and I won so I took another one. You don't necessarily feel like, "I'm ready for the big stage!" it just kind of happens one fight at a time and I think that's the way it needs to be. If you start looking to far ahead, you lose focus on where you're at right now. I'm just trying to keep my mind on training, getting better and the fight that's right in front of me. Ben Thapa: During the down time in in a fight in the corner when the corners come out to talk to you, is it a bit of a weird adjustment to go from fighting to trying to listen and evaluating what your round was like? Is that something you're trying to do in your own head? What's the process of sitting down, taking the advice of a corner and going back out there? Zach Makovsky: Yeah, it's unique. A lot of times, really, for me when I fight and go back to my corner, whatever happened in the round is kind of a big blur. I don't really know what happened and if something happens I'll remember it but it's more like a flash. I don't think about it much and I'm always asking questions like, "Did I win that round?" and they usually just tell me to shut up and listen to them and what they have to say. I never know what the fight looks like until I watch it on video afterwards. It's kind of a weird sense. Most of the time I'm just trying to relax and getting my breathing under control and get ready for the next round. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Eduardo Dantas, he's incredibly explosive. What I want to know is, it is just a case of circling and not moving straight backwards like Wilson Reis did? How do you deal with a fighter who can just explode forward with a flying knee like that and cover such a long distance so quickly? Zach Makovsky: You have to be ready for it. I've been working and had a lot of guys throw knees at me but I know when I get in there it's gonna be different with his own speed and his own range so I'm working on definitely circling away from his power side especially if I can catch him while he's throwing a kick or a knee moving that way. The biggest thing for me is I know it's coming at some point so I have to be ready for it and not really get caught flat-footed. If I'm standing there right in front of him not moving, that's the time for him to throw it. I don't want to stop and get settled in front of him in any position really. Just move and stay bouncy and use a lot of angles. For the most part, he really likes to move forward and backwards. He doesn't use a lot of angles so hopefully that's something I can take advantage of. Until you get in there and I can see it coming for the first time, that's when I'll know whether I can time it and avoid it. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): When you close your eyes and picture victory against Dantas, what do you see? Zach Makovsky: I see a tough fight especially in the first two rounds. I think I'm gonna slowly wear him out and control the fight. I think he's gonna be really hard to finish. If I had to guess, maybe a unanimous decision but I think maybe a late finish with a submission in the fourth round. Zach would like to thank his sponsors Gamma Labs, Baby Fight Gear, Future Legend. He'd also like to thank everyone that helped him train, the Philadelphia Fight Factor and the Drexel wrestling team. You can follow him on Twitter @ZachFunSize. So what do you think, Maniacs? Will Makovsky continue his reign of terror in Bellator? Or does Dantas possess the perfect style to dethrone the champion? Sound off! To listen to the complete audio of our interview with Zach Makovsky, click here (Begins at 9:00 mark).

Posted in: fight, time, makovsky, zach, im

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Fight fans love the heavyweights. Never has this been more evident than in the past week, as the MMA blogosphere has been innundated with the stories of Alistair Overeem and his testosterone ratios, Brock Lesnar's place in UFC history as he return's to pro wrestling and the "Mark Hunt Army Of Doom". You didn't know about the Army of Doom? While I won't deny that these stories (that together intertwine into a singular narrative surrounding the UFC heavyweight title) are fascinating for various reasons, none of them catch and hold my attention the way the upcoming battle for the UFC light heavyweight title that is taking place in less than two weeks, on April 21st, in Atlanta. The fight will, of course, be contested between defending champion Jon Jones and challenger (and former champion) Rashad Evans. The two have been embroiled in a rivalry that cuts deeper than most of the standard UFC fare for the better part of a year, making this fight a much anticipated grudge match that UFC fans love. And in my opinion there is a good chance that this fight is the first superfight mixed martial arts has seen in years and is perhaps the biggest MMA superfight ever. And yet, I get the feeling that this fight is going to come and go without garnering the attention that it deserves. In an effort to avoid that from happening, I thought I'd break down why I think this fight is so great and see if I can't rally any support for my views. First I'd like to share my list of the five biggest superfights that have taken place in mixed martial arts since it hit the mainstream in 1993. If we can come to agreement that these fights are the standard that all superfights can be compared to, then I think you'll agree that Jones/Evans is bigger than any of these were. Fedor Emelianenko (13-1) vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (19-1-1) Pride 25, 2003. When the two men met for the first time, they had a combined record of 32-2-1, which is exactly the same combined record that Rashad and Jones will enter the night with. The only problem? Fedor hadn't done much to this point in his career. When they met again the following year, they had both accomplished much more, but as it was a re-match it just wasn't quite the same. Fedor Emelianenko (23-1-1) vs Mirko Filipovic (16-2-2) Pride Final Conflict 2005. Another superfight involving Fedor, this time against one of the most feared strikers in MMA history, Mirko Cro Cop. The two men brought a combined mark of 39-3-3 into the bout and both had defeated some of the best the division had to offer. This is probably the standard for MMA superfights, as both men were in the prime of their careers and the fight was supposed to have happened in 2003 but was delayed by Pride politics. Quinton Jackson (27-6) vs Dan Henderson (22-5) UFC 75, 2007. This was the first of two Pride & UFC unification bouts that Henderson would participate in after coming to the organization from Pride with the middleweight (205) and welterweight (185) championships in his back pocket. While both men had significant victories in the division, they also had significant losses as well, (49-11 combined) which took a little bit away from the meeting. Chuck Liddell (20-5) vs Wanderlei Silva (31-7-1) UFC 79, 2007. This fight would have been at the top of the list had it taken place a few years earlier, but it didn't come to fruition until both men had lost a step. At a combined 51-12-1, they had both lost two straight going into the bout and neither man had much success after. It was a great fight but it just didn't have the "it" factor that a fight between two men at the top of the game has. It wasn't even the main event of the evening, which instead went to Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes. Georges St. Pierre (17-2) vs B.J. Penn (13-4-1) UFC 91, 2009. Arguably the most recent superfight the UFC has put on, a rematch between Penn and St. Pierre was highly anticipated but was largely disappointing. St. Pierre was bigger and stronger and used it to his advantage on his way to a dominant four round TKO. The two men carried a combined record of 30-6-1 into the match. All of those fights had one or more special qualitys about them that just aren't present for most big name fights. These are: An undefeated contestant. (Fedor did have a loss on his record going into his two fights on the list, but the loss was very much an asterisk, as he was cut by an illegal elbow in a tournament fight with Tsuyoshi Kohsaka early in his career. A winner was needed due to the tournament format, and Kohsaka moved on.) As such, he was widely considered to be undefeated prior to both fights. Significant divisional relevance. The only fight that wasn't for a championship was the fight between Liddell and Silva. Had it been for the UFC title, it would undeniably have been a bigger fight than it was. Still, the fight was important because of the long stretch of time that both Silva and Liddell dominated the 205 pound division. Long term dominance. This ties into the second quality, as a fight can't really be considered significant to the division if the two men contesting it haven't ruled the roost for some time. Other than the first Fedor/Big Nog fight, when Fedor was largely untested, each of the contestants had dominated their respective divisions for quite some time going into the matches. So how does Jones and Evans stack up?Undefeated opponent? Check. Jones has a loss in the same way that Fedor had a loss. He beat Matt Hamill down, only to be disqualified due to illegal elbow strikes. Hamill would have been able to continue had he not hurt his shoulder earlier in the fight, thus many people consider this not an official loss. Significant divisional relevance? Check. The fight is for a championship at a time when there is a distinct lack of contenders. Why? Because Jones and Evans have beaten them all down. Dan Henderson looms in the background but aside from him, it's pretty likely that the winner of this fight rules the roost for a long time to come. Long term dominance? Check. Between the two of them, Jones and Evans have dispatched a ridiculous list of top fighters. In no particular order, they have defeated Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Lyoto Machida, Phil Davis, Quinton Jackson, Shogun Rua, Ryan Bader, Forrest Griffin, Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera. That includes all the 205 pound champions since 2005. In fact, the only 205 pound UFC champs that Evans and Jones haven't beaten are Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort, both of whom left the division before either of our hero's came onto the scene. Now let's look at some of the issues that took away from these superfights of the past. Two fighters in their prime. Fedor, Big Nog and Cro Cop were all in their prime when they met up. St. Pierre and Penn were also at the very best they would ever be. Jackson and Henderson were perhaps on the back end of their primes, while Liddell and Silva were undoubtedly on the way down. Both Jones and Evans are in their prime. Evans is a little on the older side, but he's fought so rarely in the past couple of years that he truly is a young 32. Jones is a little on the younger side, but he is coming off a year described by many as the greatest calender year in MMA history, so if he isn't in his prime now, lord help us when he does actually reach it. Lack of Accomplishment at the time of the fight. Looking back at the first fight between Fedor and Big Nog, we now know just how significant it was. At the time though, Fedor was an underdog to Nogueira, which suggests that his greatness hadn't been truly realized. Of course,after Fedor beat Nog down from within the Brazilian's guard, he would be looked at much differently. Both Jones and Evans already have signature victories. For Evans, it's his knockout of Chuck Liddell. For Jones, it's difficult to separate his destructions of Shogun, Rampage and Lyoto and put one above the other two, but taken as a whole, it is definitely a statement that he is the division's present. When you take all these elements into consideration, you are left with a pretty compelling argument that Evans/Jones could be, on paper, the greatest MMA fight of all time. Will it play out that way? I think there is a good chance that it will. Neither man has what you would call one-punch power, although Evans does have a couple of big time knockouts. They both excel at getting the fight where they want it and dominating their opponent from there, which suggests that we might be in for a back and forth 25 minute war. Think about the way Jones has looked up to this point. He has barely lost a round and has never been dominated for any extended period of time. Imagine if Evans was able to get a takedown in the first round and do some damage to Jones. The electricity in the building, in bars and in the living rooms of fight fans around the world between rounds would be off the charts. And if Jones was able to come back and get Evans to the mat in the second round? I can barely contain my excitement when I think of the prospects. Oh but wait, there is a chance Overeem could get licensed on April 24th? Forget UFC 145, let's do a week long camp out in front of the NSAC hearing building. Who's with me?

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, jone, evan

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

Raphael Davis isn't the first public service employee to moonlight as a professional fighter, but if news reports out of Los Angeles are to be believed, he certainly went about his second career in a unique way. According to multiple news outlets, the pro mixed martial artist was arrested on Tuesday and charged with four felony counts of insurance fraud. Why? Prosecutors say that he filed for worker's compensation insurance between December 2008 and May 2011. So while he apparently claimed he was not healthy enough to work at his L.A. fire department job, his fight career was inexplicably reaching its peak with multiple appearances for Bellator and M-1 Global. Davis, who was arrested at his home and being held on bail, could face up to five years in prison. The 35-year-old has a 12-2 all-time record, with notable wins over Vinny Magalhaes, Emanuel Newton and Tony Lopez. Even if prosecutors prove the charges and Davis is found guilty, the state comes off looking bad to some degree. That would mean that somehow, Davis managed to continue his MMA career undetected for 2 1/2 years while appearing multiple times on television during that span. He fought seven times during that period, going 6-1. Davis wasn't exactly trying to hide his fight career either. He has a Twitter page in which he describes himself as "Currently one of Bellator's Light Heavyweight fighters," and he's done multiple interviews during that time. District attorney's office spokeswoman Jane Robinson declined to offer LA Weekly any added details on the case, including what condition necessitated his worker's compensation claim. Davis had not been scheduled to fight during Bellator's current sixth season, but was still under contract to the promotion leading into it, taking part in a January trip to Universal Studios in Florida to shoot promotional photos and videos.

Posted in: bellator, time, career, davi, fight career

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

With the exception of a brief lightweight hiatus from 2004 to 2006, fighters from 155 pounds on up always had the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in the Zuffa-era UFC, a goal that someday, if they won enough fights, they would earn a spot in the Octagon.As for those whose optimum weight was 145 pounds and below, they were pretty much out of luck unless they were able to secure a contract in Japan. In England, the situation wasn’t any better. Just ask East London bantamweight Brad Pickett, who finally saw some sunlight when he signed with the Zuffa-owned WEC in 2009. But even that didn’t produce the kind of acclaim he has now, which includes UK newspaper columns, video game appearances, and main card UFC slots.“Back a couple years ago, when I signed with the WEC, for me, that was the big stage for my weight class, and at the time, there was no inclination that the UFC and the WEC would merge,” said Pickett, who fought at featherweight in his pre-WEC days. “Obviously, being a fan of the sport, I always thought it would be awesome to fight in the UFC, but there was never gonna be that opportunity because they didn’t have my weight class. As soon as I heard the news that the WEC and UFC would merge, I thought, brilliant, it’s massive for me in terms of my exposure. Because there were so many people in the UK that didn’t even know what the WEC was, even though it was the best in the world for my weight class. So me going into the UFC now, the level of opposition is exactly the same, but my level of exposure has quadrupled. It’s massive for me.”He’s handled it well too, and that’s not always the case when you go from relative obscurity to your phone ringing off the hook at all hours with various requests. But at 33, Pickett is a bit more mature than some 20-year old kid getting exposed to the spotlight for the first time, so the adjustments to becoming a UFC fighter were fairly minor.“I have to manage my time a lot better now because you get a lot of different interviews and lots of stuff in the media, but with that, it’s good for every fighter,” he said. “It’s a way to show your personality and how you come across in interviews and stuff like that. I’ve never shied away from media, but sometimes I just have to be a little bit careful with my diary and make sure I don’t double-book things or that people call me when I’m resting. It’s no trouble to me picking up a phone or answering a few questions on the internet. It just takes a few minutes out of my time, and when people see you fight in a cage, they don’t really get to see your personality. They get to know you a lot more when you’re on a TUF show or something like that, but when you’re not in that show, it’s hard to get your personality across unless you do interviews and stuff like that.”Pickett nails it in interviews, as he’s generous with his time and in telling his story, but if you’ve watched him fight, it’s clear that he would be a fan favorite even if he were mute. Again, he gets it, and he knows that in this business, whether you win or lose, just don’t be boring.“You need to be exciting in fights because at the end of the day, it’s an entertainment business,” he said. “You cannot afford to keep winning and be really boring, because as soon as you get that loss, they’ll just cut you. So at the end of the day, you’re employed by the UFC as an entertainer, so you need to make sure you make your fights exciting. But then on the other hand, you can’t be just exciting and keep losing fights because you won’t be kept either. So you need to balance it out and be able to get the job done and be exciting at the same time and it’s not that easy all the time. Sometimes you have to grind things out and make them go your way, but you definitely have to balance it out. Sometimes the style matchups help, and the matchmakers of the UFC normally get the job done very well, so we can put on very good shows.”A “good show” would be understating Pickett’s last bout, a one round Fight of the Night battle with Renan Barao that fit more action in four minutes and nine seconds than most fights get in 15 minutes. Pickett got tagged with a submission defeat, but most will remember the journey, not the destination. He’s not one of them, and though he figured he had an airtight gameplan, he got caught before he could adjust it on the fly.“Me looking at footage of him (Barao), he didn’t look good when he got pressured,” said Pickett. “So my idea was to go out there and be really aggressive. He’s fighting in my hometown, in my eyes I was the biggest fight he’s had to that date, so if I went out there and put it on him, he may crumble. But hats off to him, he stayed very composed and fought really well. He didn’t take me by surprise because you never should be surprised too much in this sport, but then I thought okay, I need to take my foot off the gas a little bit, slow myself down, and start picking my shots because I can’t throw like that for 15 minutes. I needed to be more methodical with my punching, and as soon as I started thinking about that, I got cracked with this knee and the rest was history.”The loss was Pickett’s second in his last three fights, and having it come in his UFC debut stung a little bit more, so this Saturday’s showdown with Damacio Page will be even more important to the future of “One Punch.” Luckily in Page, he will be taking on an opponent who shares a similar fighting philosophy – punch now, ask questions later.“He’s a very dangerous opponent,” said Pickett of Page. “I think he’s very similar to me, but I honestly believe that technically, I’m better than him in every area, but not by a massive margin. It’s not like I’m phenomenally better in any area; I just believe I’m a little bit better than him in all areas, but that doesn’t take anything away from him. I think he’s still good in all those areas as well and he’s still a very dangerous opponent. He throws very hard, so I have to make sure my defense is there and I don’t get hit, and I have to pick my shots and try to test his chin.”And though Page could try to throw a wrench in the works and come out with a completely different gameplan from what everyone expects, Pickett is confident that he will get into a war this weekend, regardless of what his opponent’s plans may be.“My style will make you fight, like it or not,” he said. “I’m always coming forward, I’m always going to be in your face, I don’t fight at a slow pace and I always come at someone. So you either run away or you have to collide – it’s gonna be one of the two. And that’s why I tend to always get into fights because of my style coming forward. It’s hard to shy away from a fight with me because I kind of force you into having a fight. And most of my fights have been that way.”He’s not exaggerating. In five Zuffa fights, he’s picked up one Submission of the Night and two Fight of the Night bonuses, and he jokes that regardless of the level of competition, he’ll find a way to make it a pitched battle from start to finish.“It’s been my career basically,” said Pickett. “I can’t remember when I had a real quick first round finish. Maybe my last one was back in England against Dave Lee (in 2009). I just seem to always get myself in a war. I could fight pound-for-pound the best guy in the world in my weight class, like Dominick Cruz, and I’d make it a really entertaining fight. And then I could fight some guy who’s had one amateur fight and who’s not very good, and I’d make it a real entertaining fight. (Laughs) Is it me? I don’t know what happens, I just seem to get myself in exciting fights. But to be honest, I’d never shy away from a quick knockout or quick submission, because at the end of the day, the quicker you get the job done, the quicker you can get back in there and have another fight.”And after injuries kept him to less than one round of work against Barao in 2011, he’s looking forward to a busy 2012, starting with the Page bout this Saturday.“This year is to get back on the horse,” said Pickett. “It’s very important for me to win this fight. The buck stops with me and I don’t like to look too far beyond anything past this fight, but hopefully, if all goes to plan, I win this fight, stay healthy, and make it a very active year and get myself back in the mix. If I lose this one, I fall further away, so I need to make sure I win this one and keep myself more relevant, and keep myself in a job basically. I need to make sure I win. I don’t want to be one of those people who are just happy to be in the UFC. I want to be somebody within the UFC.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, ’t, pickett

Read the full article at UFC

Are you ready for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) to be broadcast year-round? If you just answered with a Diego Sanchez-inspired, "Yes!" then you're about to get good news. Fuel TV's Executive Vice President and General Manager George Greenberg made the announcement earlier today (April 9, 2012) during a special conference call with the media before the upcoming UFC on Fuel TV 2 event in Stockholm, Sweden. Part of the plan is to not have the TUF: "Brazil" season interfere with the current season of TUF: "Live," which airs on sister station, FX. Once the current "Live" season finishes its run on FX, the TUF: "Brazil" replay will begin on Fuel TV this June. The goal isn't to be entirely up with the times -- the "Brazil" finalists are expected to fight each other at UFC 147 on June 23, 2012. On the contrary, it will be more to keep the plate warm for the next season of TUF on FX, which is scheduled to debut later this September. Greenberg explains it all after the jump: "We're probably going to air it in June and the reason why we're not airing it simultaneously is because we don't want to take any air out of the room promotionally for TUF on FX. TUF on Brazil is something that is airing in real time in Brazil and if you haven't seen it hear, that just means you haven't seen it here. In the wonderful world of time-shifting, as soon as TUF on FX is done, then we will premier TUF Brazil which will be a great promotional tool to lead into the next TUF on FX and it will be a constant give and a go between a series that is happening right here and now and a series that possibly did not happen at the exact same time that was going on in real time. So really, there isn't a lot of room in the world for two TUFs at one time and we wanted the first one to sit in there and plant, seat itself and we'll use the next one as a vehicle which I hear is wonderful and I've seen a couple. It's pretty raw and pretty intense and that will lead into TUF again which takes off on FX probably in September." Of course, if you don't feel like waiting, you can watch all the current episodes of TUF: "Brazil" live on en.tuf.tv and we'll continue running live results and update articles here on MMAmania to keep you current in case you need that immediate international fix. So what do you think of this idea? Will you be tuning in to a super-delayed season of The Ultimate Fighter? What do you think of the idea for having a season of The Ultimate Fighter airing year-round on the FOX team of networks? Opinions, please.

Posted in: time, fx, season, tuf, brazil

Read the full article at MMA Mania

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 10, 2012) - When Bellator Fighting Championships makes its first trip of the season to Atlantic City, it brings with it a loaded fight card including a Bantamweight Title Fight headlined by Bellator Bantamweight World Champion Zach Makovsky and challenger Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas, as well as a Season 6 Featherweight Tournament semifinal bout and the last two quarterfinal fights in the Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament. Also, a stacked preliminary card is official and is loaded with the best talent from the East Coast and Midwest. Tickets for the event are on sale and are available through Ticketmaster.com or at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office. Tickets are priced from $50-$150. The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 8 p.m. EST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 6 p.m. EST, with the first fight scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. The preliminary card, featuring some of the area's top local talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 7 p.m. EST. The night will feature the return of former Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good as he takes on the always dangerous LeVon Maynard in a welterweight matchup. Good returns for the first time since dropping a decision to Season 6 Bellator Tournament semifinalist Rick Hawn and is looking to get back to the form that saw him win 10 consecutive fights to start his career. Maynard, a three-time Bellator veteran, is looking to score the biggest win of his career when he meets "Cyborg" on April 13. The hits keep coming as Philadelphia's Will Martinez takes on Andy Main in a featherweight contest. Main, a New Jersey hometown favorite, is coming off a huge win over Bellator veteran Bobby Reardanz, while Martinez will be looking to extend his winning streak to three. Bellator open tryout winner Ailton Barbosa will look to get back in the winning column when he faces off against MMA veteran Kris McCray in a welterweight contest that is sure to produce fireworks at Boardwalk Hall. Barbosa, a submission specialist, will be fighting for the third time under the Bellator banner while McCray, who owns a two-fight winning streak, will be fighting for the first time since a decision win last November. Undefeated two-time Bellator veteran E.J. Brooks returns to action to face the experienced Mikhail Malyutin in a lightweight bout. Brooks, who defeated Greg Scott and William DeSouza at Bellator 53 and 56 respectively, looks to keep his momentum going against Malyutin, who is one of the most respected fighters to come out of Russia. Newark native Plinio Cruz steps into the Bellator cage for the first time as he battles Bellator veteran Duane Bastress in middleweight action. Bastress fights for the first time since an impressive stoppage of Daniel Gracie at Boardwalk Hall in October of last year. Also, two-time Bellator fighter Lester Caslow from nearby Point Pleasant will be back in the cage as he takes on Scott "The Animal" Heckman in a featherweight contest in front of an electric New Jersey crowd. The card rounds out as Fan-favorite Bellator veteran Kenny Foster will face off against Jay Haas in a featherweight match up. Coming off a hard fought loss to Alexandre "Popo" Bezerra in March, Foster will look to get back on the winning track when he faces Haas in front of the New Jersey faithful. For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

Posted in: fight, bellator, time, card, veteran

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Video: Rashad Evans With Another Impersonation of His Mom, This Time Giving Tips On Fighting Jon Jones

Posted in: time, evan, impersonation, mom, tip

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Not much has been heard from Keith Jardine since his loss to Strikeforce middleweight champ Luke Rockhold in early January. That’s because, according to “The Dean of Mean”, there’s not much going on in his world where MMA is concerned. Rather, the UFC veteran has been focusing on his own well-being rather than hurrying back to bolster the emaciated state of Strikeforce’s ranks. “I’m taking a little bit of time off working on a few things back here, trying to get healthy,” said Jardine in an interview with MMAWeekly. “I’m not sure when I’m going to come back and fight yet, but I’m not going to do it until I feel like I’m 100-percent healthy and ready to go.” Jardine’s decision to reassess his career came in part due to the defeat to Rockhold but more so due to the way he felt inside before and during the bout. “I feel like I didn’t show up in that last fight,” admitted Jardine who was debuting at 185 pounds against Rockhold. “That’s the first time ever in my career I felt like I was just kind of a shell of myself. I should have had a test fight first, but how can you turn down a title fight?” “I’m going to stay the course, I’m going to give it another shot and see what happens,” added Jardine, indicating he will remain at middleweight for his next outing whenever it may come. After all, at 36, Jardine also knows his days in MMA are numbered, something working as yet another factor in his decision to take some time off instead of maintaining the pace of an athlete a decade younger. “If it is my last fight my next fight, I’ll know I gave 100 percent and I gave all of myself. Usually (Strikeforce knows) whenever they want me I’ll fight, and this is the first time where I want to wait until I’m ready to go out there and put it all on the line,” he concluded. The 17-10 Jardine is 2-1-1 in his last four fights including a Draw against former light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi. Throughout his well-documented career the popular journeyman has notched wins inside the Octagon against Brandon Vera, Chuck Liddell, and Forrest Griffin. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: fight, time, i ’m, jardine, ’m

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

The Ultimate Fighter: Live, just five weeks into season 15, continues its downward trend in the TV ratings, drifting below one million viewers for the first time.

Posted in: time, fighter, rating, tv, tv ratings

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Cris "Cyborg" Justino will spend one year of her prime on the sidelines, the result of the California state athletic commission (CSAC) voting to uphold her suspension stemming from a positive steroids test last December. It was all smiles for Cyborg on December 17, when she needed just 16 seconds to TKO Hiroko Yamanaka in her return following an 18-month layoff, but the good times didn't last when she was informed she tested positive for stanozolol. In her Monday hearing, she didn't contest the results but said she had been given the supplements by a member of her coaching staff. In her remarks, Cyborg said she didn't condone the use of performance-enhancing drugs in MMA, and her attorney noted that they have taken steps to have her supplements tested monthly and ensure they don't contain any banned supplements.Their arguments, however, didn't lead to any leniency from CSAC in confirming their original one-year penalty and a $2,500 fine, which her lawyer said she has already paid. A motion by commissioner John Frierson to reduce the suspension to six months was denied.The punishment effectively means that Cyborg (10-1, 1 no contest) will have lost nearly 30 months of her career to contracts snafus and the suspension while arguably in her athletic prime (she turns 27 in July). Her sole fight from July 2010 until the time her suspension is up in December 2012 is the bout against Yamanaka, which will go down in the record books as a no contest.Prior to the positive test, Cyborg had been one of the most feared fighters in any division in MMA, finishing five of her six opponents while fighting for major promotions before the bout with Yamanaka. There had also been a growing cloud of suspicion around her for her muscular build, but as she noted during the hearing, she has been tested many times and never had a positive result until her last fight.Cyborg said the supplement that contained stanozolol came from a coach who also assisted her with nutrition. She believed it would help her to lose weight but did not know it was banned. She said she has since removed that person from her team, and now it appears she'll have plenty of time to form a new team around her. In addition to the fine and suspension, Cyborg was also stripped of the women's featherweight title, which she first won when she defeated Gina Carano back in August 2009.

Posted in: time, suspension, december, cyborg, didnt

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Light Heavyweights Alexander Gustafsson and Thiago Silva headline UFC on Fuel TV 2 this Saturday, April 14 at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. This marks the UFC's first time in Sweden and the pressure is on Gustafsson to impress in front of his countrymen. Luke Thomas and the crew at Fight Metric have taken a look at the fights of both Gustafsson and Silva. They show that Silva has the edge standing: Silva's got Gustafsson beat in the stand-up department: - Silva blocks 65% of strikes thrown at him to Gustafsson's 48%. The numbers favor Silva in the other direction, too. Silva is accurate 52% of the time striking, while Gustafsson only finds the mark 40% of the time. - Per minute, Gustafsson absorbs more strikes than Silva: 1.93 vs. 1.72. - Silva is more effective at landing strikes despite having a 2.5 inch shorter reach than Gustafsson. Per minute, Silva lands 3.3 times to Gustafsson's 2.98. The statistics say Gustafsson's best chance is on the ground: A basic look at the numbers tell us the Swede has some slight advantages, but nothing he can majorly lean on. He's more aggressive with submissions (he averages 2.63 attempts over the course of a 15-minute fight compared to .89 for Silva) and is remarkably good at defending against takedowns: he's stopped 14 of 16 attempts and while a 88% defensive rate isn't MMA's best, it's on pace to be at or very near the top. UFC light heavyweight champion Jones has a perfect 100% takedown defense rate, but that's only against 12 attempts. Related Posts Video: Thiago Silva KO's Keith Jardine But Silva's real achilles heel comes down to his limited ability to control position: When Silva faced Machida, the former light heavyweight champion was able to control Silva's position for 2:27 of the 4:59 of fight time. In the Evans fight, it was 7:14 of 15 minutes. Between those two fights, Silva was held in a disadvantageous position for approximately 48.5% of the time. In all of Silva's other UFC fights, he was positionally controlled for only 7.5% of the time. It should be noted that last figure is true of virtually every fighter, but what the data demonstrates is that it's significantly more difficult for Silva to win when he's placed and held in bad positions. Gustafsson will have his work cut out for him to control Silva but its a far better strategy than trying to slug it out with the dangerous Brazilian knock out artist. More SBN coverage of UFC on Fuel TV 2

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, silva, gustafsson

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

As the long drought in UFC events comes to a close next weekend, MMA fans will be treated to a thoroughly intriguing event in UFC on FUEL TV 2. This is notable for two reasons, not least of which is that this marks the UFC's debut event in Sweden. The most important consideration, though, is what the main event between Alexander Gustafsson and Thiago Silva will tell us about the future of the light heavyweight division. Gustafsson enters this bout regarded by some as the next great UFC light heavyweight. The Swede has demonstrated a growing aptitude for the game and increasingly defeated better opposition, seemingly with growing ease. He doesn't appear ready for the Jon Jones end of the division just yet, but this upcoming fight will tell us what sort of trajectory he's really on. Silva, a perpetual tough task in the light heavyweight division, returns after a year-long suspension tied to steroid use. He also took the time to recover from a nagging back injury. No one should count Silva out, but it's incontestable that the eyes and expectations of the MMA world are on Gustafsson. Despite the attention, Gustafsson still has much to prove to make good on the promise that's been foisted on him. Against Silva, the data suggests he's going to have his work cut out for him, but there could be one shortcut. If you're thinking striking is the answer for Gustafsson to defeat the ferocious Brazilian, think again. It's true Gustafsson's stand-up has looked increasingly better. And he recently finished off light heavyweight fixture Vladimir Matyushenko in less than a minute with complete ease, although striking's never been Matyushenko's strong suit. But if the numbers tell us anything, they do not tell us Gustafsson is a better striker than Silva. In virtually every measurable respect, Silva's got Gustafsson beat in the stand-up department: Silva blocks 65% of strikes thrown at him to Gustafsson's 48%. The numbers favor Silva in the other direction, too. Silva is accurate 52% of the time striking, while Gustafsson only finds the mark 40% of the time. Per minute, Gustafsson absorbs more strikes than Silva: 1.93 vs. 1.72. Silva is more effective at landing strikes despite having a 2.5 inch shorter reach than Gustafsson. Per minute, Silva lands 3.3 times to Gustafsson's 2.98. This isn't to say Gustafsson can't win standing. If there is anything notable of his game, it's the exponential speed at which he seems to be improving. It's also true Silva might have a bit of ring rust from the layoff. Still, Silva's turned in far more effective striking performances thus far in his UFC career according to all available data. That leaves the wrestling and ground game for Gustafsson to utilize, right? Maybe, but it's no guarantee. A basic look at the numbers tell us the Swede has some slight advantages, but nothing he can majorly lean on. He's more aggressive with submissions (he averages 2.63 attempts over the course of a 15-minute fight compared to .89 for Silva) and is remarkably good at defending against takedowns: he's stopped 14 of 16 attempts and while a 88% defensive rate isn't MMA's best, it's on pace to be at or very near the top. UFC light heavyweight champion Jones has a perfect 100% takedown defense rate, but that's only against 12 attempts. Despite being a jiu-jitsu black belt, is Silva really going to take Gustafsson down? Unlikely. He's not particularly proficient at it and as aforementioned, Gustafsson is good at defending them. And Gustafsson isn't much better at takedowns than Silva. Taking this all into account, Gustafsson doesn't have much room to work with. If he's only got a marginal advantage grappling and a clear disadvantage striking, where can he win this bout? In turns out there is a commonality in Silva's two total UFC losses. Yes, he lost to Lyoto Machida striking and Rashad Evans was able to use wrestling to stifle the American Top Team talent. However, it is the in-between space - positional control standing or the ground - where Silva has shown a true Achilles Heel. For the purposes of this argument and the data, positional control is defined as time spent on one's back or being pressed against the fence. When Silva faced Machida, the former light heavyweight champion was able to control Silva's position for 2:27 of the 4:59 of fight time. In the Evans fight, it was 7:14 of 15 minutes. Between those two fights, Silva was held in a disadvantageous position for approximately 48.5% of the time. In all of Silva's other UFC fights, he was positionally controlled for only 7.5% of the time. It should be noted that last figure is true of virtually every fighter, but what the data demonstrates is that it's significantly more difficult for Silva to win when he's placed and held in bad positions. Why? Two reasons. First, Silva isn't exactly a rhythm striker in the traditional Thai boxing sense, but he does feed off momentum. As he's given time to open up, he's largely able to be effective and to continuously build on that success en route to wins or stoppages. If he is constantly forced to reset, however, he is significantly less potent as a striker. He needs time and few interruptions to be all he can be. This was evident in the Evans bout. Even when he's not being controlled, Silva naturally worries about the takedown or bad positioning that could come his way if the opponent has been effective in establishing that early in the fight. It's a natural and understandable response to effective aggression and positional control, but a clear deficiency in his game nonetheless. Second, time held is time lost. As I mentioned earlier, Silva isn't exactly submission hungry. He's got OK takedown defense, but if he's held he's largely content or unable to do much about the position problem. The time in which he's controlled adds up for his opposition. Is Gustafsson up to the challenge now that the blueprint is clear? Not so fast. The Swede has well-rounded talents, but he's only controlled position for 23.2% of his UFC fight time against previous opposition. That's not bad exactly, but it's not the overwhelming percentage employed that seems necessary for success by Machida or Evans. There isn't one way to defeat Silva or any fighter for that matter, but it will be interesting to see if Gustafsson tries to follow the road map of positional control. Unless his abilities have taken a demonstrable step up since we've last seen him, standing toe-to-toe with Silva seems like a very dubious strategy. He's got to keep Silva contained before anything else is really possible. Gustafsson's got talent. No one can or would deny it. But he's under the weight of great expectations, too. Like any top and surging prospect, there's both reason for optimism and expectations that have to managed about potential upside. On Saturday, we'll know if he'll join two previous light heavyweight champions as the only men to defeat Silva or if we've been too quick to anoint him the next big thing. All quantitative data provided by FightMetric.

Posted in: ufc, time, silva, gustafsson, he

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Remember, you can submit your questions to: BloodyElbowMailbag@Gmail.com Question from OurBovinePublic: Dana always claims he makes the fight that fans want to see. We stayed up all last night plastering him on twitter with requests to make the JDS-Mark Hunt fight but he has ignored all of us so far. Do you think the fans can really have an influence on him so will he just make the fights that he wants i.e. Frank Mir. I get that Hunt doesn't have a great record and that Mir is ahead of him in the queue but why not have Mir fight Cain in a number 1 contender match so he has a chance to get the next shot anyway and capitalize on Hunt's popularity and current momentum? #RallyForMarkHunt I don't know that more fans actually want to see Mark Hunt than Frank Mir. There's just a vocal part of the hardcore fanbase that really wants to see the Cinderella story that would be a Mark Hunt title shot. Mir is still the option that would sell the most tickets, which makes him the obvious choice to replace Overeem. The truth remains that Hunt is still a guy who lost to Sean McCorkle less than two years ago. He has some work to do to really be in a spot to get a title shot, let alone a title shot when the much more well known Mir is available and coming off an incredible win over a former title holder in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. All that said, the idea of Hunt getting a title shot is kind of crazy and could be a lot of fun. It'd likely be a short and violent affair and Hunt does have the proverbial "puncher's chance." Does he have a better chance of knocking out Junior dos Santos than Mir has of submitting him? I don't know. The whole situation kind of reminds me of when Hasim Rahman had proven to be, at best, on the fringes of the top 10 (Hunt currently sits ranked #13), lost to Oleg Maskaev and rebounded by winning three fights over fringe-level opponents (Cheick Kongo playing the Corrie Sanders role of hard hitting non-challenger) and somehow earned a title shot against Lennox Lewis only to land the shocking KO as a more than 20-to-1 underdog. You just never know what can happen when a heavyweight with power is given his shot. Question from HaterSlayer: Alistar almost doomed the New Years card with his drug drama and he followed that up by blowing one of the biggest fights of the year. So do you think Alistar will be released from Zuffa again if his B sample comes back positive? Given the tone Dana White took when addressing the situation, I'm pretty confident that Overeem will be cut. He cost a huge fight and his ratio being 14:1 is pretty inexcusable. The doubt that would surround Overeem going forward given his physique is going to make him a very hard sell in the future. There are also massive doubts cast over every accomplishment in his heavyweight career. Where Cristiane Santos may be able to come back to Strikeforce because of a lack of depth and names in women's MMA, there are plenty of heavyweights in the UFC sea and, as such, it's probably for the best to cut loose a man who tested positive here and cost the promotion a major title shot after the situation before the Lesnar fight. Also, unlike Chael Sonnen's badly failed test, that failure came after Sonnen lost the fight so it had little to no impact on anything. Also, Chael had the whole "testosterone replacement" thing which, legitimate or not, is at least some sort of excuse. Overeem has spent so much time bragging about being clean that he can't use that excuse. If he tries he is going to be blasted for not disclosing it with all the scrutiny he's been under for his U.S. career. Question for Anton Tabuena from WARISTOTLE: My question is, how long do you think it would be before there is a true-blue Filipino fighter in the UFC? I always thought Folayang was going to be that guy, and in my opinion he was only a couple of notable wins away before the Ole Laursen fight. Filipino MMA was looking real good just a couple of months ago, and now it seems to have hit a bump in the road with the losses of Eduard, Belingon and Banario. Anton: Thanks for the question. There are lots of up-and-comers in the country, so despite those setbacks you mentioned, I think it's only going to take a couple of years, if not earlier. When talking about candidates for a UFC move in the near future though, contrary to popular belief, I actually think that his teammate, Kevin Belingon, has a much better chance. Lightweight is just such a stacked division that making it to the UFC is a longer and harder road, so Eduard Folayang would've had a much more difficult time. Belingon on the other hand, was reportedly already being scouted by Zuffa a while back, and had he won that fight against Imanari, who is still ranked in the top 20 at bantamweight, he would've obviously been ready then. But as you already know, Kevin got a bit too aggressive and it got him caught on that crazy chain of leg lock submissions. Even after fights where he dominates though, Belingon still looks much better each and every time. He's still very young, and he's constantly improving, so I think having this first loss against a guy that experienced can be very beneficial for his career. Also, regardless of the outcome of that fight, I think Team Lakay was already planning on making him drop back down to flyweight. He wouldn't have much of a size and strength disadvantage, and he also has a much better chance of making it to the UFC in that division. If he can cut down properly and win a few key bouts, he can expect a lot of interesting phone calls. Question from Andy Anderson: What is wrong with Bellator? I know this is a huge question but they are like that friend you have that has a lot of potential but they never put it all together. Bellator is on a bit of a roll as far as having really entertaining shows so far this season, but the way they handle titles and the strict adherence to the tournament format as the only possible way to challenge for a belt is always going to hold them back. You've got champions either kept on the shelf for a crazy amount of time or fighting in meaningless non-title fights. Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler is a rematch that every MMA fan wanted to see, but we have to have Alvarez fight Shinya Aoki (in a still kind of important/legitimate rematch) and know that Alvarez vs. Chandler probably can't happen under the rules of Bellator for at least a year. If Eric Prindle's hand remains an issue, we'll probably see Cole Konrad sit idle for close to a year. Chandler is being forced into a farce of a non-title fight against Akihiro Gono which isn't going to do anything for his profile. They may lose Hector Lombard without giving him fully compelling fights during his run, instead throwing stiffs at him while only defending his title once. It'd probably be a better idea to do away with the idea of having champions beyond the tournament. Just keep putting the tournament winners back in the tournament to try to run through the field again. Saying Lombard won multiple tournament championships is a hell of a lot more impressive than saying he fought nobody ex-NFL players and defended his title one time. The already solid lightweight tournament could have Alvarez and Chandler in instead of Rene Nazare and Ricardo Tirloni and be much more appealing than using Chandler against Gono. They just aren't doing things that I think are going to help them grow long-term. Question for KJ Gould from Pankration Philosopher: How did you get into catch wrestling? How is the catch wrestling community up there in the UK? I am aware of Jake Shannon, Tony Cecchine, and other catch wrestlers in America, but in your opinion, what is the overall state of catch wrestling in the world? I would love to one day have catch wrestling as popular as BJJ. Thank you for time. KJ: My first experience with Catch Wrestling was pretty inadvertent. About 13 years ago I was taking part in a Jeet Kune Do concepts martial art, and it was primarily a kick boxing hybrid with Filipino Knife and Stick based martial arts thrown in. The only grappling arts really around at the time was Judo, and grappling within what I did was pretty basic. I got to go to a Sifu Richard Bustillo seminar, and Bustillo is one of the old school guys like Guru Dan Inosanto. The seminar was obviously in JKD, and Bustillo specialised in Muay Thai and Filipino Martial Arts, and we got to do some grappling based on BJJ and Catch As Catch Can. The Catch element was possible from Gene LeBell, but also the late Larry Hartsell who was a great American Jeet Kune Do guy that focused on the grappling arts. It was also around this time my family got web access through dial up, and just looking online for videos following the UFC where I could, I found some videos on a website that featured Muay Thai, BJJ and some no gi instructionals, and the no gi stuff was Erik Paulson video clips from the late 1990s. His videos on leglocks kept me awake at night as my brain went into overdrive! Since then my interest only really resurfaced in the last few years through information and communities online such as the Sherdog grappling forum. Catch Wrestling in the UK is making a comeback now that Coach Roy Wood and Andrea Wood have brought back the 'Snake Pit' catch wrestling training to Wigan, but there have also been other guys plucking away at it for years such as Ian Bromley, Tommey Heyes, Jack Mountford etc. The Snake Pit are putting on intensive seminars throughout the year, and are planning to stage competitions as well I believe. The world of Catch Wrestling though is pretty fragmented and has been for years. A lot of it is too many egos competing instead of working with each other, plus lineages are harder to verify compared to BJJ where there's a better documented 'family tree'. Sometimes a great coach doesn't need to have a lineage to be able to teach Catch well, but you have to be wary of any coach that claims a lineage he can't verify just to bolster their 'credibility'. For instance, the late Karl Gotch only ever endorsed one man to coach his style of Catch Wrestling, and that was Yoshiaki Fujiwara. Anyone else claiming to teach the 'Gotch Style', or claims endorsement by Gotch is unfortunately out their to con you. You do now currently have guys still around like Billy Wicks, Dick Cardinal, Billy Robinson and Roy Wood who will endorse guys, and in some cases like Billy Robinson will document down to the hour how much time on the mat you've spent under his direct supervision as a means of quality assurance. You also have a lot of no gi gyms appearing to teach Catch Wrestling, when it's just Submission Grappling using 'Catch' as a current buzzword. In my opinion, Catch really needs an oversight like an IJF or IBJJF, or even recognition from something like FILA as a legitimate wrestling style, and as a sport that includes pins and submissions as well as generally longer time limits to differentiate itself from the generic no gi submission grappling style. Consistency and structure are key for Catch's survival in its own right, rather than just being absorbed and assimilated into other arts as it has been.

Posted in: fight, time, title, question, year

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

So you want to run a fight gym, huh? You want the glamorous life of an MMA trainer. You want to drop thousands of dollars on wall-to-wall mats, punching bags of all shapes and sizes, a full-size boxing ring and MMA cage, all so you can spend your days breathing in that stale smell of damp leather and other people’s feet. You want to worry about mold in the vents and staph infection on the mats. Want to go through miles of athletic tape and buckets of disinfectant. Want to hear that sharp dinging of the round timer in your sleep. Want to spend the better part of your waking hours around the kind of people who essentially saw a sign that read, ‘Get Punched in the Face Here!’ and couldn’t pull over fast enough. Really? You’re sure this is the life you want for yourself? Okay, but you’ve got some decisions to make. For starters, you need to decide exactly how you’re going to make enough money to keep the lights on. Because you can be an honest-to-goodness, blood-on-the-floor and belts-on-the-wall fight gym, or you can be a glorified Tae Bo studio that caters to hobbyists who want to lose weight and learn a little self-defense they hope they’ll never have to use. There’s a whole spectrum in between, but the first thing you need to know is that it’s not easy to serve the real fighters and the casuals at the same time. Some might even say it’s impossible, or at least impossible to do well. Others might say that you better think of something that doesn’t include depending on professional fighters to pay your bills. Even when they mean well, so many of them are struggling just to pay their own.Working stiffs have money. The people who sit in a cubicle all day and desperately want to hit someone at night? The people who want to blow off steam in the morning before they get behind the wheel of a delivery truck all afternoon? Those people can afford $150 a month on the unlimited plan, or $75 a month for just a few days a week. Even some of the lower-level, but still competitive fighters with day jobs and big, violent dreams can swing it. You can sign those people up and feel reasonably sure that they’re going to pay you. You get enough of them, you might even start making some real money.You won’t get famous, though. You won’t get the satisfaction of taking a raw talent and molding him into a champion. You won’t get to hang on the cage behind your protege while Bruce Buffer booms out his name on a UFC pay-per-view. You won’t get that high when he wins with the left hook you created for him. You won’t get to smile in the victory posedowns. You won’t get thanked in his post-fight speech. And if no one has heard your name in interviews or seen your face on TV, why do they want to train with you in the first place? What’s so special about your gym?This is the catch-22 for every working fight gym, and the Grudge Training Center is no exception. The up-and-coming pros give you that sense of satisfaction, and the big-timers give you a name. It’s because of guys like Nate Marquardt and Shane Carwin that Grudge can attract new members despite doing almost nothing that could be called advertising. No radio spots. No billboards. No coupons in the Denver Post promising a free month if you sign up now to get in shape for summer. Nothing. Oh, there’s a sandwich board around here somewhere that they can put out on the sidewalk when they think of if, but they usually don’t. That’s because they don’t have to. If you know anything about the MMA scene in Colorado, then you already know Grudge. And the reason you know it is because of the guys who fight on TV, in the UFC, which is also the reason those guys pay no monthly dues at all, according to head trainer Trevor Wittman."Their value, the attention they bring to the gym, that’s enough," says Wittman. "People know, ‘Oh, Brendan Schaub? He trains at Grudge.’"At the same time, Grudge makes certain sacrifices in order to serve its pro fighter clientele. When a guy like Schaub shows up for a 10 a.m. training session with Wittman, he doesn’t want to share the mat with some cardio kickboxing class. He doesn’t want to sign autographs in the locker room or small-talk with a paying member who wants to know, seriously, what Dana White is really like. The gym is his place of business. When he walks through the front door of Grudge and gives Jen Berg that football jock nod of his on his way past the front desk, he is officially at work. He’s got a fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira coming up in August. He doesn’t need some guy with a nine-to-five getting in his way. He needs his own time and space. He needs personal attention from Wittman, and he gets it. In exchange, Wittman gets a walking advertisement for his gym, and a ten percent cut of Schaub's fight purse.Trouble is, there are only so many Schaubs out there, and he can only fight so many times a year. As of June, he’s fought just once in 2011. A ten percent cut of his purse for the UFC 128 bout with Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic comes to just $2,800. He rounded up to $4,000 when he wrote the check, he says, but still, is it worth the tradeoff? Is it worth effectively closing the gym to non-pros all morning and most of the afternoon? Is it worth ignoring the paying members in order to spend time with the non-paying ones? Because those cubicle jockeys who come in here at night, they might hardly ever see Wittman. When they’re learning the jab from one his assistant coaches, he’s at home shadow-boxing across the kitchen floor as he makes dinner for his wife and daughter. What if those members decide they’re not getting the full Grudge treatment, and decide to go somewhere else for their martial arts needs? Forget about winning and losing fights for just a second. How are you supposed to pay your rent from one month to the next? (Grudge fighters ease into a Saturday morning sparring session. Photo by Ben Fowlkes, MMA Fighting)Heading into the summer of 2011, this is the question on Wittman’s mind. His pro fight team is plugging right along, but he’s losing more and more dues-paying members every month, and there aren’t enough new ones walking through the door to make up for it. This leaves Wittman to make some difficult choices. One thing he can do is take time away from the pros to cultivate a relationship with the general population. He can give the average enthusiasts more time and space, and let the pros work with his assistants. But then, he didn’t get into this to be an aerobics instructor. He wants to work with fighters. He wants to be where the real action is. And besides, every head trainer knows how that story ends. You let somebody else handle your fighters often enough, pretty soon it’s someone else in that corner, making that ten percent. Pretty soon the fighter you took from amateurs to the big time is sending you a text message goodbye. Or no goodbye at all. It happens all the time. A trainer has to watch his back.Instead, he could put the squeeze on some of the lower-level pro team members who have been allowed to get a little lax in their payments. But it’s never fun to hassle your friends about money. It leads to uncomfortable situations, such as the one that occurs one Saturday when Wittman’s wife, Christina, who helps run the gym’s front end, is obligated to have an awkward conversation about monthly dues with one Grudge team member and Bellator fighter who looks positively stricken when asked to pay a fee for sparring privileges. It also leads to situations where talented, promising young fighters -- guys who, with some top-notch training and a few lucky breaks, might actually get somewhere -- are told to either sign a gym contract and pay their monthly fee or else find somewhere else to train. And how are you supposed to groom new prospects this way? Computer programmers and middle managers might have $150 a month to spend on gym dues, but a lot of the young men chasing this crazy dream of professional pugilism are doing just enough bar-bouncing or drywall-hanging to get by. They need that money for rent and groceries. If you like their chances to be somebody some day, sure, go ahead and let them ride for free. But then what are you supposed to tell the other guys, like the Bellator fighter? What, you don’t think he’s a worthy investment? And what are you supposed to tell the dues-paying members, who are already subsidizing the careers of some of the people who first attracted them to the gym, whether they realize it or not? The pros are the whole reason they can’t come in and get a workout during their lunch break. Now they’re paying for that privilege, just so they can tell their friends that they use the same heavy bag as these UFC guys?It’s a system with plenty of built-in inequities, and one that every gym struggles with. It’s a unique situation in pro sports. NFL teams don’t share their weight rooms with fans. Major League Baseball teams don’t have to clear off the field to let part-timers get a little batting practice in. But a gym has to make money, and fighters rarely bring in enough of it on their own.On a personal level, Wittman gets by in part thanks to a generous monthly stipend from the Alchemist Management group, which represents him as well as fighters like Schaub, Marquardt, and Eliot Marshall. Officially, the money comes from an endorsement deal with the Alchemist clothing brand, which produces a line of t-shirts that look almost exactly like every other t-shirt brand in the MMA space, and which one almost never sees on anyone except those who are paid to wear them. Wittman also depends on his percentage of fighter purses from the likes of Schaub, Duane Ludwig, Carwin and, of course, Marquardt, who just so happens to have a fight coming up in Pittsburgh at the end of June. Just in time, considering the precarious financial situation. (Nate Marquardt chats with Trevor Wittman and Fareed Samad after a workout. Photo by Ben Fowlkes, MMA Fighting)For Marquardt, this is shaping up to be a career turning point. After his decision win over Dan Miller at UFC 128 in New Jersey, he announced he’d be dropping to welterweight. That meant, at least temporarily, that he’d be setting aside his hopes for a rematch with UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva, who beat him back in 2007. But Marquardt was already a relatively small middleweight who’d had possibly the easiest weight cut of his career before the Miller fight. It was his pal, UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, who suggested he consider a move down in weight. Before the UFC would sign off on such a move, however, they wanted an assurance from Marquardt. The UFC wanted to know that, if the situation called for it, he’d be willing to face his friend and occasional training partner for the 170-pound strap. The last thing the UFC needed was another contender who refused to fight a teammate and thus made matchmaking even more of a headache. Marquardt could make the move, the UFC told him, but only if he’d promise upfront to fight GSP if and when the time came."I basically called Georges and told him that’s what they were saying," Marquardt explains after one Saturday morning sparring session at Grudge. "He told me, ‘Don’t worry about it. Say whatever you have to say.’"According to Marquardt, GSP said he planned to be retired or in a new weight class himself by the time such a fight might materialized, so there was no real risk that they’d actually have to fight some day."So I basically had to tell the UFC, ‘Okay, I’ll fight Georges St-Pierre,'" he says.For his first fight at welterweight, Marquardt says he volunteered to step up and take an injured Jon Fitch’s spot against B.J. Penn. When that fight didn’t materialize, the UFC offered him Anthony Johnson, who he’d trained with when they were both filming the MMA movie Warrior. He’d fought guys he’d trained with before, but that was different. That was mostly when he was competing in Japan’s Pancrase organization, and there you knew you’d probably end up fighting your training partners eventually, so you could be careful about what to show them and what to keep under wraps in the gym."Training with Anthony, he was in a different weight class so I didn’t even think about it," he says. "Hanging out with the guy over the five weeks, it’s kind of weird. He’s a cool guy. I like him a lot."Still, business is business. You can’t be friends with everybody, and if he’s willing to take the fight then he must not be overwhelmed by fellow-feeling. As it turned out, it wouldn’t even matter in the end. Johnson would pull out with an injury weeks before the fight, and Rick Story would step up as a replacement opponent for Marquardt. Problem solved. Sort of.For Marquardt, the weeks following his victory in New Jersey aren’t just about dropping weight and training for the next fight. Instead, they’re about testosterone. Specifically, they’re about proving to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that he truly needs the testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT) he’s been undergoing since August of 2010.It’s all part of a complicated dance that’s been happening behind the scenes since February of 2011, when Marquardt first alerted the New Jersey commission to the fact that he was undergoing TRT. He applied for a therapeutic-use exemption -- in other words, official permission to use testosterone to bring what his doctor said were chronically low hormone levels to within a "normal" range -- on Feb. 11, according to NJSABC counsel Nick Lembo. But the New Jersey commission was skeptical at first. In part because Marquardt had begun the treatment with his personal physician, who was not a board-certified endocrinologist, and in part because his initial application for a TUE was deemed "incomplete," the New Jersey commission laid out a series of requests that Marquardt had to agree to in order to be licensed for the fight against Miller.For starters, he had to see an actual endocrinologist, and undergo tests both before the fight and on fight night to ensure that he was within acceptable hormone levels. He also had to go off the TRT for two months following the fight, during which he would be tested several more times in order to establish baseline testosterone levels and determine whether he was truly in need of the TRT. Up to this point, things had gone relatively well. Marquardt had met the New Jersey commission’s requirements and passed all the tests. Though his testosterone use was no great secret inside the gym -- and though Wittman was no fan of it -- it was far from public knowledge. He seemed on course to quietly put the New Jersey situation to rest and move on to his next fight in Pennsylvania. But now there’s a problem. After more than two months off TRT, Marquardt starts to feel "even worse than I did the year before," as he will later say in an interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. It’s exactly what many experts warn of with hormone-replacement therapy. Testosterone might not have the side effects that other substances do, but as anti-doping pioneer Dr. Don Catlin says, when you begin taking it, "you take it for life." After being on it for several months, getting off of it in order to satisfy an athletic commission can take a physical toll.And yet, Marquardt doesn’t look like a man depleted during this TRT-free period. During one sparring session, he keeps trying to get Wittman to watch his rounds and give him feedback, but Wittman keeps getting pulled in several directions at once. Marquardt doesn’t seem to feel he’s getting the attention he needs, and his sparring partner, Vinny Lopez, feels the brunt of his frustrations."Sorry about that," Wittman tells Lopez afterward. Lopez, a heavily-tattooed, gregarious middleweight who’s loved by all inside the Grudge gym, just smiles and shrugs. After all, you could do a lot worse than to get beat up by Marquardt. (Marquardt [right] spars with Vinny Lopez as Wittman looks on. Photo by Ben Fowlkes, MMA Fighting)With about three weeks to go until the Story fight in Pittsburgh, Marquardt is cleared to resume TRT treatments. But instead of going to an endocrinologist who would use World Anti-Doping Agency protocol in treating him, Marquardt goes back to his personal physician, the man who helped him get started on testosterone in the first place, and whose expertise the New Jersey commission had been wary of. Because Marquardt has gone so long without TRT as a condition of the New Jersey licensing issue, this doctor recommends a more "aggressive" treatment to get his levels back up in time for the fight, according to Marquardt.Instead of pills this time, it’s injections. Three of them. All administered by a doctor who is not a board-certified endocrinologist. In hindsight, it’s the kind of thing that seems like such an obviously bad idea, you wonder what anyone was thinking. At the time, however, no one sounds any alarms. It’s not until a blood test reveals high testosterone levels that Marquardt and his management team begin to sweat. That’s when their focus turns to Pittsburgh, to the Story fight, to all the things they need to do to keep this potential crisis contained. Little do they know that their worst-case scenario is about to become a reality.*****If you ask Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission executive director Greg Sirb now, he’ll tell you that his commission doesn’t do therapeutic-use exemptions (TUEs) for testosterone."It won’t happen in PA," he says when, well after the Marquardt episode, I ask him about the protocol for getting a TUE in his state. "There is no such thing."That is to say, there is no such thing in the usual sense. The Pennsylvania commission doesn’t give TUEs, according to Sirb, which also means it doesn’t require or even accept applications for them. Even if the Pennsylvania commission finds out that a fighter has been using testosterone during his training camp -- even if it is told by another commission that this same fighter applied for a TUE there -- it doesn’t matter in the state of Pennsylvania, according to Sirb."As long as he came in underneath what we consider the normal range, he’s fine," Sirb says. "He’d have to come in under the normal range. That means he’d have to be off of it, depending on how much he’s taking, but at least a week [before the fight]."Here’s where the careful reader might ask, what about the weeks before that? What about a month out from the fight, when the hard training is taking place? What about the fighter who is using testosterone that he doesn’t necessarily need, simply to recover faster from those grueling days in the gym? Does he just get a pass?The answer seems to be: pretty much, yeah. As long as he’s stopped using it in time for his levels to come back down to the upper limit of what the PSAC medical board has determined as a "normal range," he can fight. That might be baffling from a regulation standpoint -- Sirb himself admits that testosterone use is a "very, very tough issue for commissions," even if the PSAC has decided to do very little to regulate it -- but it also makes Pennsylvania one of the best states in the union for a fighter like Marquardt to compete in. All he has to do is get his levels down to normal in time for the pre-fight drug test -- something he managed to do in New Jersey with no trouble -- and he gets the green light. In the days leading up to the Story bout on June 26, Marquardt and his team have reason to be optimistic.Though his testosterone levels were high in a blood test earlier that month, once the team is in Pennsylvania for the fight those levels begin to come down in a hurry, according to several sources."We were looking at the numbers and making our own little graphs in our minds, plotting the points and looking at where he’d be by when, and we were like, man, he’s got it," says Kelly Crigger, the staff publicist for the Alchemist Management team at the time. "No problem."Even Wittman, who up to this point has remained mostly in the dark about the details of Marquardt’s testosterone use, is amazed at how quickly the levels change in subsequent blood tests throughout fight week."Seeing how fast those numbers came down really made me think," he’ll say later.Even Sirb, who says he heard from the New Jersey commission about Marquardt’s testosterone use "probably a few weeks before the event" (other reports say it was more like the week of the event), admits he thought it wouldn’t be an issue by the time of the final test on the day of the weigh-ins."I think everybody was pretty confident," says Sirb. "I think something all parties learned was that his levels were definitely coming down, according to the levels we were getting, but he was also cutting weight. When he stopped drinking fluids and he’s trying to cut weight, I think the levels stopped coming down as fast."The Alchemist crew isn’t content to leave something this important to chance. Marquardt’s levels still need to come down, since this is a situation where getting close to the mark doesn’t help. According to Crigger, this is when Alchemist takes a holistic approach to solving the problem."They had me running all over town to get anything they could find, like in Google searches and online, that was supposed to bring down testosterone," says Crigger. "I was running back and forth to the grocery store. It was Brazil nuts and coconut water and almond milk -- all these homeopathic cures for high testosterone."At the same time, this is still Marquardt’s first fight at welterweight in the UFC. Back when he was a small middleweight, maybe he would have had the luxury of some almond milk in the days before the weigh-in. But this is something he hasn’t factored into his weight-cut regimen."I take all this [expletive] to Nate’s room, and he hasn’t opened the first item," says Crigger. "Like, if Brazil nuts bring your levels down, you’d think he’d be chawing on them like there’s no tomorrow. He hadn’t even opened the pack. Coconut water and almond milk and all this stuff I bring back, he hadn’t even touched."To make matters worse, the team has to keep going back and forth from the hotel to the hospital for blood tests, and all in downtown Pittsburgh traffic. It’s an added fight week stress that nobody needs. As the day of the weigh-ins approaches, it’s clear that this is going to be a tight. Marquardt’s wife and kids are there. So are his sponsors. The whole Alchemist team is in crisis mode, and CEO MC Hammer is flying in for this."To [Alchemist manager] Lex [McMahon’s] credit, he was cool under pressure," says Crigger. "There was a lot going on, and he was handling it, staying cool."The day of the weigh-ins, McMahon is calling for test results every few minutes. The lab is working on it, they say. The final numbers -- the ones that will determine whether Marquardt gets to fight or not -- aren’t in yet. Hold please.Back at the hotel, Marquardt waits to hear his fate and tries to keep going about his normal pre-fight preparations. As Crigger and McMahon are driving to the hospital one more time, McMahon gets the email on his phone. It is not good news. The levels are too high. Still too much testosterone. It’s a no-go. (Lex McMahon consoles Marquardt backstage at the UFC on Versus 4 weigh-ins. Photo courtesy of Kelly Crigger)McMahon doesn’t want Marquardt to hear it over the phone. Better to do it in person. At the weigh-ins at Heinz Field later that afternoon, the Marquardt team and Pennsylvania commission officials all come together with the UFC. Something has to be done. The PSAC isn’t budging from its standard. The number (which no one will reveal, citing medical privacy laws) remains the number. Marquardt is still above it, and this all that matters as far as the state of Pennsylvania is concerned."Like a good manager should, [McMahon] tried everything he could to get Nate to fight," says Crigger. "I mean, everything. Sirb said no. [McMahon] even went to the doctor who was doing the medical checks for all the fighters and said, ‘Hey, what do you think of these testosterone levels?’ This doctor was like...‘That’s nothing. I deal with professional football players whose testosterone is triple that.’ I was like, first of all, really? Are they rhinos? But still, suddenly there was hope."That hope is quickly dashed by Sirb and the Pennsylvania commission. They’d set their number and Marquardt missed. He’s out. No fight for him. That means no paycheck. That means no ten percent for Wittman. That means angry sponsors. That means confused and disappointed fans. That means the uncomfortable questions are only just beginning, and he still has to face the UFC president.Oh, God. Dana White. What’s he going to say? Backstage at the weigh-ins, Marquardt and McMahon wait to find out. The day before, when Crigger and Marquardt discussed the possibility that he might be pulled from the bout, the fighter was "shaking and in tears." Now he seems numb, like it hasn’t completely sunk in. What will they tell the fans? Exactly how mad is White going to be?McMahon tries to keep everyone calm as they wait to find out. Maybe he can still talk his way out of this. Then there he is, the UFC president, and he’s on his way over here. Does he look pleased? He does not. The team braces itself and waits. This is going to be bad. That much they can tell just from looking at White. What they don’t know yet is how bad. What they can’t possibly know is just how much things are about to change.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, fighter, marquardt

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

In the bible, Goliath was an antagonistic and menacing warrior whose size and strength induced fear who single-handedly put a war of nations at a standstill. MMA’s “Goliath” is the towering Neil Grove who shares few other characteristics to with his biblical equivalent outside of similar size and nickname.  The friendly South African now lives in Great Britain and, while appearing on some of the world’s largest stages, has never fought outside Europe.North America in his six-year career.  This weekend, Grove meets Todd Duffee in the main event at the second installment of India’s Super Fight League.  The sold out event takes place in the Northern Indian city of Chandigarh and not only serves as Grove’s promotional debut but is his first trip to the country.  Fighters.com recently had a chance to sit down with Grove to discuss the bout where he spoke about his excitement to be playing such a large role in the new promotion in addition to a handful of other topics. “I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for any fighter to be a part of something as big as the SFL”  Grove stated in the exclusive conversation.  “They’ve spent a lot of money and as you saw from the first show it went pretty well.  A couple of little mistakes were made, but for the first time out, I thought it was a very good show.” “Their first event sold out in a couple of weeks, and in this show they’ve got myself, Duffee, Paul Kelly and Alexander Shlemenko. With a couple of really high profile fighters, it will be even more exciting to watch.  I’m looking forward to meeting everybody, and hopefully playing a big part of MMA in India,” Grove continued. The bout will also allow Grove to finally put on the hat of a fighter, one he has not worn in months since his stumble to Thiago Silva at Bellator 56.  Since the loss, he has patiently awaited the next call while balancing work life, family,  and a couple of opportunities to be a ringside interviewer.  It will nearly have been six months since his last fight by the time Grove steps into SFL’s O-Zone (the nickname for their cage), though the time off certainly hasn’t been spent sitting idly by rather than staying active in the gym. “To get ready for my next fight, my striking coach Steve Gladstone at Semtex gym has been helping me with my guard,” explained Grove.  “In my last fight, I dropped my guard slightly and I got caught.  In all of these fights as well, I’d been leaning backwards a lot and using my height and reach advantage to help me get out of harm’s way.  He’s changed that a bit for me, and he also has been helping me with my takedown defense. It’s been helping make things hard for the wrestlers to take me down.  It’s been good, and I trained all of last year to improve my wrestling ability, but I’ve been also been training on my strength, which is my striking.” In addition to the improvements to his ground game, Grove spoke about his fast-paced, hard-hitting style that has brought home 100% of his career victories by way of knockout. “To me, a fight is not a point scoring event.  It’s winning,” stated Grove plainly.  “I take every fight as though it’s my last and as if I’m fighting for my life, so to me it’s that idea of finishing the fight as quick as I can…looking for openings, and I’ve made mistakes in the past.  This next fight’s a bit more clinical.  I may take my time, but whether it takes ten seconds or the whole three rounds, I’ve got to make sure I win this fight. I do prefer to finish a fight, and once you know you’ve hurt your opponent, you’ve got to go in for the kill.  I like to go in for that kill and give the referee no option but to stop the fight.” “I go in with the mindset that I envision myself winning,” Grove elaborated. “There’s nobody out there that’s unbeatable. I think once you start doubting yourself, it’s time to hang your gloves up.  Right now, I feel confident I can go places and beat fighters out there. Duffee, Grove’s opponent at SFL 2 is no stranger to knockouts himself.  Like Grove, all of Duffee’s victories have come that way as well. However, it isn’t of much concern to the seasoned veteran. “The only thing he’s got over and above me is youth,”  said Grove. “I’ve got the height, I’ve got the reach.  He’s muscular and has a fair bit of strength, but all I see, really, is his age” While Duffee’s deal with the SFL appears to be exclusive, Grove is on loan from Bellator for this fight and knows a win will shed a positive light on his year, bringing opportunities with both of the aforementioned promotions. “I’m still under contractor to Bellator, though they’ve ‘released’ me for this fight,” revealed Grove.  “Bellator’s also mentioned to me, and I’m not confirming it, but if I win this next fight I could see myself in the next tournament.  I’ve also been told by the CEO of Super Fight League that win or lose this fight, there’s another one waiting for me here.  Ken Pavia and I have known each other for a long time and he likes the way I fight, so I’ll always have a fight there too. Obviously, I’d like to win every fight I’m in this year, and hopefully at some point, the SFL’s going to want to pick a champion at every weight class and figure out which heavyweights are in line for that opportunity.  I’d like to win another championship.” Grove took a moment during the interview to reflect upon facets of the Super Fight League as a business.  With only the Indian Premier League cricket season as its other main sports export, Grove spoke of how its purpose could contribute to a little bit more than just another night of fights to the Indian population. “Like in South Africa where I was brought up, there’s a lot of things developing in India and lots of money being spent,” said Grove.  “It’s still a fairly ‘new’ nation and getting to go in and be a part of this is fantastic.  I hope MMA, like with cricket, will bring opportunity to people in the area.  It’s just going to make things so much better.” In closing, Grove admitted, however, that there was one thing he didn’t know well about the Super Fight League – the words to its cult-hit theme song. “I haven’t memorized it,” Grove laughed. “I’ve heard it a couple times and it sounds pretty cool.  I’ve just got a lot of other things on my mind right now.” Super Fight League 2 takes place on Saturday, April 7 2012.  In addition to Grove and Duffee, SFL 2 will also feature Kelly, Shlemenko, Ikuhisa Minowa,  Ryan Healy, and Colleen Schneider.  The event will be broadcast live on YouTube and will commence at approximately 8:30 AM EST. Tweet

Posted in: fight, time, grove, sfl, duffee

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Tim Kennedy Role-Playing as Katy Perry? Check.If you need some tape on me. This is a good place to start. Visualize having to punch me in that wig @rockholdMMA  Watch Tim as Katy Perry   -Tim Kennedy ‏@TimKennedyMMA after being in India for a few days your actually starting to look good lol #SadTruth  -Luke Rockhold ‏ TUF Guys & Their Prankshttp://twitvid.com/TUO41 - Had the waitress trade out @urijahfaber's green tea ice cream with wasabi. Hilarious reaction!! #JustTheTempura  -TJ Dillashaw ‏ Still training hard and enjoying my time in the house. hope all is well on the outside. And for those who support me thanks!  -John Cofer ‏ What's up all my new followers?! I decided this June I'm buying a surfboard n getin sick at surfing!.. Whose coming with me? #longisland  -Al Iaquinta ‏ About to hit up the TUF weigh ins, lets go @MikeMav22 #TeamFaber @ufc @InsideTUF http://pic.twitter.com/ggnvbtqc  -Urijah Faber ‏ .@samsulicatuf is an habitual line stepper @ufc @InsideTUF  @TheDomin8r @ericdelfierro  -Myles Jury ‏ Things are going great here! Missing my family and friends alot, but this is a experience of a life time so its worth it! God bless to all!  -James Vick ‏ just did a funny ass skit with the team and cruz. should be up on http://ultimatefighter.com in a day or two. it was hard to keep a straight face  -Jeremy Larsen ‏ Do what has to be done, When it has to be done, As well as it can be done, Do it that way all the time. :)  -Mike Rio ‏ .@badboytickle not 2 happy bout the sprints this a.m!...n I dnt care! Ha http://lockerz.com/s/198742233   -Dominick Cruz ‏ Nathan Diaz: Now One Shade More Dangerousjust want to say congrats and a long time waiting to @NateDiaz209 for getting his BLACK BELT. keep up the good work buddy.  -Nam Phan ‏ Congrats homie!!! Well deserved Black belt... @NateDiaz209  -Gilbert Melendez ‏Who Doesn’t!?I think I need a monkey sidekick.  -Dan Hardy ‏ Super Samoan Ready to KO TwitterDam the army is getting bigger 2000 lol  -Mark Hunt ‏ @markhunt1974 hey welcome to twitter buddy!  -Tony Ferguson ‏ Bam Bam’s Refined TasteIm falling in love with the European style of espresso. 2 shots and lil steamed milk is serious. #internationallyknown  -Patrick Healy ‏ Public Service Announcement from Nik LentzFact: Mac and Cheese is to be ate with a spoon and bowl  -Nik Lentz  ‏Danny Castillo Presents “Adventures of Master Thong”Master Thong caused an evacuation on the 3rd floor. He went to hold pads for Faber & Palmer but forgot his food in the oven."All black smoke. Black everything, you kno. Beep beep beep alarm, so loud. I tell lady, im sorry you kno." -Master Thong   -Danny Castillo ‏ Jon Jones: Cover ModelBehind The Scenes Of My @UFC Magazine Cover Shoot: http://youtu.be/Pjgx1opBgao  -Jon Bones Jones ‏ Forrest invented Parkour, Bro!Parcore my ass! I was doing that s--t when it was called horsing around and you got in trouble for doing it on the grocery store isle  -Forrest Griffin ‏ I Believe the Correct Term is Snotty SpringIs it just me or is it booger season for everybody? -Jason Mayhem Miller ‏

Posted in: time, tim, beep, doesn ’ti, parkour broparcore

Read the full article at UFC

It was about one month ago when Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall fought a match that was supposed to send the winner to a championship bout. Because the match was contested under a tournament format, the UFC had thought to add an unprecedented clause providing for an overtime-style fourth round in case of a draw. Despite seemingly having all their bases covered, the UFC was robbed of a victor that night due to simple math error that led to an incorrect decision. By the time the mistake was discovered, it was too late to correct. Instead of fighting an overtime round, Johnson and McCall will have to rematch. The mistake angered many, with UFC president Dana White memorably asking commissions to "get a f---ing calculator." According to one athletic commission, that blunder would have never happened on their watch. Why? Because they are already utilizing a new scoring application that takes human error out of the equation wherever possible, and they are hoping to spread the technology throughout both MMA and boxing. The new system, tentatively named "Ringside Scoring," was created by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation in Connecticut. It is essentially an electronic application that replaces the longtime standard paper and pencil.Each judge is given a wireless, touch-screen pad that can only be unlocked by a personal code. During an event, a commission rep will have control of the mainframe, which will display the current bout on each pad. Readouts will include photos of the respective fighters in the blue and red corners, while extra identifying information including shorts colors can be added as well. At the conclusion of a round, judges will be prompted to enter their score, and asked to verify it a second time before transmitting. The mainframe computer then tabulates scores round by round.According to the department's director Michael Mazzulli, the Mohegan tribe, which has patented and copyrighted the system, originally conceived the design about four years ago with the goal of "moving boxing and MMA into the 21st century."The program was written by information technology specialist Michael Spellman in 6-8 months, and the tribe has quietly used for events ever since, making changes and addressing issues along the way. But after tinkering with it for three years, it's reached maturity, according to Mazzulli."I'm 99.9 percent confident that this is going to always work," he said. "We've always had paper backup, but I'm at the point today where I don't think we need paper backup. We'll always have it because it's easy, but this is a great system." During last year's Association of Boxing Commissions meeting, Mazzulli demonstrated it for several in attendance. At that time, even though reception was strong, the system was not quite ready to be spread around. Now it is. They'll soon demonstrate it to other Native American athletic commissions.One prospective issue in spreading the technology is cost. According to Mazzulli, the hardware and computer costs between $3,800-$4,000, but the tribe is discussing ways to make it more affordable or to lease it."We’re not looking to make money," said Mohegan Tribe information systems chief information officer Chuck Scharnagle. "There aren’t thousands of commissions to sell it to. This is just an opportunity for Mohegan to help spread its brand and help boxing and MMA."Because of the time they've spent developing the system, it has safeguards in place for security and has been designed for ease of use in scoring. When it comes to the latter, things like point deductions have been integrated, while the administrator in charge of the main computer can view scoring in real time for any inconsistencies. [Safeguards in place ensure accuracy with the Mohegan Tribe's "Ringside Scoring" system. Photo by Michael Spellman]"There’s no real way to interfere with the judges’ cards, but we can watch for impropriety," Spellman said. "If we have two judges scoring the bout 10-9, 10-9, 10-9, and one judge is scoring it 9-10, 9-10, 9-10, we have the opportunity to walk up to him between rounds and say, ‘Is everything going OK?’ just to make sure everything is on the up and up." When a fight concludes, the scores are automatically tabulated, or in the instance of a finish, the mainframe administrator can choose from a list of stoppage methods, including KO, TKO and over 45 submission varieties including little-seen ones like the Twister, Peruvian necktie and Electric Chair.The computerized aspect would allow for accurate results far faster than the current system, and because it was designed to be intuitive, a tutorial for new users would likely only take minutes. Given the sports' young demographic, a future version may include some type of interactive element, as well, according to the creators.The one downside? It's still up to the judges to interpret what they see and then key in a score. But at least we wouldn't have to worry about them being tabulated incorrectly. It's only happened a few times in MMA history, but given the rising stakes of high-level MMA, it shouldn't happen at all."The bottom line is, paper and pencil are cheaper and easier in some respects, but at the end of the day, these things are getting to be bigger and bigger events," Scharnagle said. "You don’t want a mistake over one point. Something like this prevents that from happening. The scores are in right away. There's no handwriting to figure out. Everything flows faster than it normally would."

Posted in: time, round, score, system, tribe

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Mark Coleman gets a bit emotional talking about that time the internet declared him worst dad ever for bringing his kids into the ring after his second fight with Fedor: "It was a tough night because I took a lot of criticism from a lot of fans and a lot of professionals, claiming that I traumatized my daughters. At the time, being a dad was the most important thing to me. I just remember very clearly, I don't mind losing, I just don't wanna hurt my kids. You know? To turn around and see my kids right there I had to immediately turn into a father." If daddy beats the hell out of mommy in front of his daughters there'd be psychiatrist bills or stripper jobs in their future. But what about daddy getting beaten up by another dude for money? Where does that stand on the f*cking-your-kids-up-o-meter? Nobody knows, and in that regard Coleman took a courageous step forward in expanding our understanding of child / trauma reactions. Here's his daughter 6 years later discussing the event:  "It was just kind of a moment from being thrown in so fast. Everyone thinks it's his fault, but I would have found out about it sooner or later. So, it's honestly not his fault at all. It was honestly the time of my life because it was so fun out there. So I honestly don't regret that at all. Like it was a sad moment, but it was a great moment in time too. Just knowing he fought one of the best fighters in the world. Fedor Emelianenko? He's crazy, he's what's up." That poor child. She's clearly so damaged that her mental state is trapped in 2006, where Fedor is still what's up.

Posted in: time, daughter, psychiatrist bills, fckingyourkidsupometer nobody, regard coleman

Read the full article at Fightlinker

If you were aliving on the planet earth during the early 90's its virtually impossible for you to not be familiar with the name Deion Sanders. Sanders was and still is one of the most talented dynamic athletes of our time. Sanders was a multi sport athlete in college playing football, basebal and running track. Professionally he is one of the few people to play more than one sport at a time. He played both baseball and football professionally for many years. He remains the only athlete to have played in both the World Series and the Super Bowl. So Deion didn't just play these sports, he all out wrecked shop in these sports. Apparently, Ben Askren thinks he is kind of like the MMA version of Neon Deion Sanders. In the days leading up to Askren's next fight, versus Douglas Lima for the Bellator Welterweight championship title, he he talked to USATODAY about his own multi sport athletic abilities. Askren is a professional level wrestler, mma fighter and this summer he plans on adding professional disc golf player to his sporting resume. You're still doing disc golf, correct? That is correct. Actually, I'm sponsored by Discraft, who is a disc golf producer, and I got to stop by their factory today and pick up some brand-new discs, so it was a really good day. When are the amateur world championships this year? It's in July, but I'm actually going to go pro in the next tournament, so I will no longer be competing in the amateur worlds. So you'll be a pro in two sports. And wrestling also. (laughs). So three. I'm like being Neon Deion back in the '90s. What sort of aspirations do you realistically have as a professional disc golfer? I don't really have any high aspirations, unless somehow, some way, I make enough money in MMA that I don't have to do anything for the rest of my life and I can focus on being a great disc golfer. It sounds like you're saying you'll be content as long as you're competitive in disc golf. Yeah. I mean, it's hard being great at something unless you can dedicate a lot of your time to it. Between training twice a day for mixed martial arts and helping out the wrestling academy and getting my wrestling camps going — I, unfortunately, don't have enough time to put the time necessary to be an extremely good disc golfer. I could see Askren as a disc golfer. There's a disc golf course near my house and everyone that hangs out over there has hair like Ben and smells like they bathed in patchouli and moth balls. The rest of them don't appear to be quite as athletic as Ben though. He's probably the only disc golf player that can pick up a man and toss him to the canvas just as easily as he can toss a frisbee into a target. You can watch him do at least one of the sports he is a pro at this Friday night at Bellator 64 when he defends his welterweight title against a dangerous Douglas Lima. [source]

Posted in: time, sport, disc, golf, deion

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Four hours of sleep is enough. Even if it's not, it will have to do. That's all he can spare now with another long day ahead, which will stretch to almost 18 hours by the time it’s done. That's all he needs. Anyway, sleep isn't necessary when you run on coffee and adrenaline.It's 7 am in Uncasville, Connecticut, and Bjorn Rebney is ready to start his day, just four hours after the last one ended. So if you want to be technical about it, he truly started his day in a town car, on a long ride which started in Manhattan's urban sprawl and ended up in… Where exactly is this, anyway? If you were simply looking at a map, it seems an unlikely place for a sporting event. As one of Rebney's crew members will later point out, they're 40 miles from anywhere. As you near Mohegan Sun, the destination rises up to meet you. The three-winged main structure is 34 stories high and from a distance, looks as though it was carved out of quartz crystal. It is the second largest casino in the world, just behind its Foxwoods neighbor, 10 miles east. The state of Connecticut doesn't regulate mixed martial arts or allow gambling, but on sovereign Native American land within a tiny village in this tiny state, both are thriving. The simple rural setting is deceptive. It fits as a perfect metaphor for the promotion, which like the tucked-away casino, is bigger than almost anyone realizes. Bellator recently sold a majority stake to media giant Viacom, but for now, it remains hidden away on MTV2 before its move to Spike in 2013. That's a game-changer that will provide the promotion its densest exposure. But that's all in the future. *******Rebney has never been afraid of a little competition, a little contact. He was a good enough football player in his youth to attend Ohio University on an athletic scholarship. There, he won two varsity letters while playing fullback. In a team that was heavy on I-formation offense, that meant Rebney -- who is 6-foot-3 and then weighed 240 pounds -- spent a lot of time smashing into other people."I liked the fact that I was right in the middle of all of the impact of the game," he said. "It was fun."Aside from the sport he's involved with, it's not much different today. Nearly every decision to do with television or arena production runs through him. From the time he walks into the Mohegan Sun Arena at 11 am until the time he leaves the front door almost 14 hours later, that's a handful. By 1 pm, he's moving through various seating sections, listening to the sound on the fighter promos as though he was a paying fan. Is the music drowning out the voices? Is Karl Amoussou understandable through his French accent? Suddenly, something catches his eye. "Why does Zoila have a line across her face?" he suddenly asks, confounding the audio engineer standing in front of him. Everyone glances up to where Rebney's looking. Every Bellator champion is represented with a banner hanging from a truss, and sure enough, there is a crease crossing the banner of women's champion Zoila Gurgel, moving diagonally across her face. It's something you would probably look right at without seeing, but to Rebney, it's plain as day.One of his crew members volunteers to address it, saying that he eventually needs to buy a steam iron to tote from town to town.By now, the arena crew has been hard at work for hours, since just before Rebney was waking up. The cage is set, the lighting is being tested, and a DJ is setting up equipment. Bellator's grinding weekly schedule has made it all fairly routine.For Rebney, event week starts on Monday, when he flies out from Chicago. Unlike UFC boss Dana White, Rebney flies commercial, making his schedule susceptible to the same random delays faced by any traveler. Each week during the season, he spends roughly 48-hour stretches at home before taking off for Bellator's next destination. Back Saturday afternoon, gone on Monday, like clockwork.That means a lot of time away from his wife, Huma Gruaz, a high-powered executive in the marketing and public relations world, as well as their two children Jonathan, 17, and Celine, 15. Some weekends when his wife is traveling, they won't see each other at all. If they're both in town, Saturday night is date night, with the two sparring over genre. While Huma prefers art house fare, Bjorn likes comedies and action-thrillers. On a good night, their interests intersect, like the time they both laughed all night watching "Superbad."******On fight day, Rebney wears a path between the arena's floor and its bowels, which house a series of semi-trucks, five of which are decorated with Bellator imagery. Part of the traveling road show of 65-70 production and operations employees along with the many other local workers enlisted as support staff are milling around or inside the trucks in a kind of organized chaos that ensues before every event. [Bjorn Rebney makes one of his frequent visits to the production truck. Photo by Mike Chiappetta, MMA Fighting]This is all a recent upgrade for Bellator, which three years ago, basically just carted around its cage and one production truck, or as Rebney refers to it, "silly putty, paper-mache, and some balsa wood."The improvements are part of the Viacom deal, a move that vindicated Rebney's long-held vision for Bellator. He had in the past worked in the boxing industry and had watched the first stages of the UFC's growth with interest. Pouring most of his own money into the startup and going in without a safety net, Rebney moved forward with creating a business plan.By then, organizations like the IFL and EliteXC had already sprung up, and because they were public companies, Rebney was able to look over their numbers and see the mistakes they had made. That was good and bad. On one hand, he could learn from their errors; on the other, their failures were spectacular enough to make investors gun-shy.Over a 16-month span, Rebney flew all over the U.S., pitching 61 investment groups in an effort to raise capital. It was no small commitment, as he was looking for an eight-figure number. Time after time, the answer he heard was not the one he was looking for. The 62nd try came in a phone meeting. The firm, Plainfield Asset Management, had previously been approached by both the IFL and EliteXC to save their sinking ships, and partly because of their familiarity with MMA, they connected with Rebney's plan. He was cut him off midway through his pitch and asked how quickly he could get to New York. He was on a red-eye that night, and a deal soon followed."One of the coolest things about my job now is I would say something like 15 percent of those people who rejected my pitch have gotten back in touch with me and said, 'I blew it,'" he said.******Just after 3 pm, announcers Jimmy Smith and Sean Wheelock rehearse the show's opening while Rebney watches from the production truck. After so many shows, you might guess everything would flow perfectly, but Smith begins breaking down the wrong fighter, thrown off by the placement on a graphic. "We always highlight the guy on the left first," he says. Then, when he's told it will be fixed, he pretends he's a diva, adding, "I'll be in the trailer with my bowl of green M&M's."The line draws a laugh from the crew. Generally, the mood is energetic, like they realize they are still building towards something bigger. It's not exactly a dress rehearsal for the move to Spike, but it's something like it. Neither is there any real rivalry with the UFC, but you can't deny a bit of tension boiling under the surface, like when Spike executive producer Scott Fishman reminds a graphics designer that "MMA Uncensored Live" co-host Nate Quarry, who will help with color commentary during the broadcast, should be referred to as "former MMA fighter," not "former UFC fighter." [Rebney takes a breather from pre-production to conduct a phone interview. Photo by Mike Chiappetta, MMA Fighting] By the time 4:30 rolls around, rehearsal has been completed, the arena audio sound has been approved, and Zoila Frausto's banner has been lowered, ironed and re-lifted to hang over the cage alongside her male counterparts. For the next hour, Rebney takes his only break before showtime to take care of other matters. He returns to his hotel room to call his wife and say hello, he makes a few business calls, and he changes into his trademark black suit and black dress shirt, a look he says that is borne out of simplifying the packing process."I go on the road for six days, I got six black suits, six black shirts. It's so simple." Then, as if he just thought of it, he mentions that "there's some blood in our game, so light colors don't work so well."Rebney watches the first two undercard fights cageside, then goes to the production truck, electing to keep an eye on the time. The next undercard bout get finished in a blink, as top welterweight prospect Andrey Koreshkov needs just 86 seconds to KO Tiawan Howard. That ensures another swing bout will air before the main card begins, much to the delight of those in the truck worried about the show’s timing."It’s not good for the guy fighting Koreshkov, but it’s good for us," Rebney says.Later, the unbeaten 21-year-old Russian visits the production truck to take a photo with Rebney, looking awed by the expensive equipment. Rebney explains that he is from a small, poor city. Someone else suggests he was suffering a case of nerves prior to the fight. He shows Koreshkov and his interpreter some of the setup, but five minutes later, he's on the move again, back at cageside. But that only lasts for minutes. He wants to watch the TV opening, so two minutes before Bellator 63 goes on the MTV2 airwaves, he's back in the truck, wishing his crew a good show.This time, the photo on the graphic is correct, Smith nails the opening, and a satisfied Rebney returns to his seat in front of the cage to watch the main card opener with Ben Saunders against Raul Amaya. Saunders is a huge favorite, but try as he might, he can't put Amaya away. By the time it's over, Amaya's left eye is almost completely swollen shut, and he's escaped from countless submissions. Despite losing, the effort is courageous.In the next fight, David Rickels makes his promotional debut with a 22-second knockout of Jordan Smith. Afterward, Rebney is told that Koreshkov's taped fight will air, so he takes advantage of a nine-minute break to visit Amaya. He wants to pat him on the back and commend him on the gutsy performance, but when he enters the locker room, Amaya's corner tells Rebney he's in the shower. Rebney shrugs. Instead, he finds Rickels, who happens to be sharing the same locker room with Amaya. Rebney congratulates him and shakes his hand."Do more of that," he says. Rickels smiles and nods, as if 22-second knockouts are just that simple.Rebney will have the exact opposite reaction at the next match between Bryan Baker and Carlos Alexandre Pereira, which is marked by periods of inactivity and smatters of boos from the 4,000 in attendance. Between the second and third rounds, Rebney, sitting next to Bellator president Tim Danaher at cageside, shakes his head."Somebody needs to do something," he says to no one in particular. But the third begins the same way as the previous two, and with less than two minutes left, Rebney gets up from his seat to attend to other business.Rebney wants a big finish from the main event, and he gets it. Amoussou, who has recently given up his full-time police work to concentrate on fighting, slices Chris Lozano open with a head kick and then submits him with a rear naked choke in just 2:05. Still noticing the small details, Rebney sees Amoussou limping on his way out of the cage.On a yellow legal pad, he writes in the welterweight semifinal matchups: "Amoussou-Rickels, Saunders-Baker." Then he gets up to head to the back, where Amoussou is getting a quick look-over from a commission physician."I feel great," Amoussou says to both the doctor and Rebney, before anyone can even ask."Thank you for closing out the show," Rebney says back. He asks about the limp, and Amoussou laughs it off, saying he twisted his leg celebrating, but is fine.Standing nearby, matchmaker Sam Caplan breathes a sigh of relief. On the way out of the locker room, Caplan and Rebney shake their heads at Amoussou's domination."That's what he did to me in sparring, but I didn't think he'd do it to another pro fighter," Caplan says. Bellator produces two more matches after the televised main event, but at this point, the real pressure is off. At 10:27 pm, Rebney yawns for the first time all day. The press conference is still to come, and a series of one-on-one interviews are to follow. By the time he leaves the arena, it's 12:45 am.Just a few steps out the door, he runs into color commentator Smith and undercard fighter Dan Cramer, who is still hanging around despite fighting and winning five hours ago. They briefly chat before parting ways. Before he heads back to his hotel room, he'll meet up with his TV partners to talk about the night. Then, he'll go to his room, put on CNN and see what the rest of the world has been doing for the last 17 hours."You do get closed in," he says. "I can tell you anything you want to know about arena lighting and fighters and licensing music, but I don't know what's going on in Syria."Fight day is over, and he'll be home soon enough. If he's lucky, he'll see his wife, spend some time with his kids, and begin the cycle all over again. If it's a kind of Groundhog Day, it's the best kind."I'm living the dream," he says. "To live in this world that once only existed as a concept in your head… How many people get to do that?"Everyone else around the casino is thinking about winning big, but the man in black doesn't gamble. He doesn't need to. Instead, he walks off, swallowed up by the lights and noise and dreamers. The adrenaline may have worn off, but sleep isn't yet in his near future. Who needs sleep anyway? Not him. Not with so much to do. Not with so much ahead. Forty miles from anywhere, Bjorn Rebney has Bellator right where it's supposed to be.

Posted in: bellator, time, day, rebney, he

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

It's good to be "King." Well, most of the time, anyway. In recent days, the crown has laid heavy on the head of former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal. On top of suffering a nearly life-threatening staph infection in his knee, Lawal was also suspended for a positive drug test for anabolic steroids. The plot grew even thicker within the past week when Lawal appeared before the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to defend himself against the charges. During the hearing, Lawal was asked by NSAC Commissioner Pat Lundvall if he "speaks English," a question that incensed and offended the former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler. Lawal went so far as to blast Lundvall and the Commission, calling her a "racist bitch" on Twitter: @KingMoFH: "I honestly feel like Lundvall was a racist b---- asking me if I can read or speak english. Go on somewhere with that bulls--- b**ch!!!" Lundvall appeared on HDNet's "Inside MMA," yesterday (April 2, 2012), to discuss the hearing and explain her reasoning behind asking her now infamous line of questioning: "I was not upset, and I never considered it to be derogatory. What I was doing was laying the classic or standard foundation for the gentleman to make sure that he understood the form that he was signing, that it was designed to be a truthful statement and that the information he was supposed to put on the form was supposed to be true and correct." According to Lundvall, the loaded question wasn't personal. In fact, it's one that she asks on a regular basis with athletes who have been in similar predicaments: "From my perspective, I've used that standard line of questioning for each and every athlete that has come before us, when their candor on their pre-fight questionnaire has been an issue. On occasion, we do have fighters that come before us, that have indicated their trainers or maybe someone who was with them at the time or a manager has filled out the form -- that they don't read English, that they don't understand English, which maybe a second or a third language for them. What we try to do is to ensure that, if we're going to be taking that into account, that they do understand what it is that they're signing and that they have read it." It ended up being too little, too late (as most fans now know that Lawal was cut by Zuffa immediately after his comments), but "King Mo" did make a statement, apologizing to Lundvall and the NSAC. According to Lundvall, the apology is news to her: "Well, number one: Mr. Lawal has not contacted me. But, if he did, I would take his call, and I very much would be happy to hear from him. To the extent that you have now informed me of something, I was not aware that he had expressed an apology. I'm thankful that he has, and I wish him the very best and was so happy also to learn in that you just reported that the staph infection in his knee has cleared up." At this point in time, it's unknown exactly what will become of Lawal and his career. Rumors have swirled as to where he will end up, but only time will tell where the truth lies. In the meantime, MMAmania.com will keep you updated on the situation as news becomes available.

Posted in: time, king, lawal, nsac commissioner, lundvall

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Old friends and familiar foes, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez and former 155-pound kingpin, Josh Thomson, will collide for the third and likely final time at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on May 19, 2012. The mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion tonight (April 2, 2012) announced that the rubbermatch will serve as the co main event of the evening, which is scheduled to air on SHOWTIME with a 10 p.m. ET start time. Melendez has ripped through the competition since his loss to "Punk" in their initial encounter way back in 2008, stringing together six consecutive victories and establishing himself as one of the top-ranked fighters in the division in the world. After his most recent win over Jorge Masvidal, a unanimous decision, "El Nino" lobbied for a move to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which undoubtedly has stiffer competition and more big-money fights. In fact, UFC President Dana White declared not too long ago that Melendez would see this inside of the Octagon "as soon as possible." Perhaps a win over Thomson, the last real meaningful fight remaining for him under the Strikeforce banner, will finally do the trick. Thomson, meanwhile, has been plagued with various injuries over the years, which have seemingly prevented him from achieving his full potential. He was not 100 percent when he dropped a decision to Melendez in their rematch in Dec. 2009 and has struggled to regain top form ever since. Nonetheless, he has won three of four fights since that time, including an impressive performance his last time out against K.J. Noons just last month, which ended with a decision in his favor. With such a quick turnaround time between fights, perhaps Thomson's injury issues are resolved once and for all and the outcome of the defining trilogy fight with Melendez will be asterisk-free. The main event of this Strikeforce show will feature a showdown between Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier, which is the final fight of the promotion's Heavyweight grand prix. In addition, a clash between former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion Rafael Cavalcante vs. Mike Kyle and a Welterweight tilt between Bobby Voelker vs. Nah-Shon Burrell are also on tap. For all the Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" news be sure to check out our complete event archive right here.

Posted in: fight, time, strikeforce, vs, melendez

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Last night was an evening more than a year in the making thanks to the headlining bout between The Rock and John Cena at Wrestlemania 28. However, it could be argued the show was truly had a generation of work behind the build considering the absolute brilliance of HHH’s epic encounter with The Undertaker. Regardless of what bout stood out to you the most, the event was certainly one of the most memorable Wrestlemanias on record. Just not always for the right reasons. To get the ugly out of the way first, having Daniel Bryan lose to Sheamus in less than twenty seconds was a shameful opening to the card, almost like getting a hair in the first bite of what is expected to be a gourmet meal. There’s certainly nothing wrong with letting Sheamus shine with a title in tow but to take the Royal Rumblewinner and have him blast a longstanding champion in such a fashion was a poor decision and resonated as such with fans who chanted Bryan’s name numerous times throughout longer bouts less-deserving of the time. The two of them should have been given time to work or at least set up shenanigans featuring John Laurinaitis giving Bryan an immediate rematch later in the show after interfering in the GM bout. Also downright bad were the backstage segments promoting The Deadliest Catch and Flo-Rida. It’s the year’s biggest show yet each of those could easily go on next week’s edition of WWE’s Are You Serious and fit in perfectly alongside the other comical offerings they dig up. On to the better, Kane-Randy Orton and Big Show-Cody Rhodes were both serviceable scraps. They had some solid spots and unexpected results, at least in terms of Orton’s loss to Kane. Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy was decent, though the storyline between Zack Ryder and Eve Torres has run its course. Were fans really supposed to believe she was going to wear the proverbial white hat for the bout after being a “bad girl” an hour prior during the Divas’ tag-team affair? Speaking of which, all of the Divas looked beautiful and I was particularly impressed by Kelly Kelly’s somersault off the top rope. It should have been the match’s finishing move but alas they had to promote Maria Menounos. CM Punk’s collision with Chris Jericho was very entertaining without question. Both men are some of the best workers in the business and showed flashes of brilliance at times. Punk taking a suplex overt the top rope onto the floor still stands out for me as the “holy sh*t” moment of the night, so that’s at least saying something, plus I loved that he let Jericho lock in the rarely seen old school Walls of Jericho for a bit. Their exchange of grappling at the end was also a thing of beauty. Cena vs. Rock was what it was. Both men looked good and kept things going as best as possible. It’s hard to fault either, though the cynic in me didn’t buy that Cena would make a mistake as obvious as mocking Rock before finishing him off. Hopefully it’s something he addresses tonight on RAW as though it’s eating at him to have acted in a cocky way and blown the biggest fight of his career because of it. Finally, I can think of a ton of adjectives for descriptive use in terms of the classic between HHH-Undertaker and all of them are positive. Their bout, made better by Shawn Michaels’ presence both in terms of the emotion he showed throughout as well as his decision to Super-Kick Taker, was a back-and-forth war between two icons. Each absorbed damage as indicated by a number of bruises/welts but kept on trucking until the end. Without question this match was the highlight of the show and one any fan should rush out to watch. WWE Superstars Discuss Meaning of Wrestlemania at Press Conference All in all, I enjoyed Wrestlemania 28 minus a few instances of questionable judgment. It was four hours full of entertainment and memories that will last a lifetime. PHOTO CREDIT – WWE Tweet

Posted in: time, show, bout, bryan, wrestlemania

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans gets his change to get his title back on April 21st at UFC 145, but he'll have to go through former training partner Jon Jones to get it. In the second of a series of blogs on Yahoo Sports, Rashad discusses his long layoff last year due to injury and how hard it was on him: But the time off wasn’t a good time for me, I can’t say it was. The frustration of being the No. 1 contender since May 2010 and seeing other fighters – including the guy I beat (Rampage Jackson) – getting opportunities when I earned my title shot was pretty bad. It was frustrating. Very frustrating. I had a very hard time in my personal life too, going through a divorce, so I was having things not go my way professionally and personally at the same time. My injury wasn’t healing like I wanted it to, and it wasn’t a great time. But during that time I learned the true strength I have as a fighter and a person. I never felt sorry for myself, I never threw tantrum or was like, "Why me? Why all at once?" I realized I had a lot going for me in life. I realized I’d had a lot of luck and opportunities, and a lot of guys out there have it far, far worse. Yeah, I didn’t have exactly what I wanted in life right there, right then, but as soon as I got fit I’d had every opportunity to get my belt. He also briefly discusses his former coach Greg Jackson and his new team in Florida, Imperial Athletics, before moving onto Jones: Yeah, Jon has gotten better since he was that skinny kid in the gym I used to spar. But he’s not changed as a fighter. He’s improved, but he’s still the same fighter and just as importantly, he’s the same kid who has had it all his own way and thinks he is the best thing since Muhammad Ali. When it comes down to it, I’m already sick of talking and thinking about him. There’s a lot of emotions involved with this fight, which is motivation in training but also it is something that can drain your mental energy. I’ve been through these fights before. Michael Bisping and I went at it and the (smack talk) got so back we nearly fought at the weigh-ins. And I went back and forth with Rampage for months, talking smack and making it personal … so I know how to play this game. I don’t think Jon does. We did a TV show in Atlanta, and he was very uncomfortable in his own skin. He knows what I know about him. He knows. On April 21, the whole world will know, too. Does Rashad have a mental edge because he knows how to "play the game"? I firmly believe that the mental part of fighting is absolutely vital for success, but I'm not so sure that some smack talk is going to give him an advantage in the cage. As he said though, we'll find out on April 21st in Atlanta. You can catch his first blog here, by the way. SBN coverage of UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans

Posted in: ufc, time, fighter, lot, hersquo

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

"I was going to respond earlier than this, but I first wanted to get the chance to watch my fight from last night in order to verify that I looked as bad as I thought I did. So I just got the chance to watch it, and I didn't look nearly as bad as I thought. I looked worse. Way, way, worse. I don't know what the hell that shit was supposed to be, nor do I have any explanation, excuses, theories or anything else. I can promise all you guys, my fans and haters alike, that the next time you see me embarrass myself in an MMA cage, will be the last time. I embarrassed myself in the Struve fight so badly that I thought I could never top it. Last night was worse times ten. I have absolutely no explanation for my cardio problems. I don't know if it's a physical problem, psychological problem, a diet or a training problem. I do know that I have struggled with cardiovascular endurance my entire athletic career. Even during high school basketball. I can't figure it out. I was coming off back to back training camps when I fought Stefan Struve that had lasted a literal 23 weeks. That's almost 6 months straight 6 days a week of intense cardiovascular training. And I gassed in 90 seconds. All of that said, I will admit 100% like an idiot, despite Tom Erikson's constant pleading to me to never take any fight for granted, I underestimated Brian Heden. I watched 2 of his fights, looked at who he'd fought and beat/lost to and thought 'If I couldn't beat this guy while I was drunk, I need to quit fighting.' And I couldn't beat him sober. I came in about 20 lbs heavier than I should have. I resorted to throwing hay makers 2 minutes in, because I was worried about how it would look if I didn't finish him in the first round. I was completely spent halfway through the first. I'm not going to be like everyone else and make excuses. I have none. All due respect to Brian because he showed up in decent shape, and showed a lot of balls hanging in there when the going got rough in the first round, but he's not on my level, skill wise, athletically, or any other area of MMA except cardio. It doesn't matter how nice or fast your car is, if there's no gas in the tank. The next time I gas in a fight and lose because of it, I will retire. End of story. I will not continue to embarrass myself, my family, my coaches, my training partners, or the promotion that is paying me to fight ever again." Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Sean McCorkle resurfaces on The Underground to take his lumps after what he calls an "embarrassing" performance last Saturday night at the Worldwide Mixed Martial Arts (WMMA) event from the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. "Big Sexy," who was on a six-fight win streak since his ZUFFA release, was worn down by the leg-kick attack of Brian Heden, who took advantage of McCorkle's suspect cardio en route to a technical knockout victory in round two. Corky promises to come back and redeem himself in his next fight -- and retire if he can't. Time will tell. For more on his most recent fight and to see how the rest of the WMMA card unfolded click here.

Posted in: fight, time, training, brian, problem

Read the full article at MMA Mania

ONE Fighting Championship: "War of the Lions" was always going to be a career defining moment for Ole Laursen. The K-1 and Muay Thai veteran was coming off his first mixed martial arts (MMA) loss in eight years and desperately needed to get back to winning ways against fellow Filipino Eduard Folayang. The odds seemed stacked against him, Folayang had only lost once in 12 fights and had won six in a row coming into this contest. He is also seven years younger. And most pundits predicted that Laursen would be unable to live with the relentless pace he sets. They could not have been more wrong. Laursen might have tired too early when he fought Felipe Enomoto at ONE FC: "Battle of Heroes" last month, but this time he played his part in an all action 15-minute war that was deservedly named as the "Fight of the Night" in Singapore on Saturday (March 31, 2012). Folayang has fought five times in Singapore and has a huge fan following and the boos echoed around the stadium when the split decision was announced in Laursen's favor, although in the media section the general consensus was that it was simply too close to call. Afterward, Laursen -- whose face was badly bruised -- admitted that even he didn't know which way the judges would lean. "I was nervous because I think it could have gone either way, I was just hoping it was going to be me and it was my day today. I wanted a war and Eduard gave it to me like I knew he would, he is a true warrior." He was dismissive of the notion that a loss to Folayang would have proved fatal for his fighting career and, win or lose, was not about to contemplate retirement. "You can say it was do or die for me, but I don't even know what that means really because it's not like I was just going to retire if I lost. I love to fight and I don't know what else I would do if I stopped." One of the most surprising aspects of the fight was that Laursen consistently looked for trips and takedowns. And once the fight went to the floor showed no inclination to get to his feet where he could utilize the sort of striking with which he enjoyed considerable success during his K-1 career. It proved a point which he has been trying to make for quite some time, that he is much more than just a stand up fighter. "I still like the fact that people think I'm all stand up because I love the ground, that's the truth. I train on the ground every day and I'm always working on my submission skills, that's what we're about, we're not one dimensional at Legacy Gym, we are full on MMA fighters and we have everything incorporated." The owner of Legacy Gym in Ubon Ratchatani, Thailand, Laursen recently returned to the Philippines to set up a second camp in the holiday resort of Boracay. He trained there in preparation for both his recent ONE FC fights, but believes that there were too many distractions in the build up to his match with Enomoto, "It was a better camp because before the last fight I had some stuff to deal with. This time around I trained good and I had some good guys with me like Kristoff Persson, who just beat a BJJ champion in Bangkok, and both Vaughn Anderson and Froilan Sarenas were with me in Boracay. I had a whole team of good guys with me, everyone at Legacy Gym helps me out." Laursen and teammates training on the beach in Boracay Laursen won his first world title back in 2001, fighting at 155 pounds and is still competing in the same category, but the cut is not getting any easier. He says he took this into consideration coming into this fight and came up with a game plan which would be smarter than the aggressive strategy he employed against Enomoto, "I tried to be more strategical this time because I knew I had some weaknesses with my stamina so I listened to my corner and played my cards right." The debate will rage on as to whether the decision was the right one, but there is no doubt that this was a highly entertaining fight which was extremely fun for the fans. A rematch is already reported to be in the works and Laursen vs Folayang II could well take place on September 1st when ONE FC put on its first card in the Philippines. Laursen was born in Manila and this would be the first time in his career he has ever fought there. He did not want to start speculating about future opponents so soon after emerging from such a brutal war of attrition, but had the following message for the ONE FC matchmakers, "I'll fight anyone, anywhere. I'm a prize fighter, bring forth the prize and I will throw down." Follow James Goyder on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder.

Posted in: fight, time, folayang, fc, laursen

Read the full article at MMA Mania

At first glance UFC middleweight Brian Stann may appear to be somewhat invincible. His jaw is seemingly cut from granite, he’s physically imposing, and his entire adult life has involved collegiate football, the Marines, and now Mixed Martial Arts. However, truly, Stann is as mortal as anyone reading this column. The 31-year old recently revealed exactly how human he is in a blog for FoxSports where Stann explained that the unexpected death of his brother-in-law a few days before Christmas left him shook. It also instilled a new sense of appreciation in him for the gifts he’s been given, the physical kind of which he’ll employ next month as part of the lineup for UFC on Fuel 2. “People lose sight of the fact that life continues when us guys are caught up in the isolation of training camp. Try as we might to focus purely on the fight, you can’t ignore what life is going to throw at you along the way. My wife and I never expected such a tragedy to unfold just before Christmas, but it just goes to show that mixed martial arts is a sport, nothing more, and that family will always conquer all, as far as I’m concerned,” wrote Stann in his latest entry. “Something like this only helps to remind me just why I fight. I am responsible for supporting my family, both emotionally and financially, and Mixed Martial Arts is the way in which I am able to do this. They need my help at a time like this and, thankfully, the UFC has given me an opportunity to provide for them.” As a means of supporting his wife and mother-in-law, who lives with them, Stann decided to hold his camp in the area he hails from rather than traveling to New Mexico to work with Greg Jackson as he normally would. A credit to the team, Jackson and company have still been there to help Stann along the way, reviewing tape while sending pointers and planning to corner him at next month’s event. “It also really put the notion of loss into perspective for me,” Stann elaborated on the untimely passing. “My last professional loss, to Chael Sonnen in October, wasn’t a testing time at all, in retrospect. That was just a defeat. I lost a fight. What could have gone wrong, did go wrong. That was all. Nobody got hurt and there was no irreparable damage. “Unlike the Sonnen loss, the death of my brother-in-law was a genuinely trying situation,” he continued. “I remember the moment I heard the news like it was only yesterday. We were in baggage claim when I got the call. It was our first time home in Pennsylvania, where we planned to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our families. I had to tell my wife the news as we landed in Pennsylvania. There is nothing worse than watching the woman you love be completely devastated and heartbroken by a piece of news you’ve delivered to her. It was one of the lowest points of my life.” As foreign as the last few months may have felt to Stann, that doesn’t mean opponent Alessio Sakara should expect a beaten individual to step inside the Octagon. Rather, Stann is as motivated as he’s ever been and poised to honor the memory of his beloved family member. A lot of people would use an tragedy like this as a potential excuse if they were then unable to perform to their best come fight night. But I can assure everybody reading this, as well as my opponent, Alessio Sakara, that I will be more than ready come April 14. There will be nothing else in the world that I would rather do on that night than step into the Octagon and fight,” Stann explained. “Adversity is always what truly defines people, and last Christmas was the most testing time for my family — for me, my wife, my kids and everybody else. It was as tough a situation as any of us have experienced. In my mind, this fight on April 14 will go some way to memorializing Louie and showing once again that adversity can be overcome with a strong family and positive outlook. In light of everything that’s happened, I’ve never in my life been more determined and motivated to win a fight. This is the absolute worst time to fight me right now.” With a new fire burning inside and limitless potential it appears a new Stann will display his desire and skill-set in Sweden, a frightening prospect for all of his middleweight peers. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: fight, time, life, stann, family

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

http://youtu.be/HOQBVP8TJKg?t=2h40s If you're not already familiar with Joey "CoCo" Diaz via Joe Rogan's podcast, then I just don't know what to say to you.  He's the kind of character that Hunter Thompson would have called "one of God's own prototypes", and a seemingly bottomless well of awesome stories.  Like the time he snuck in Lucy Snorebush's window and "ate her monkey" while on ludes. Rogan's man-child sidekick/producer Redban also does a bunch of other podcasts including "Ice House Chronicles", and on the latest episode Joey related a little tale about the Yakuza showing up to fetch Bob Sapp from the set of "The Longest Yard" remake.  It's kinda hard to believe now, but there was a time when Sapp's fighting career wasn't an utter joke, and 2004 (when this presumably took place) was towards the end of that period.  He was fighting under the K-1 banner instead of Pride at that time, but that's basically the same gangsters anyway, so I guess Joey's story checks out.

Posted in: time, joey, sapp, episode joey, yard remakenbsp

Read the full article at Fightlinker

Donald Sanchez (25-12) is the King of the Cage 145-pound champion and has won ten out of his last twelve fights. Still, in his mind that success is only the beginning. At 27-years of age he feels that he has yet to reach his potential but that when he does he will be one of the best featherweights in the world. Adding to his background, he is from Albuquerque which has produced some top MMA fighters including Carlos Condit and Diego Sanchez and has been fighting since 2005 when the rising star made his debut as a last minute replacement despite never having done any MMA training. Sanchez has a huge fight coming up this Saturday at ONE FC: War of the Lions when he takes on Tatsuya Kawajiri at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.  It will be the biggest show he has ever fought on in his career with at least 7,000 people in attendance and hundreds of thousands more watching around the world on a free stream. He caught up with Fighters.com to talk about how MMA saved him from jail and his thoughts in general on the opportunity at hand this weekend when he fights for ONE FC: Fighters: I heard a rumour you were Diego Sanchez’s brother and you guys look similar. Is that true? Sanchez: I’m not Diego’s brother. We are good friends and we are both from Albuquerque but we’re not brothers. I train just down the street from him though. Why do you think there are so many good MMA fighters from Albuquerque such as yourself, Diego and Carlos Condit? Sanchez: Albuquerque is a rough town so all of us grew up fighting all the time. We live a mile high so it’s good training. There’s a lot of violence there. It’s in the water I guess. I was in a lot of trouble growing up, fighting all the time. It was either go to jail or straighten my life up and I started training and ever since I haven’t been in trouble again. When did you first start learning martial arts and why? Sanchez: I was 21 when I first started doing MMA. I started training just after I had my first daughter. I thought I was a badass and I went to a show to watch a friend fight and they asked me to fight and I just jumped in and I won. It was pro too. I did no training at all. I didn’t even know that at the time it was pro and I don’t have an amateur background. That’s why I have so many pro fights. I won my first few fights. I started training after the first fight but not with the team I am with now. Basically, I just did my own thing, I didn’t have my own trainer I just had friends and we worked out together in a garage but after I got some bigger fights and found I had potential I started training with Tom Vaughn at Fit NHB and I’ve been there ever since How much did winning your KOTC belt back a couple of weeks ago help your confidence? Sanchez: I had my KOTC title fight booked before I got the offer from ONE FC and my mind was set on that fight but there was no way I was going to turn this fight down so I went in there, took care of business, finished it fast. I got the belt and now I have this fight. That fight only lasted about two minutes and I ended up knocking him out so it worked out perfect, I’m always pretty confident but I had lost that belt in the same venue so to get it back by knock out was good. I train my ass off all the time and I have no lack of confidence. Do you think Kawajiri is the best opponent you have ever faced? Sanchez: Hatsu Hioki is probably the best opponent I have faced but Kawajiri is obviously on this level. It’s a coin toss between those two. Kawajiri’s no joke and it’s an honor to fight him and I can’t wait. Are you excited to be fighting for ONE FC for the first time? Sanchez: This is a huge fight. Everyone thinks he is one of the best 145-pounders in the world and I believe I am too so this is my time to prove it.  I want to fight the best in the world because I want to be the best in the world.  Hopefully it will be an exciting fight and I will come out on top, I think my cardio is better than his so I am going to push the pace. I want fans in Asia to see me fight. The more fans I have the better. I’m an exciting fighter and I’m sure that fans will be excited to watch me and hopefully ONE FC will have me back. What are your ambitions as a fighter, are you hoping to fight a few times for ONE FC? Sanchez: I’ve only been training for five or six years, real training anyways, so I may have a lot of fights but I am still learning every day and progressing. I believe I can fight with the top fighters. I only signed for one fight with ONE FC but hopefully I can win and put in a good performance and get more fights. ONE FC: War of the Lions is being streamed live on YouTube completely free of charge. Other featured bouts include those with Melvin Manhoef and Masakazu Imanari. Click here to view the ONE FC YouTube channel. 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 – KOTC Tweet

Posted in: fight, time, sanchez, training, fc

Read the full article at Fighters.com

22-year old welterweight Rory MacDonald has never come off as a boisterous individual, preferring to let his skills do the talking for him as evident in wins over respected veterans such as Nate Diaz and most recently Mike Pyle. However, the one blemish on his 12-1 record appears to still eat at MacDonald to the point the young Canadian has decided to let the world know he wants revenge as soon as possible. “I know exactly how dangerous my next opponent Che Mills may prove to be on April 21, but, at the same time, I’m also planning on beating him within the scheduled distance and then beating Carlos Condit before the end of the year. I’m not looking past Che — I’m just confident, that’s all,” said the typically reserved MacDonald in his blog for SportsNet.CA. MacDonald and Condit met June 2010 where “Ares” nearly outpointed his adversary to pull off a major upset before making a mistake leading to a TKO loss in the last ten seconds of the final frame. Now, with a little more experience under his belt and supreme self-assurance, MacDonald is certain he can wipe the mat with Mills and deliver a much different outcome against Condit than in their first affair. “I’m not bragging, but I would take that same confidence into fights against pretty much all of the welterweight division right now. That is how much faith I have in my ability as a fighter,” explained MacDonald. “Pyle is a seasoned veteran, and a dangerous guy in his own right, but I knew he wasn’t in my league. So long as I show up and perform to the very best of my ability, these guys won’t be able to match me.” In addition to having grown as a Mixed Martial Artist, the 12-1 teammate of welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who acknowledged GSP would likely get first crack at Condit and beat him if close to 100% health-wise, is basing some of his self-belief on the interim title-holder’s performance against Nick Diaz in February. “If they fought me the way they fought each other, it would not be a good night for either of them, I’m certain of that,” criticized MacDonald. “Yes, I know they can improve and I know they have both fought much better in the past, but, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve got to try and show your best each and every time you step into that Octagon. I rate Nick and Carlos highly, but I don’t think they really brought it that night.” “Given our history, I can’t see anything beyond a Condit rematch at this point in time,” he continued on “The Natural Born Killer. “I want that fight more than a title fight right now. Maybe one day it could even be for the full welterweight title, but, as of today, I’m just focusing on beating Mills on April 21 and then getting to Condit as soon as possible. I need that rematch to prove to myself and everybody else that what happened the first time around was a mistake and that I am the better fighter. It has to happen.” The Mills-MacDonald match-up is set for UFC 145. The event is headlined by Jon Jones defending his light heavyweight belt against rival Rashad Evans. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: time, welterweight, macdonald, condit, tko loss

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Fight card, rumored bouts, and start times for One FC 3: War of the Lions on March 31, 2012, in Kallang, Singapore.

Posted in: fight, time, war, fc, lion

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

At the end of the first round Shane Carwin sits down on the stool, takes a deep breath, and waits for his cornermen to do something about all the blood on his face. What a mess. Officially, you get a minute between rounds. In actuality it’s more like ninety seconds from the point where one round ends and the next begins. You’ll probably spend five or six of those seconds just getting to your corner. You’ll spend a few more waiting for your cornermen to get in there and get busy, then you’ll lose the last ten or so when a voice in the darkness shouts ‘Seconds out!’ and they have to yank the stool out from under you and leave you alone again. You’ll spend the last few staring across the cage at the other guy as the referee takes a long look at the both of you before getting out of the way and letting you figure this thing out between yourselves.In the end, you still get about sixty seconds to sit and breathe. Valuable time to think about something other than the big leathery fist that was crushing your nose, your eyes, your whole damn head in the seconds before the horn sounded. Just outside the cage, your boss is in the midst of a standing ovation. The Canadian crowd has stopped its hockey chants long enough to cheer your efforts. Your wife is cageside, covering her face as if she has to force herself not to look. The clock is ticking. Sixty seconds to get it together. Sixty seconds to let the cut man work, to listen to your coach talk about all the things that you should and shouldn’t do. Sixty seconds to come to terms with the colossal difference between what was supposed to happen in the previous five minutes and what just did happen. Sixty seconds to think about how you ended up sitting on this stool on a Saturday night in Vancouver, bleeding out of holes in your face that you definitely did not show up with. Sixty seconds to wonder what the hell is happening. How did you get here, anyway? How did you get here?*****This was not the plan. That’s true in so many different ways. The plan -- the first plan anyway, the one his coaches would later say they never believed for an instant -- was to fight Jon Olav Einemo at UFC 131 in Vancouver. That’s what Carwin signed on for a few months ago, after his neck surgery had proved successful and his 36-year-old body had returned to something resembling its normal state. That’s what he was thinking about as he slowly ramped up his training in the mornings before work.Einemo. Big guy, good jiu-jitsu. Looks tough on tape, but not unbeatable by any means. First time in the UFC, so he might be a little nervous. Training with the Golden Glory guys in Holland, so his kickboxing must be at least good enough to survive from one day to the next over there. Okay. So it’s Einemo. A decent enough choice for his first fight back, even if Carwin’s legion of fans had responded to the booking by asking: who?Before surgery the neck was a constant issue. Sometimes the pain was minor, more of a discomfort than anything else. The C7 nerve made it feel like someone was always pinching him in the back. Other times it was worse. His fingers would go numb, which he knew was a bad sign. Training seemed to only make it worse. While grappling with teammate and best friend Brendan Schaub one day he got dropped to the mat and something felt off."I got up and I couldn’t move pretty much the whole right side of my body, or my right arm and my back. I went in and the doctor said the situation had gotten a lot worse."He weighed some options, but surgery seemed inevitable. Might as well go ahead and get it over with. He was 35 years old when he went under the knife for the third surgery in four years. It worked, and he felt better as a result, but logging that much hospital time has a way of making some middle-aged athletes ponder their futures. How long can your body keep putting up with this stuff? Carwin’s already got one deep scar on the inside of his left arm to remind him of the time he popped a tendon throwing a left hook, then popped it again when it was inside a cast. He’s got a nose that looks straight enough now, but after his whirlwind of a fight with Gabriel Gonzaga in 2009 he showed up to the post-fight press conference with it listing to one side as if pointing the way out. His knee, well, he managed to rehab that without surgery. Now the neck. It’s another long road back to fighting shape."It gets a little harder to come back from injuries and surgeries as you get older," he says one morning after a little one-on-one time with Grudge Training Center head coach Trevor Wittman. "I still want to jump back in there like a 22-year-old." (Shane Carwin warms up before a training session. Photo by Ben Fowlkes, MMA Fighting)The UFC heavyweight is such a welcome sight inside the gym, even his sparring partners briefly forget what a nightmare it can be to get stuck inside the cage with Carwin for three, five-minute rounds. He has that effect on people, a kind of bashful charisma that he can’t quite hide. Like he’s embarrassed to have people look at him, which only makes them want to look at him more. He’s the favorite son. The big kid whose cheeks all the relatives can’t wait to pinch. When Wittman starts in on his list of nicknames for Carwin -- Shania Carwine, Negative Nancy Kerrigan Carwin -- the big man flashes that shy smile. This is how their relationship works. Wittman makes jokes and Carwin grins along, even when the jokes are about him. Eventually he fires back one of his own in that soft, low voice of his, so quiet you have to move in close just to hear what few words he feels like saying today.And the words are few. In part because injuries and surgeries keep him out of action for much of the year, and in part because he prefers to communicate with MMA fans directly, via his Twitter and website, I only get to talk to Carwin a handful of times during my visits to Grudge. If you ask his manager, Jason Genet, to help you secure an interview, you usually get an offer to do one via email. If you don’t like that idea -- and writers typically don’t, since email interviews make follow-up questions difficult, and since you can’t even be truly positive that the fighter himself is the one answering your questions -- you usually get nothing at all. Shane’s very busy, Genet will tell you. It’s not hard to believe, either. With his full-time engineer job in the North Weld County Water District, it’s almost hard to imagine where he finds the time to train. There are people with nine-to-fives and wives and families who will tell you that they can’t even find the time to stay in shape, much less prepare for a pro fight. You look around at the other UFC-level pros in the gym -- guys like Schaub and Eliot Marshall and Nate Marquardt -- and you don’t see too many who are holding down full-time jobs on the side. It makes for an interesting and ubiquitous part of the narrative in any Shane Carwin story, but at times the UFC seems unsure what to make of this fighter who refuses to quit his day job. UFC president Dana White even offered him a sizable (though not life-changing) one-time payment to quit and be all MMA, all the time, but Carwin turned it down. Why would he want to quit his job?"It’s part of who I am," he says. "It’s what makes fighting work for me. It’s what I do when I’m away from fighting. These other guys, I don’t know what they do. They go home, play video games, sit around in their underwear all day – I don’t know. That’s what it sounds like from all the talk they do around the gym. Like hey, rough life. But I’ve got a family to take care of. Engineering provides the base for my family to survive on, it provides benefits. There’s a lot that goes into it. Anything else on top of it is a bonus."But Wittman -- who can’t help but psychoanalyze the lives and motivations of his fighters with the same obsessiveness that he applies to breaking down an opponent’s striking game -- has another theory. The way he sees it, Carwin’s already learned firsthand how quickly this pro athlete bubble can pop. He went through it in football, after his senior season at Western State College in Gunnison, Colo. He was a two-time All-American and even had some scouts talking at the NFL combine. But there were concerns about past injuries. A Division II standout was already something of a risk in the draft. Was he healthy and sturdy enough for the NFL?"I think he felt like, if it can be taken away that easily, it’s not something you can depend on," Wittman says.At the same time, professional cage fighting is not the sort of thing you do as a hobby. Not at the UFC level. Not if you’re going up against guys like Brock Lesnar. If you don’t put in your time during training, it’s a good bet that someone who does view this as his one and only job will do something horrible and memorable to you on live TV. So Carwin is here, in the gym before and after work, doing what he has to do to make sure it’s Einemo who ends up reconsidering his career choices on June 11.But Wittman? He’s not buying this Einemo stuff. No way. He doesn’t see why the UFC would put Carwin in against this newcomer. He suspects something is up, and one thing he’s learned in the fight game is that such suspicions should not be ignored. He doesn’t want to freak Carwin out by telling him to prepare for a change of opponents. And besides, it may be nothing. So he settles for dropping little hints here and there. He casually mentions how, hey, wouldn’t it be crazy if something happened to one of the guys in the UFC 131 main event? What if Junior dos Santos or Brock Lesnar got hurt and had to pull out? Wouldn’t it be great if they gave you that number one contender fight instead? He’s careful to put it in a positive context each time. Wouldn’t it be great? He doesn’t want to scare his fighter, he explains, but rather to prepare him to see it as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. That is, if it does happen.At first it seems like wishful thinking on Wittman’s part. To him, Carwin is not only a special fighter, but probably his closest friend in the fight game. He wants Carwin to be UFC champion maybe even more, or at least as much, as Carwin wants it. "A heavyweight championship fight, that’s the dream of any trainer," Wittman says. "I mean, a championship is a championship. I have twelve of them. I don’t have a heavyweight champion yet."And Carwin could do it, too. He held the UFC interim title at one point, but the interim title is not the title, and everyone knows it. Then there was the Lesnar fight, the one that still hurts to think about. "First time it’s ever happened to me in my life," Carwin says when he thinks about that night. That was the night he came within maybe one or two well placed punches of putting a wounded Lesnar away and becoming the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. The night his body seized up on him, his legs and arms no longer obeying the commands of an increasingly frantic brain."I'm always in the zone in there,"he says now, looking back. "I don't see or hear the crowd at all. But I remember raining bombs down on him and then all of a sudden this whoosh came over my body, and then suddenly I could see people in the crowd. Like, individual people who I could see and hear. Then I felt my body slowing down."He recalls barely making it to his corner after the first round. Barely making it off the stool for the second. Across the cage, Lesnar was grinning through the blood. That’s when Wittman knew they were in trouble."When you get done kicking a guy's ass and he gets up and winks at you, that's a bad feeling," Wittman says.Those are the losses that eat at you later. The ones you should have had. If the other guy is simply a better fighter, or if he catches you with one big punch that shuts out your lights, hey, what can you do? It happens. But this, the Lesnar fight, those are the ones that are tough to live with. Those are the ones you might catch yourself thinking about months and years later, re-fighting the same old battle in your head as you drift off to sleep. What if you’d done this, or not done that? What might have changed? What might have been different? You’ll never know. The best you can do is let it go, in as much as such a thing is even possible.*****A month out from the Einemo fight the call comes. Carwin doesn’t answer it because Carwin is busy training. When he finally gets around to looking at his cell phone and he sees the missed calls from Genet and Wittman, he knows something’s up. At first, he thinks he must be in trouble."I was actually pretty concerned," he says. "But when I heard the news, I was just so excited."The news is good, at least for Carwin. The news makes Wittman look like some kind of wizard, like he looked into his crystal ball and saw the future. Lesnar’s diverticulitis has returned, and he’s out of the fight with Dos Santos at UFC 131. Okay, so it’s not great news for Lesnar, but you know what they say. One man’s misfortune, and so forth. Now the main event fight is Carwin’s, and the winner gets UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez. In his first fight since losing a heavyweight title bout, he has the opportunity to fight his way right back into another one. Funny how the MMA pendulum swings sometimes, particularly in a relatively thin heavyweight division.Almost over night, the feel in the gym changes. When you go from a mid-card bout against a no-name newcomer to a main event top contender bout -- and all with just about a month to promote the damn thing -- the hype machine is forced into overdrive. Camera crews start showing up out of nowhere. A few weeks ago it was just Carwin and Wittman alone in the gym early on a weekday morning. Then one morning there are two different camera crews pulling off their shoes and stepping onto the mats, dragging their cords and lights and cameras and boom mics into what is supposed to be a working training camp. (Trevor Wittman gives a camera crew his two cents. Photo by Ben Fowlkes, MMA Fighting)One of the crews is from Carwin’s sponsor, Bud Light, which is putting together a viral video campaign in the lead-up to this fight. The other is from Spike TV’s UFC Countdown show, and it brings with it producer Paul Heyman, of pro wrestling fame. Heyman cuts a noticeable figure in a fight gym, in part because he’s the only one wearing a suit out on the mats. His presence here is at first a little confusing to Wittman, who only knows him as "Lesnar’s friend." And, fair enough, Heyman was originally scheduled to produce the segment on Lesnar, but when his old WWE running buddy had to pull out of the fight, he got sent to Wheat Ridge to get Carwin instead. Inviting the friend and confidante of your former (and possibly future) nemesis into your home is a little odd, but it’s part of the package deal that comes along with training a top UFC heavyweight. Camera crews might show up at any time, with any cast of characters in tow, and you’re not in a position to turn them away.But Heyman knows the drill. He hangs back and watches the Bud Light crew at first, and you can almost see him mapping out his own shoot with his eyes. Carwin, meanwhile, has to worry about giving everyone what they came for. Would he mind hitting some mitts with Wittman while Wittman wears a headcam to capture the action? Of course not. Then over here for some shadow-boxing. Slower. Okay, now faster. It’s the kind of footage that, when cut together for the final product, will make it look like the cameras simply captured a typical day of training. In reality, they made a typical day of training all but impossible. Carwin manages to get a decent sweat going during the various B-roll scenarios, but this valuable day of pre-fight preparation is largely sacrificed to the gods of marketing.Not that there aren’t still plenty of good days left. On one Saturday morning he’ll step in the cage for a sparring session with Schaub that many fight fans would have eagerly bought tickets to see. Schaub is almost exactly the same height as Dos Santos, so it’s good practice for getting inside his reach and trapping him against the cage. Of course, the best friends can’t let each other off with a bit of free-swinging fun in the center of the cage here and there, knocking one another’s headgear sideways before the round is up. (Brendan Schaub [left] and Shane Carwin go at it in practice. Photo by Ben Fowlkes, MMA Fighting)How many times have these two done this? How many rounds have they sparred against one another? They lost count a long time ago. In the version of the story that Schaub tells, he first met Carwin after he swore off football for good. After college he’d bounced from the Buffalo Bills to the Arena League’s Utah Blaze, but his heart wasn’t in it the way it had been in college at the University of Colorado."I was [with the Blaze] literally two weeks and I was just like, man, I’m over this," Schaub says. "I jumped in my car and drove home to Colorado and drove straight to Nate Marquardt’s gym. Literally, straight from Utah to Nate’s gym."Marquardt got a look at Schaub and told him there wasn’t much they could do with a heavyweight just then, but if he’d come back tomorrow they’d have another big guy there for him to spar with."I came back the next day and there’s Shane, who I think was about 300 [pounds] at the time," Schaub says. "They were like, okay, you two are together."Friendships have certainly been built on less. And make no mistake, Carwin and Schaub are friends and not just training partners. That’s why it bothers Schaub when he hears other people -- occasionally even his own coach -- suggesting that he and Carwin might have to fight each other some day. It’s not that they mind punching one another in the face; Schaub has hit and been hit by Carwin more than by anyone else on the planet, at this point. No, it’s not the pain or the violence. It’s what it would signify. It’s how one of them would necessarily advance his career on the back of the other. It’s how one of them would have to fail -- most likely in spectacular, bloody fashion -- so the other could succeed."This isn’t basketball," Schaub likes to say. "Someone’s getting f----ed up."*****June finds the city of Vancouver gripped by hockey fever. The Canucks are in the Stanley Cup Finals, and the downtown bars are filled to capacity an hour before the puck drops for each and every game. Summer is just beginning to spread out its arms in the Pacific Northwest, and it stays light well into the evening as the Canuck faithful pour out into the streets in either elation or seething, drunken anger, depending on how that day’s game turned out.It’s not the easiest environment for promoting a fight. The attentions of the media and the citizenry are focused so intensely on these next few hockey games that they can hardly be bothered to think about anything else. Canucks flags fly out the windows of apartment buildings and high-rise offices. On a game day it’s more or less accepted that all work will be done extremely half-assed. Hangovers are part of the following day’s uniform.Fortunately, Canada still loves its MMA. The relationship with hockey is committed and long-term, a marriage that sports fans here would never consider leaving. But the UFC is a tempting mistress when in town. Just as long as it doesn’t conflict with Stanley Cup date night.Being one half of the main event doesn’t just mean cameras in your gym. It also means a full plate of media responsibilities and dozens of competing distractions on fight week. On Wednesday, it’s the open workouts in a little gym on Hornby Street. There, Carwin turns into the bashful kid again, flashing that effortless charisma in the media scrums, as if he’s just a little embarrassed on behalf of all these people who have showed up with recorders and cameras in the middle of the day to talk about his side job. Carwin’s wrestling coach, Leister Bowling -- the man every member of the Grudge team will tell you over and over is the best wrestling coach in the business -- tries to find a quiet corner to stand in and wait this out. He doesn’t like this part of fight week any more than Carwin does, but at least he doesn’t have to answer the same questions over and over again."I don't think it's a distraction for Shane; I think it pisses him off," Bowling says. "Nothing against reporters, but he hates doing interviews. Shane told me the other day that the thing he hates most about MMA is the fame that comes with it, being at the top. He would rather no one recognize him. He would rather he just got to fight, and got paid to do it." (Ariel Helwani interviews Shane Carwin. Photo by Esther Lin, MMA Fighting)Through it all, the only time Carwin seems the least bit uncomfortable is when MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani asks him about that statement he and his camp were planning to release when his name came up in a federal steroid distribution case a year earlier. Carwin was never charged with anything, and the dates that linked him to J. Michael Bennett -- the Applied Pharmacy Services supervising pharmacist who was convicted in 2010 of conspiracy to illegally distribute steroids -- came well before he was in the UFC. Still, the Carwin camp quieted the initial storm in the MMA community by promising to release a statement at a later date. No statement ever came, and it’s Helwani who steps up to ask about it."No comment on that," Carwin says with a slight smile. "Nothing right now."Will a comment ever be forthcoming, Helwani presses."There’s nothing for me to comment on that," Carwin answers.It gets him out of the line of fire for the moment, but as a media strategy it leaves something to be desired. Some fans will undoubtedly hear ‘no comment’ and take it as the worst kind of admission of guilt. If an athlete cops to steroid use, explains what happened, and offers even the most tepid apology, fans usually tend to forgive and sometimes even forget. After all, who hasn’t screwed up? Who doesn’t know what it’s like to look back on a past mistake and cringe at the thought of it? At the very least, the athlete who opens up about it gets some points for honesty. If he says ‘no comment,’ it’s almost always assumed that he did it, but no such honesty points are rewarded.Then again, offering up a ‘no comment’ response does have a neat little way of ending the exchange and refusing the internet its sound byte. This way at least, fight week can roll on, and the fight itself can remain the focal point. On to the next interview. The next media event. The outdoor press conference at Robson Square on Thursday, the weigh-in on the edge of Vancouver Harbour on Friday where he’ll break from his normally trash-talk resistant demeanor just slightly to declare that somebody’s getting knocked out on Saturday night "and it’s not going to be me." But a UFC fight week places demands on the organization’s extended family, as well. It’s not just the fighters on the card who have to show up and play their role. Schaub is here too, both to support his teammate and to make some promotional appearances before he has to fly off to Brazil next week to fulfill media responsibilities for his own fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in Rio de Janeiro later this summer. He’ll be in the UFC’s Octagon Nation trailer this week, signing autographs and pressing the flesh with fans. He’s surprisingly good at it too. Some fighters are so stiff and stilted at these things it’s impossible for fans not to notice that they’re hating every minute of it. Schaub actually seems like he wants to be here, even if a part of him might rather be at home in the gym. It’s not always easy to get your regular training in on the road, and Schaub’s starting to look just a little bit frustrated when he shows up at one of the guest hotel’s workout rooms to find that his team isn’t all there. Wittman’s been tasked with getting Carwin’s fight night sponsor banner approved, which means presenting both the banner and the shorts he plans to wear to UFC officials, who just happen to be in the hotel’s other workout room right now. When he walks in, Dos Santos is hitting mitts and working on his sprawl with his trainers, and Wittman is very careful to keep his back to the big Brazilian at all times, even when it seems almost ridiculous. It’s a show of respect and sportsmanship that is never commented on. Wittman wants Dos Santos and his team to know that he’s not here to spy. Here’s here only because he has to be, even if the timing is unfortunate. He never glances in Dos Santos’ direction for even a moment, never even allows his body to be in a position where he could see what’s happening on the small mat. Instead, he busies himself with the sponsor situation, which of course requires at least one phone call to Carwin’s manager to clear up a discrepancy over whether this logo promoting a new metal album has been cleared through all the right channels.When Wittman finds Schaub, he’s waiting in the other workout room, watching Jon Olav Einemo -- Carwin’s original opponent -- work on his jiu-jitsu. Einemo politely offers Schaub some mat space, but the Grudge heavyweight is content to wait. Once Einemo finally gets up to leave, his full height and size makes the room feel suddenly smaller."That is a big dude," Schaub says of the 6’6" Norwegian. "You don’t want to mess around on the ground with that guy if you don’t have to."Is this Schaub doing his trademark Schaub thing, scaring himself into obsessive preparation, even with regards to an opponent who he may never have to fight? Unclear, but he’ll get no argument from Wittman on this one. That was one very big dude, whose ground game one would probably be best to steer clear of entirely.Just after the weigh-ins wrap up on Friday, the puck drops for game five of the Stanley Cup Finals at Rogers Arena just down the street from the UFC host hotel. The bars have been brimming all afternoon. When the hometown pulls off a 1-0 victory to take the lead in the series, the streets instantly flood with happy hockey fans. On one downtown street, a man parks his pickup in the exact middle of the street and cranks up the radio. Within seconds an impromptu dance party has effectively cut off the street to all traffic, and the smell of celebratory marijuana smoke fills the air. This is just the beginning. The party goes on like this all night, as if the Canucks have actually won the cup itself rather than just a single game in the series. Even in the downtown hotel you can hear the car horns and shouts and sirens and wails drifting up from the street and into your hotel room. You wake up at three or four in the morning and you hear it still. The city refuses to go to bed. As if it doesn’t know that tomorrow is fight day.*****By the time the main event arrives, the crowd is in a lather. And what better way to end the night than with two big heavyweights? Carwin enters to Eminem, Dos Santos to the Rocky theme. The man in the tux makes all the same announcements. The people in their seats make all the same noises in response. Here we are again, ready to find out whose life is about to change in sudden, violent ways. Less than a half hour from now it will all be over, these same frantic fans already turning their attention toward beating the traffic out of here.For the first few minutes of the fight, things seem as if they might go exactly according to plan for Carwin. Just like in sparring, he looks for a takedown and uses it to pin Dos Santos to the fence. But Dos Santos doesn’t panic. He’d have been a fool not to prepare for this, both when he thought he was fighting Lesnar and then when he found out he was fighting Carwin. He breaks Carwin’s grip and pivots away. He returns to the open space of the Octagon and gets his jab working. His left hand smacks Carwin on the forehead and a red welt comes up almost immediately. Seconds later he lands a right hand that sounds like someone dropping a raw steak on the supermarket floor. (Junior dos Santos trades blows with Shane Carwin. Photo by Esther Lin, MMA Fighting)It’s the left that really starts to get to Carwin. Once Dos Santos figures out he can land it almost at will, Carwin starts reacting to the feints, unwittingly inviting a more aggressive attack. Carwin is bloodied and covering up as the first round enters its final minute. A right hand and left hook from Dos Santos brings him to his knees. There are still more than forty seconds left in the round. A lifetime, when you have a big puncher like that leaning on your back, hammering away at your face with a stream of short hooks. With around twenty seconds left, Dos Santos glances up at referee Herb Dean. But Dean’s been doing this too long to be baited into stopping a fight. He’s content to let Carwin take his medicine for now. A few more hooks from Dos Santos, and he lets Carwin up with ten seconds to go. No sense in punching himself out if Dean isn’t buying it. He backs up and begins his recovery time early. Carwin, meanwhile, blinks through the blood as he plods forward in a fighting stance, still trying to look as confident as when he walked in here. The horn sounds and Dos Santos offers Carwin a little fist bump on his way to his corner. Carwin returns it as an automatic gesture.Now to that stool. Now to figure out just what in the hell is happening.Later, Wittman will say that he entered the Octagon after the first round with the intention of focusing on technical advice. Fixes for Carwin’s defense, perhaps. A solution to Dos Santos’ jab might be nice."I started to say something and I looked in his eyes and could just see him thinking, ‘I don’t need this s---,’" Wittman will say. "‘I’ve got a job, a family. What am I doing?’"Carwin had just barely survived the first round, and Wittman already knew what was everyone’s mind. Maybe what was even on Carwin’s mind. Is he going to collapse again, like he did against Lesnar? Now that it’s his turn to be on the business end of the first-round beatdown, does he have what Lesnar had, that ability to pull it together and charge on? After all, that’s been the only knock on him so far. Carwin’s a terror in the first round, people said. But what about the second? Now that his nose is broken and his eyes are cut and swollen, what does he have? That’s what they’re all wondering, Wittman decides. So okay, let’s find out."Show me what you have inside, Shane," Wittman says into his fighter’s ear as the cutman tries to do something -- anything -- about the mess that is his face. "Show me you have it."Then they take that stool away and he’s alone again. Just him and the big Brazilian and the referee who doesn’t mind a little blood. What now? How are you supposed to get back in this fight now that he can barely see or breathe? What do you threaten your undamaged, unfazed opponent with now? (Shane Carwin battles on through the blood. Photo by Esther Lin, MMA Fighting)But Carwin’s not out of it yet. He comes out of his corner for the second looking, if not eager, then at least willing. He experiments with a couple leg kicks, which not many people know he really does have in his arsenal. He backs Dos Santos up and tags him with a left hook that makes the Brazilian’s legs go wobbly for just a moment. Hold on. Carwin is actually in this fight. In the final minute of the round he takes a kick above the ear that halts his advance only briefly. He keeps moving forward, firing back. There’s that horn again. There’s that polite little glove touch on the way to their respective corners. This time, Wittman offers a little more technical advice in the corner, and a little less ra-ra. He calls for more movement from Carwin, who got stung when he became too stationery a target."Let’s make a fight out of this," he says. "You’ve taken everything he gave you.""Can I blow my nose?" Carwin asks in the voice of a man with the world’s worst cold."No!" comes the answer. No, no, no, no, no. If he did, his eye would be swollen shut in seconds. Not that it’s much good to him now, but still. With a broken nose, blowing the blood out of it is the one thing that seems most tempting. It’s also the thing you absolutely should not do. Carwin is cut under both eyes and on the bridge of his obviously broken nose as he extends his fist to Dos Santos to start the third. The doctor takes a closer look midway through the third, but clears it to continue. Dos Santos gets a takedown in the final minute, as if just to prove to future opponents that he can do it. He gets one more before it’s over, and this time Carwin threatens with a choke at the final horn. After the thrashing he took in the first frame, no one could have guess that Dean would be forcing Carwin to let go of Dos Santos at the end, rather than the other way around.As decisions go, this is about as obvious as it gets. You could look at the two men from a block away and know who won the fight. Schaub is seething as he makes his way out of the arena. This isn’t about the team looking bad; he just watched his friend get beat up, and he wants revenge."Best boxer in MMA my ass," he says of Dos Santos. "I’ll f--- that guy up."A group of twenty-something women stop him for his autograph on the way out, and even in his agitated state Schaub puts on that PR face and does his duty. And of course one of them wants him to sign her breast. Because why wouldn’t she?Carwin will go to the hospital, where Wittman will sit with him all night, joking and laughing and trying to keep his spirits up as they document his rapidly swelling face with their cell phones. It’s an ending to the night that they didn’t even allow themselves to consider before the bout, and yet there they are."Honestly," Wittman will say later, "I couldn’t have been more proud of him. Not even if he’d won the fight. I was just so proud."Odds are Carwin will wear the souvenirs from this bout on his face for the rest of his life. Odds are he’ll look back at this one years from now and remember the night he could have quit and didn’t. The night he took everything Dos Santos had and was still there at the end, clinging to his neck. The night he proved something that you can’t possibly fake.Did the fans see it? Will they look back on this one and think, Oh yeah, I remember that fight. That JDS sure beat the hell out of poor Carwin. Will they remember it as an L for one guy and a W for another? Who knows. Who even cares? It happened, whether anyone saw it for what it was or not. It was right there in front of their faces. Certainly, they had to see it, right? Didn’t they? Even through all that blood? Especially through the blood? They had to know what he’d done that night in Vancouver. They just had to.

Posted in: fight, time, carwin, itrsquo, wittman

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

From Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer newsletter: MMA fighter King Mo Lawal, who was suspended nine months by the Nevada Commission and then fired from Strikeforce by Dana White, is interested in joining WWE. Lawal has been a long-time pro wrestling fan and has expressed interest in joining WWE in the past. Gerald Brisco recruited Lawal years ago but it never worked out as Lawal wanted to compete in the Olympics. When he didn't make the Olympic team, he started MMA instead. Seems crazy to me, but then again I think anyone who willingly throws their body through the meatgrinder that is the WWE circuit is nuts. Let's see what sounds better: being on the road all the time performing over 150 times a year and maybe ... MAYBE ... making it to the point where you crack a six figure salary. OR stick to MMA, fight three times a year for at least 50k a pop plus sponsorships, and as a nice little bonus you get to keep your dignity. It's a good thing for Mo's career that these kinda WWE rumors almost never end up going anywhere.

Posted in: mma, time, year, wwe, lawal

Read the full article at Fightlinker

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Bryan Baker believed he had been sent to Colorado for a reason. It was there he discovered he had leukemia, it was there he was cured. But his time there was also short. More recently, Baker felt compelled to move again, this time to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he would force himself out of his comfort zone and away from longtime coach Thomas Denny to train with the renowned Jackson-Winkeljohn team. One of his first visits there set up a bit of an awkward situation. It was then when he ran into fellow Bellator fighter Chris Lozano, who had recently decided to set up a lengthy camp at the gym.At the time, Baker had already decided he was moving down to welterweight, a division also populated by Lozano. But while Baker had a guaranteed slot in the upcoming season six tournament, Lozano had been designated an alternate. That changed shortly thereafter, when Jon "War Machine" Koppenhaver was scratched due to a jail sentence, and Lozano was named to replace him. By then, Baker had already decided upon training in Albuquerque, and Lozano was firmly entrenched there. That effectively meant that the two would have to work together and train together, yet one day in the near future, they might also have to fight each other. Right now, there are obstacles in the way, as each man will first have to get at least past his first-round match, set for Bellator 63 on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena. Baker will have to get past the debuting Carlos Alexandre Pereira, while Lozano has Karl Amoussou to contend with.If they can both get past the tournament's opening night, they may well be on a collision course.As Baker tells it, the two have so far managed to handle the difficult situation well."It definitely stirred up a misunderstanding at first, but once we realized that, we’re professionals," he said. "We had to understand this next fight is the main thing. That’s what we put all our energy towards." Athletes are notorious for refusing to look past what's directly in front of them, but Bellator's compressed tournament schedule makes that more difficult than usual. And you can't ignore the obvious. If they both keep winning, they will eventually meet up. There's no way around that truth.Because of the setup, you can't help but compare their situation to the one that exploded into a feud pitting UFC stars Jon Jones and Rashad Evans against each other. The latter parted ways with his longtime home in Albuquerque after then-teammate Jones simply admitted he would take the match if it was requested by the UFC brass. At that time, it hadn't even yet been offered; it was simply a hypothetical.That's not to say that one approach is better than the other. Sometimes, co-existence simply isn't a possibility, and other steps must be taken. For now, for Lozano and Baker, that's not an issue. Lozano, who has spent most of his career training with Strong Style Fight Team in his native Ohio, has traveled back and forth to Albuquerque several times over the years. But his most recent stretch at Jackson-Winklejohn's has been his longest, with an intensive four-month camp leading into his next bout. The 29-year-old said the move was as much mental as it was physical."I felt like at home I was going through some personal issues I had to get away from," he said. "I had to focus on me, my career. This fight game is a very short period in our lives, and you can’t play with it. So, I separated myself from a lot of distractions. I just wanted to focus not only on getting myself physically ready, but mentally and spiritually ready for this fight. Jacksons, since I’d been there before, the scenery, the environment and the mental state of Greg Jackson, the way he approaches fighting, it was just the perfect move for my career."In the end, the prospect of working with top talent like Jon Jones, Carlos Condit, Donald Cerrone, Clay Guida and others on a daily basis was more important than staying away from someone you may or may not fight down the line. "We keep the respect knowing that we may end up matching up together," Baker said. "But at this point, that’s not the main concern. Our main concern is the next opponent. And if it gets to that point, it’ll be that within it’s time. It’s just an honor to work with such great guys in the camp. We really do push, and we want to give the fans a great fight."

Posted in: fight, time, lozano, baker, albuquerque

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

For a man that has yet to fight in 2012, Fedor Emelianenko sure seems to get around a lot. Within the past few months we've seen the legendary heavyweight cruise through sambo championships with his brother, hit the Korean game show circuit, giggle his way down Russian water slides, and now his latest venture, sumo wrestling. Fedor may not be fighting in the UFC (and at the age of 35, that ship seems to have sailed), but in slow times like these, it's strangely gratifying to see one of the sports true icons, and someone who was so famously stoic, finally enjoying himself so much. It's unfortunate that bad management has left Emelianenko's name to forever be thrown around in the "what if" discussions. No one could have seen that coming back in the day. But it's even more unfortunate that Fedor seems to be realizing this now, as his abilities slowly betray him. So if "The Last Emperor" wants to keep doing his thing with these various adventures, more power to him. After all the excitement he's given us over the past decade, he's earned it. 5 MUST-READ STORIES Joe Lauzon vs. Terry Etim booked for UFC on FOX 4. Joe Lauzon and Terry Etim will reportedly look to rebound from devastating knockout losses at UFC on FOX 4, which is slated for August 4th, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Bellator planning three hour main cards with 2013 move to Spike TV. As part of Bellator Fighting Championships' crusade to cut out their universally panned "superfights," the promotion plans to extend the length of its televised main card from two to three hours next year, paving the way for more tournaments and more title fights. Demetrious Johnson heavy favorite over Ian McCall. Despite fighting to a majority draw the first time around, Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson opened as a near 2-to-1 favorite over Ian "Uncle Creepy" McCall in advance of their UFC on FX 3 flyweight rematch. Jake Shields moves back to middleweight, wants to fight in August. Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields hopes to return to action sometime in August and will move back up to 185 pounds after a lukewarm UFC run at welterweight. 25 most awkward photos in MMA history. For all its charms, mixed martial arts sure does produce its fair share of embarrassing kodak moments. So take a look at the worst of the worst (or best of the best, depending on how you look at it) with the 25 most awkward photos in MMA history. MEDIA STEW We know y'all want to see Fedor fighting in the UFC, but the USC (Ultimate Sumo Championship) is just as good, right? (HT: Middle Easy) Between all the mumbling and stumbling, somewhere in here James Toney tells Rampage Jackson to stop being a "slave to the white man." Wow. (HT: Reddit) Johny Hendricks and Brendan Schaub are monsters inside the cage, but ballet is a whole different beast. (Thanks to @pegson for the tip.) Steven Seagal wants you to recognize how dangerous and important he is. RECOGNIZE IT. (Fun fact: The YouTube tags on this clip include "fat", "blowhard" and "seagull." To whichever Jimmy Kimmel Live intern is responsible for this, we thank you.) IN CASE YOU WERE WORRIED My cardio is good now. Don't worry. — Jason Mayhem Miller (@mayhemmiller) March 28, 2012 TRASH TALK QUOTA HAS BEEN LOWERED @BigfootSilva It is an honor to fight you as well Big Foot! — Roy Nelson (@roynelsonmma) March 29, 2012 IF ONLY THEY STILL BLEACHED THEIR HAIR Hey @Eminem how about it bro July 7th Vegas walk @titoortiz to the octagon in his final fight!!!!!!! The fans would go nuts !!!!!" right — Tito Ortiz (@titoortiz) March 29, 2012 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS Announced yesterday (Wednesday, March 28, 2012): - UFC on FOX 4: Joe Lauzon (21-7) vs. Terry Etim (15-4) reportedly booked for FOX broadcast, according to Fighters Only - UFC on FX 4: Ramsey Nijem (5-2) vs. C.J. Keith (8-0 ) FANPOST OF THE DAY Today's Fanpost of the Day is an essential guide for any new fight fan, penned by Bloody Elbow's SSReporters: Breaking Down Common UFC Terminology For New MMA Fans Hey there new MMA fans! If you're confused by the lack of UFC cards over the last few weeks, then kindly teleport yourself back to 2005. Afterwards, return to the present-day and realize how awesome it is to be a MMA fan and a fan of the UFC. I understand that this sport is not the easiest to follow, particularly when the UFC has never really put much emphasis on explaining the rules, grappling positions, strike techniques, etc. The majority of the terminologies you may be unfamiliar with are often spewed out of the mouths of Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan, the leading commentary pair in our beloved organization. No need to worry, as I have got it all covered. I will break down the most uttered phrases in the UFC (okay, mostly the nonsense from Goldie and Rogan) and make it so that even the common fan can grasp it. Striking - ROCKED! When a power punch of any sort lands flush, a fighter is deemed to be "rocked" even when he isn't. - PUNCHES in BUNCHES. Combinations. - Knees reminiscent of Anderson Silva. Any Muay Thai clinch with a knee to the head immediately invokes the memories of Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin I and II. It's also a really stupid thing to say multiple times over, so I advise you MMA newbies not to use this as a reference every single time a fighter has the clinch. Grappling - IT'S DEEP! A submission attempt that is deemed to be close to finished thus leading towards a tapout, but is only ever accurate 4 times out of 100. Noted dullard and professional troll Jacob Volkmann set a record with 37 "deep" d'arce chokes against Danny Castillo, but Castillo managed to escape every time. Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in tomorrow's post.

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, fan

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

This is a guest post by Stephie "Crooklyn" Daniels. Follow Stephie on Twitter @CrooklynMMA. After an unsuccessful bid at middleweight in his UFC debut, James Head is dropping down for his first foray at welterweight. The young petroleum engineer (yes, you read that right), who fights out of Oklahoma, will be put to test when he meets tough Swede, Papy Abedi. Both men are coming off disappointing submission losses, but James feels that he's found his place at 170, and will emerge the victor on April 14, at UFC on Fuel TV 2 in Stockholm, Sweden. In a recent interview, Head talked about his upcoming bout with Abedi. SD: You're fighting in Sweden for this fight. Will it be your first time there, or have you already gone over for PR reasons? JH: This will be my first trip. SD: How far out from your fight will you be arriving in Sweden? JH: The UFC wants us there the Monday before, so that's what I'll do. It will allow me to get acclimated to the time change and stuff, so I'll be training really hard up until then. SD: Both you and Abedi are coming off losses. Break down where you think each of you went wrong in your last fights. JH: I've watched his last fight a few times. I thought he looked good. He's a pretty big, strong guy for a 170 pounds, and he matched up well with Thiago (Alves). I do think that the way his stand-up was going, it was just a matter of time before Thiago caught him, and that's what happened. There's definitely holes in his game that were exploited, and I feel like I have the tools to exploit them in our fight. We really didn't have a chance to see what he had on the ground, because he was out when Thiago pounced on him, and never really regained himself. As far as my last fight, I think that I let the fight be bigger than what it really was. You hear Joe Rogan talk about octagon jitters, and I used to say it was bullsh*t. All of us fighters have fought in main events leading up to being signed by the UFC, but you get under those bright lights, and it's a little bit different. I just let the fight be bigger than it was, but I feel like this time is definitely going to be different. I'm going to go out there, and it's going to be a dogfight. Papy and I match up very well. He's a big, strong guy, dropping from 185 to 170, and I'm doing the same. My weight cut is going great. Never felt better. Never been stronger. I'm really looking forward to getting in there and mixing it up. SD: Since you're coming down a weight class for the first time, how far out did you start your cut? JH: I sought out the advice of a dietician. That's what many athletes do, from Olympic wrestlers to everyone else. I started my weight cut about six weeks ago. As soon as I got the call, I talked about it with my management, because we wanted to make sure we were prepared. I'm not doing a crash diet like a lot of these guys that you'll see get on the scale, and be completely drawn out. I want to do this scientifically. I think some of these guys just lose too much too fast, and it's hard to replenish. I've already made a test run, got down, rehydrated. We even simulated a fight, and I felt great. I'm excited to be fighting at welterweight, and I think I'm going to be able to big things in this division. SD: How important do you feel using a professional dietician to aid in your training is, considering there are so many "do it yourselfers" out there? JH: The great thing is that my dietician and my strength and conditioning coach are working hand in hand. Coming from my background, I still work as an engineer full time, so math and science, and just doing things scientifically has always been important to me. I approach fighting the same way I do everything else. I think that you have to seek out the best people in every aspect. I can do all the research in the world I want, but when you seek out a professional, like a dietician, and you follow their plans and recommendations to a tee, it works. It's proven it's worth. I feel great. I definitely think that seeking out someone that has the experience is a big factor in competing. SD: You only have two losses on your record. How important is it to you to avenge those losses, or are rematches not high on your priority list? JH: I don't know what it is. Maybe it was because my dad let me win when I was growing up. I'm just one of the most competitive people that I've ever been around or met. Not just in fighting. I'm talking in poker, shooting basketball, you name it. Anything and everything. As a child, me and my dad bet on everything. It just bothers me to the core to lose. It's almost to a fault. To answer your question, the losses on my record do eat at me a little bit. I would love to fight those guys again. I would love to get in the cafe with Jesse Forbes again. I'd love to go back on the big stage with Nick Ring again. I think that I would win the second time around. At the same token, I know that my opponent right now is Papy Abedi, and I'm focused on him. I hate to lose, and I don't plan on it. SD: Where do you see Papy's strengths and weaknesses? JH: He definitely shows strength in the clinch. Being that he has that judo background, and even in there against somebody as big and strong as Thiago, there were times in the clinch when he looked really strong. His control was very good there. Him being a southpaw might cause some problems for some guys, but I've fought a lot of southpaws, including Nick Ring and Jesse Forbes. That's not such a problem for me. I feel that I match up well with him on the feet, and my boxing background is going to pose a problem for him. On the ground, I'm training with some of the best guys in the entire world. I feel comfortable anywhere the fight goes. SD: You have a very distinguished striking background with some accolades in boxing, but who are you training with for your ground game? JH: I'm training with Rafael Lovato, Jr, who is the only American ever to win the Mundial World championships both in the gi and no gi tournaments. He was the second American after BJ Penn to win in the gi. He actually lives in Oklahoma City, so I've been really fortunate to be at his academy. I've been training with him for the last few years, and he is an absolute beast on the mat. He has really kicked up my jiu jitsu game. SD: Is there someone in your camp that has a similar style to Abedi's or have you brought someone in that can mimic him for your training purposes? JH: I haven't brought anyone in, specifically. There are several southpaws that I've already been training with, as far as the stand-up goes. To simulate his clinch work, Brian Picklo, who was an Olympic alternate in judo, I've been working with him. He's also a Big 12 national champion in wrestling at Michigan State, so as far as judo and clinch work goes, I don't feel that there's anybody out there better to train with than him. SD: You mentioned that you're a full time engineer. Elaborate on this. JH: I work for a major natural gas and oil company as a petroleum engineer. There's several different kinds of engineers involved in the oil and gas industry. I'm a drilling engineer, so I manage four or five different drilling rigs that drill oil and gas wells for the most active drilling company in the United States. It's a pretty demanding job. Between my fighting career and this one, I have a pretty full plate, but I really like the challenge. SD: Do you have plans for a vacation after your fight, since you'll already be in Europe? JH: I plan on staying in Sweden for that following week after the fight, instead of flying right back. I want to see what Sweden has to offer, but I'm not doing a big European tour or anything. I'd love to stay for a couple weeks, because I've never been over there, but juggling two jobs, I don't have that luxury. I'm going to go over there, take care of business, hang around for a couple days, and then get back to the grind. Follow James via his Twitter account @thejameshead

Posted in: fight, time, im, sd, jh

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

"The Voice of Reason," according to his new book at least, is back with more firepower he's slinging at Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Chael Sonnen's promo work started strong back before the first match-up between the two but has since fizzled into outright stealing pro wrestler's old material. Now, though, he seems to be back to his old ways with this solid little bit: "I stomped you before and I will stomp you again. You are a nuisance to me and to everybody else. You ducked me for six years. You ducked me for two years after that. There's nothing I can do more than pick a fight. You put every stipulation on this thing that you could think of and I answered them all, including coming to Brazil like that's some kind of a big deal. What's the difference? It's a plane ride somewhere. I'm not fighting you in Brazil, I'm not fighting you in Chicago, I'm not fighting you in Florida; I'm fighting you in the Octagon. And when you get in there and I get in there, I'm going to stomp you this time same as I did last time. You can complain about your rib. I'm sure your rib did hurt; your rib is inside of a coward. That's the problem your rib's got, it's got the same problem your hands and feet have -- they're attached to you, dummy. I'm going to be attached to you, too, for 25 minutes or until you give up." The rematch between the two is still not officially official, as contracts have yet to be signed, sealed, and delivered, but the date has been set for UFC 147 on June 23 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While Sonnen did, indeed, give "The Spider" all he could handle for 23 minutes back in Aug. 2010 in Oakland, it's going to be a whole new ball game when he goes traveling into the belly of the beast to attempt to dethrone the middleweight king on his home soil. In front of rabid fans that, let's face it, aren't exactly fond of Mr. Sonnen. Can he finish the job this time out? Is he good enough to avoid another last minute submission? We'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, hear more from the number one contender after the jump.

Posted in: time, sonnen, minute, im, rib

Read the full article at MMA Mania

As we all digest the news of what happened to Muhammed Lawal and keep waiting for UFC 145 to get here already, MMA Fighting felt it appropriate to have my colleague Mike Chiappetta and I debate the weighty topics of today in another installment of the MMA Roundtable. This week: Mike and I discuss whether Zuffa made the right call in cutting Lawal for his comments about the NSAC on Twitter, if there's a case to be made to change Bellator's tournament format, what chances Chael Sonnen has in his rematch with Anderson Silva and how the UFC heavyweights of today compare with PRIDE's best heavyweight era. 1. King Mo's cut: is that the right call by Zuffa?Chiappetta: No. I would have preferred he was simply fined. It would have been one thing if they released Lawal due to his nine-month suspension ruling by the Nevada state athletic commission stemming from a positive steroids test. At least then they could say they were punishing him for an illegal act related to the sport. Instead, it seems he has been let go due to his reaction to the suspension. More specifically, a tweet he sent out aimed at NSAC commission member Pat Lundvall, which referred to her as a "racist b----" for asking him if he could read and write English.Now, two wrongs don't make a right here, so Lawal wasn't exactly justified in his words. You can't have your athletes going around firing off venom, because that sets a terrible precedent. Policing the fighters has to be done. But stripping him of his livelihood for it seems a little bit harsh. I can understand his anger for being asked such a degrading question. He's not exactly a nobody, and any cursory knowledge of his background -- something by the way, that should exist in a ruling body judging him -- would clearly indicate his level of schooling. By the way, commissioner Lundvall had been speaking to him for a while by the time she asked the question that offended him, and clearly she knew he spoke English. Again, this doesn't excuse Lawal's tweet, but at least it gives some context into the emotion that led up to it. Sadly, the whole situation turned out like a fiasco on every side. Thomas: Mike's absolutely right here. Certainly Lawal's words were incendiary. They were also unprofessional. But in the absence of a defined social media policy all fighters sign and agree to (like a terms of service agreement), any kind of punishment is capricious and unfair. The UFC is trying to encourage use and novel application of social media among it's fighters (who, by the way, are not really employees but 'independent contractors'; would you fire your plumber for insulting others on Twitter?). That's a truly excellent idea and the vast majority of the times yields positive results. But fighters need to have a clear sense about what is and isn't expected of him. Relying on some notion of 'common sense' is plainly negligent on the part of the UFC. Let's also make note of how utterly rude and patronizing commissioner Lundvall was in asking Lawal if he understood English. The notion that line of questioning is somehow common is total myth. Alistair Overeem failed to properly take a drug test in the specified amount of time and English is his second language. Was there any questioning about whether his proficiency in reading or writing English inhibited him from following through on his responsibilities? Please. The commissioner may or may not be racist, but they are most certainly condescending. 2. Bellator's heavyweight tourney ended terribly. Can their model be tweaked? Chiappetta: Of course it can be tweaked, but should it be? I think the answer is no. The way the heavyweight tournament ended was unfortunate, but it's no different than when a title challenger or No. 1 contender drops out of a UFC bout and has to be replaced. In a way, Bellator has to face the same problem the UFC does: an unrelenting schedule. The shows must continue even when the fighters can't, and so there is only so much wiggle room when an injury takes place.In the past, Bellator has delayed title fights with one injured participant, but the tournament bouts must continue on and generate a winner, otherwise they become pointless. The heavyweight tourney had gone on so long, I can understand why CEO Bjorn Rebney basically threw his hands up and surrendered. Of course we want to see things decided in the cage, but you can only try to set up a fight so many times before it becomes obvious it's not going to happen. The tournament format is one of the few things that differentiates Bellator from other promotions, and they shouldn't give up that uniqueness to be just another fight promotion. Unforeseen issues are going to be pop up from time to time, but you just have to do your best to plug in the hole and move forward. Thomas: There are obviously tweeks that can be made to Bellator's format. You know who knows that? Bellator. The question is how much? Therein lies the more challenge part of this problem. This past week on The MMA Hour, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said as much. They'll be having more tournaments per season, moving to three hour shows and more. I can even see a case for abandoning heavyweights and focusing more on women. But all of those alterations still keep the tournament model in tact. That, above all else, should not be abandoned. It's the key differentiator and a boon to the company. Moreover, there is time to get things right before moving to a bigger and much more important platform. While on MTV2, Bellator has the opportunity to make the adjustments necessary to properly leverage and execute on their business model. Those who argue about lackluster ratings fail to realize Viacom doesn't really care about them. In this window of opportunity, Bellator has the chance to get things right. As long as they don't abandon the tournament format, they'll likely move in the right direction. 3. Sonnen-Silva II was recently announced. What is Sonnen's realistic chance of winning?Thomas: I'd say his chances are slightly diminished from the last time, but still very real. It's well-known (though not exactly proven) Silva suffered from a rib injury during their first bout. He managed to win late, but took a beating along the way and looked dreadful at defending the takedown. He looked better at UFC 134 when he easily bested another strong wrestler in Yushin Okami, but Okami's a significantly different type of fighter. Among other notable differences, he isn't nearly as aggressive and doesn't run through his takedowns.The question on my mind is Silva. If he's healthy, is he still up to to peak performance? His game is so heavily predicated on speed and reflexes. At 37, are they still there? Liddell was cruising up through the second Tito Ortiz bout before his career fell off a cliff. I have no idea if he's there or not, but it wouldn't totally surprise me to see him not move, bounce and counter with the same nimbleness we are accustomed to seeing.I don't know if Sonnen will get rattled when a soccer stadium full of prideful Brazilians are wishing him to lose the fight or his life. There's arguments to be made Sonnen is both properly game for challenges and a bit of a choke artist. Either way, I expect a tough fight that will close inside the distance.Chiappetta: Sonnen has a very real chance to win. Luke makes some valid points, particularly the question we must ask every time Silva walks out to the octagon: Have we already seen his last great performance? This rematch will only intensify that question, only because the 10-month layoff will be his longest inactive stretch since a multi-year rest from 1997-2000 when he was still a young buck. He's been extremely active since then, and that's allowed him to be consistently sharp over the years. Will that time away from the cage adversely impact him against Sonnen? It's certainly possible. On the other hand, Sonnen didn't look particularly terrifying against Michael Bisping last time, though he got the job done. The one thing Sonnen has going for him is he knows he can repeatedly take down Silva, and that's a huge boost for his confidence as he walks into hostile territory. As long as he can stay out of traps, he has a very legitimate chance to win. The odds have Silva as a 3-to-1 favorite. I may be going out on a limb here, but I think it's closer to a coin flip, with Silva a slight favorite. It's not like Sonnen didn't come within two minutes of beating him last time around. 4. Are today's UFC heavyweights better or worse than PRIDE's best era of heavyweights?Thomas: I'd say they are at least as good if not better.Make no mistake: PRIDE's heavyweights were an elite group. And the major triumverate of rivals - Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko CroCop, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - mirrored the close contests among the sport's top light heavyweights at that time (Tito Ortiz. Vitor Belfort, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell) that helped push MMA forward. A lot of credit goes to them for helping to create a spectacle while competing in sport. Beyond the big three, there were MMA and heavyweight pioneers who grew the game with their outsized personalities as well as the technical evolutions they introduced (Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman and Gary Goodridge). And there were x-factors like Aleksander Emelianenko, who before catching a blood-borne disease, showcased the type of excellent boxing-for-mma skills rarely seen at that time in the sport's growth.But let's be serious: outside of the big three in their prime, none of the other heavyweights would stand a chance not only with the UFC's top three today, but possibly even their top 10 or top 15. Do I really believe a prime Kevin Randleman or Mark Coleman have anything for Frank Mir or Antonio Silva? In defense of the PRIDE heavyweights, some are still floating around among the UFC's top ranks. Nogueira may have had his arm broken against Frank Mir at UFC 140, but he was winning that bout and is still a top ten talent. Mark Hunt, for all his faults, is in the top 15 as well. At the top, it's arguably competitive. Across the division, though, the UFC ranks are significantly deeper.Chiappetta: It's always difficult to compare eras due to improvements in training and technique, but it's a fun debate. Let's imagine an eight-man tournament of the UFC's best four current heavyweights against PRIDE's four best all-time. If I'm doing the picking, I have Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir for the UFC, and Fedor Emelianeko, Mirko Cro Cop, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Josh Barnett for PRIDE.I think a prime Fedor beats Dos Santos, Velasquez mauls Cro Cop, Nogueira submits Overeem and Mir tops Barnett. So we have Fedor vs. Velasquez and Nogueira vs. Mir in the semis. Well, we already know that Mir beats Nog, and Fedor squeaks past Cain to set up Fedor vs. Mir. I've got Fedor in that final, but of course, if you re-seed them and set up the matchups differently, you might get a different result. Still, I think that's a very competitive scenario, and if that's the point, we can't say they're any worse than the old PRIDE set. That said, it's just another reason why rolling the Strikeforce heavies into the UFC is a great move. We won't have to have this debate again five years from now.

Posted in: ufc, bellator, time, heavyweight, sonnen

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

With the UFC making its way to Calgary for the first time, UFC 149 is starting to see its first few official matchups for the event, as hometown middleweight Nick Ring will once again take on Court McGee, along with Bryan Caraway taking on Mitch Gagnon. Both matchups are expected to take place on the preliminary card for the event that takes place on July 21st from the Scotiabank Saddledome in downtown Calgary. McGee (13-2), winner of the 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter, will look to rebound from his first career UFC loss, which he suffered earlier this month at UFC on FX 2 to Costa Philippou. The Utah fan-favorite will be fighting Ring for the second time, hoping to avenge the loss that he suffered during the preliminary rounds of the show. He was a quarterfinal replacement due to an injury suffered by Rich Attonito. He then went on every remaining fight, ending with being crowned The Ultimate Fighter champion. Ring (12-1) will also be looking for revenge, as he will be fighting for the first time since suffering his first career loss at UFC 135 in September to Tim Boetsch. Prior to that loss, Ring started his UFC career off with two consecutive wins, winning a closely contested decision over Riki Fukuda, then submitting James Head at UFC 131 in June 2011. He will be fighting in his hometown of Calgary for the first time since February 2003. Bantamweight Bryan Caraway (16-5), also a former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, will be fighting for the first time since winning his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter season 14 finale in December. “Kid Lightning” defeated Dustin Neace via 2nd round submission, the 14th submission victory of his career. He will face Canadian Mitch Gagnon (8-1), who will be making his UFC debut. His debut was expected to take place at UFC on Fox 2 in January, but Gagnon was forced to withdraw due to visa issues. The submission specialist, with 7 of his 8 victories coming by way of submission, will look to extend his 6 fight win-streak. UFC 149 takes place on July 21st, and will be headlined by a featherweight championship fight featuring UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and an opponent to-be-named. For complete coverage of UFC 149, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: ufc, time, fighter, ufc debut, ring

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

As already discussed, today marks the 5th anniversary of the UFC purchasing Japan's PRIDE organization. At the time, the purchase was seen as one of the biggest business moves in the history of MMA. While it didn't quite pan out to be as big as we had hoped for, that sale did have a significant impact on the MMA landscape. Mainly, it effectively killed Pride off, and along with it, the entire Japanese MMA scene. Sure there was Dream and Sengoku afterwards, and many small Japanese organizations still exist, but at that Pride-sized grand level, Japanese MMA is a thing of the past. With the collapse of Pride and the Japanese scene also came a significant impact on many fighters. Some Pride greats, like Dan Henderson and Rampage Jackson, made a successful transition to the US, integrating themselves into the UFC ranks and making their mark. But for others, this collapse also marked the end of their own time at the top. Here, we take a look at 5 men who saw their careers irreversibly changed for the worse by the buy-out, plus 2 men who avoided that curse. First up, the top dogs who couldn't find that same success post-Pride. And we start off with a big one: 1. Fedor Emelianenko - Let's get this out of the way: Fedor has a winning record post-Pride. He's 7-3, with 2 of those wins coming against top 5 Heavyweights. Not bad, right? Maybe. But for the Fedor of the Pride era, "not bad" is not good enough. In Pride, he built up a powerful legacy as an unstoppable machine, and that legacy has been forever tarnished by events post-Pride. From the failed negotiations with the UFC, to the 3 straight loses, to the multiple wins over sub-par opposition, Fedor is just not the same mythological figure he once was in Pride, and he never will be again. Five Years Ago: UFC Purchases Pride Fighting Championships 2. Mirko Cro Cop - The final Pride GP champion, Cro Cop left before the end of the company, but the writing was already on the wall. He came to the UFC with a mountain of hype, but never delivered. When Gabriel Gonzaga head kicked him into unconsciousness inb his 2nd post-Pride fight, Cro Cop was never the same. For fans of the steely KO artist from Pride, Cro Cop's UFC career has been downright painful to watch at times. 3. Takanori Gomi - If you've only seen recent Gomi, it's hard to understand just how hyped he was at the end of Pride. From 2004-2007 he was THE best Lightweight in the world, beyond a doubt. He had an incredible 13-1 run in Pride (or 13-2 depending on how you view the Nick Diaz fight), dispatching everyone put before him. Then he took a year off to sort through contractual issues when Pride closed. From his first fight back, it was clear that he had lost some of that famous fire. He's 6-5 since, and has only found that old Gomi magic on rare instances. 4. Paulo Filho - Like Gomi, Filho was seen as the world's #1 when Pride closed, this time in the Middleweight division. With a 14-0 record and a Pride GP crown, he seemed unstoppable. When he came to the WEC post-Pride it was a huge coup, and at first, he looked poised to keep dominating. Then he had the bizarre showing against Chael Sonnen in 2008, and that was that. Immediately his reputation changed from best in the world, to unreliable headcase. He's had very public issues with substance abuse, which have seemed to get the better of him in recent years, which is a shame, as he could have been one of the sport's true greats. 5. Ricardo Arona - Arona is an odd one. Near the end of 2005 he defeated Wanderlei Silva in an absolutely massive win. He made the finals of the 2005 Pride GP, and though he ended his Pride career with an upset loss to Sokoudjou, he was clearly one of the world's best at 205. Then Pride closed and Arona just... vanished. He's had one fight only in the past 5 years - a dull 2009 win over Marvin Eastman. Why did this possible champion just walk away? We may never know. Mention has to be given to two men who, at one time, I was sure would be on this list. Both Shogun Rua and Mark Hunt seemed destined to join their companions as post-Pride wash-outs, yet both men have managed to pull together solid UFC careers. They are among the last vestiges of the Pride Never Die mentality, and it's been great watching their resurgences in recent years. Who's your pick for biggest post-Pride fall? Anyone major I overlooked? Poll Who had the biggest drop post-Pride? Fedor Emelianenko Mirko Cro Cop Takanori Gomi Paulo Filho Ricardo Arona Other   50 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, time, pride, cro, postpride

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

In our efforts to provide you with the best MMA analysis we can, we have added two new writers to the Head Kick Legend staff. Please welcome Elliot Matheny and Patrick Wyman (formerly known as "fightinghistorian") to the site. Elliot is making his return after some time away from us, while Patrick is something of a new face on the block. Both have a wealth of combat sports knowledge and I hope all of you are as excited as we are to have them working with us.With the new additions, we now have a fairly robust staff of nine, which will allow us to provide you with a bit more content than in the recent past. As such, it's my pleasure to introduce two new features to the blog: 1. Group Discussions. Up to this point, collaboration between the Head Kick writers has been limited to picking winners for the various big events and those aren't really that collaborative, since everyone makes their own picks. With the new additions to the team I thought now would be the perfect time to introduce a series featuring group collaboration along every step of the way. As such, we will be having a weekly discussion covering a hot button topic in the world of combat sports. The format will be fairly similar to the round table discussions that occasionally take place at some of the other SB Nation combat sports blogs. You might have seen our first discussion, which is regarding the use of testosterone replacement therapy in mixed martial arts, which always seems to be in the news but has received more attention as of late due to Rampage Jackson's admission that he used the treatment prior to his UFC 144 bout with Ryan Bader. 2. The Daily News Of The MMA World. One of the areas that Head Kick Legend has fallen behind in is acting as a source for up to date news, whether it be breaking fight announcements, new video interviews and training footage or, of course, good old smack talk. It would be nearly impossible to immediately jump into the field of breaking news, as there are many other blogs and media sources that already have a solid presence when it comes to that. That being said, with so many other outlets for news, it can be a bit of a task to get yourself up to date, which is where we are going to come in. Starting Sunday, April 1st, we will be introducing a new feature: Daily News Of The MMA World. The piece will be published every morning at 8:00 Eastern Time, just in time for your morning coffee and toast, commute to work, wake n bake, whatever it is that you do while digesting the latest MMA headlines. It'll consist of all the headlines from the past 24 hours, as well as a short editorial on the story of the day. And the best part about it? We are getting interactive: Every Sunday, the fanpost we judge to be the best from the past seven days will be featured in the News Of The MMA World. This is our way of shining a spotlight on some of the less heralded work on the website and who knows, if you show up a couple times, it could lead to something a little more permanent. That's all for now. I look forward to hearing your feedback on both these new additions to the writing staff and the new features we'll be giving you in the upcoming weeks and months!

Posted in: mma, time, news, mma world, kick

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

Great fighters, like great athletes in general, are constantly on the lookout for ways to improve by taking a humble enough approach to their chosen endeavor to accept other people possess knowledge exceeding their own in certain areas. Strikeforce bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey is no different, accepting she still has a lot of room to grow even if she’s unbeaten with five opening round Armbars to her credit. To help foster her evolution as a Mixed Martial Artist it appears Rousey will be enlisting one of the sport’s best next month when she heads to Stockton to train with Cesar Gracie’s camp. Rousey Reflects on Beating Up Group of Guys “I’m going up there from the 3rd to the 16th 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,” said Rousey in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “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, and they’re good at a bunch of things that I need to work on so I’m super excited,” the 25-year old continued. “It’s going to be the first time I’m training away from home in a long time.” Rousey spent a brief period working with Gracie’s team, a squad featuring top-level athletes like Nick Diaz and Jake Shields, prior to her title-winning fight with Miesha Tate earlier this month. Now, having seen the benefits of the experience, it appears her visit in April won’t be the last time she soaks up knowledge in Gracie’s gym, as Rousey added that she plans on making it a regular stop in her training from this point forward. No word has surfaced as to when Rousey might see action next though her upcoming opponent seems to be set in stone – Sarah Kaufman. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: time, i ’m, ’m, gracie, rousey

Read the full article at Fighters.com

The time for talking is officially over. Last night on RAW, WWE Superstars John Cena and The Rock shared a ring for the final time before meeting in Miami this Sunday night at Wrestlemania 28 where they will undoubtedly put on a match for the ages. Each man will enter the affair with something personal to prove as was made clear when addressing the audience in Atlanta on Monday evening. “When you left there was this ten year gap and in that gap, when anyone wanted to make a name for themselves in this business or rattle the cage a little bit there was one name, one dude, who got thrown into the meat grinder; one guy who got served to the wolves, and it was me,” said an animated Cena. “Nobody remembers second place! That’s why I can’t lose! They KNOW I can’t lose. That’s why I have to win. They KNOW I have to win. That’s why THEY know I have to win this match more than anything in my entire life,” he continued, passionately pleading his case to fans for how much having his hand raised means to him. “Never before has a man been able to say he’s walked into Wrestlemania and say he’s beat Hulk Hogan, beat ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, and beat John Cena,” The Rock responded. “On a professional level The Rock needs to beat you to become the greatest WWE Superstar of all time. On a personal level, I just don’t like you.” The Rock Confirms Presence at Next Year’s Wrestlemania Other bouts at Wrestlemania 28 include Randy Orton vs. Kane, HHH vs. The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell), and Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship. Watch below for highlights from the exchange between Rock-Cena: PHOTO CREDIT – WWE Tweet

Posted in: time, cena, wwe, rock, wrestlemania

Read the full article at Fighters.com

One of the hottest Light Heavyweight prospects in recent times, Phil Davis, burst onto the mixed martial arts (MMA) scene reeling off nine straight victories. Five of those came inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ranks against top stars such as Alexander Gustafsson, Tim Boetsch, Brian Stann and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. On Jan., 28, 2012, "Mr. Wonderful" faced his toughest competition to date in former 205-pound champion Rashad Evans. The two former NCAA Division-1 wrestlers headlined the promotions second foray into primetime television, UFC on FOX 2 in Chicago, Illinois. After five rounds of action, Evans proved his experience and skill-set were too much for Davis to handle, as he went on to score a unanimous decision victory and secure his title shot against division champion Jon Jones. Now that he has had time to reflect on his first professional MMA loss, Davis opens up about what went wrong and the holes he can now see in his arsenal, which he directly attributes to his time inside the Octagon with Evans. Make the jump to see what he had to say today (Mar., 26, 2012) on the The MMA Hour: "A lot of things did not go right. What didn't go right was, I was doing ok in the first period and then I got myself into one of those crucifix positions. Was I in danger? Not necessarily, but they look bad to referees. I was in danger of losing the fight if he throws ten elbows at my head. I got myself into one of the situations where you've got to go all out to get out of that, and put out a lot of energy. That kind of put me behind on momentum, and from there, Rashad was just the calmer guy. He eased into the fight better. More and more, I was trying to do more to gain momentum and he was just calm and collected. He was an opportunist. He just took advantage of everything that came his way." On handling losing for the first time in his young fight career: "I definitely wasn't happy about it. But right away I was excited to get better. I just can't live with knowing, Hey Rashad is better than me. That does not sit well with me. So I got to get better now so that statement is no longer true. I got back in the gym right away. I'm glad he poked holes in my game because I can now know where and how to fill those holes. Losing is not the worst thing in the world. The worst thing in the world is not getting better." "Mr. Wonderful" gives his thoughts on the upcoming title fight between Evans and Jones in Atlanta, Georgia at UFC 145, as well as who he thinks will prevail: "They've trained together and Rashad knows Jon Jones' game like a teammate would. That's something only a teammate would know, so I'm going to go with Rashad. A lot of people don't give him a fair shake in this fight but it's a pretty tough fight for both guys." With the Light Heavyweight division being the most crowded it has ever been, Davis might have a long road to propel himself back into title contention with plenty of hungry challengers to confront along the way. With so many potential opponents waiting in the wings, who do you feel is a good foe to test the resolve of the former Nittany Lion? Have at it, Maniacs.

Posted in: fight, time, rashad, evan, davi

Read the full article at MMA Mania

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

Read the full article at Fightlinker

Go west, young Judoka. Strikeforce women's 135-pound champion Ronda Rousey, who proved she can not only "talk the talk" but also "walk the walk" by submitting Miesha Tate earlier this month in Ohio, is about to do something she hasn't done since embarking on a career in mixed martial arts (MMA). Take her act on the road. The "Rowdy" one is heading to the 209, to train with Nick and Nate Diaz at the Cesar Gracie Academy in Stockton, California, home to some of the finest combat athletes in the UFC and Strikeforce, including Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez. Rousey lays out her itinerary for MMA Weekly, after the jump. "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, and they’re good at a bunch of things that I need to work on so I’m super excited. It’s going to be the first time I’m training away from home in a long time." Rousey is the ruler of a very small roost. Despite her talents, the list of title contenders at 135-pounds begins and ends at Sarah Kaufman, herself a former champion, who may have earned a crack at the crown by taking a majority decision from Alexis Davis back on March 3 in Columbus. Unless Tate can somehow get herself an immediate rematch. Either way, it's scary to think what kind of foe either "Takedown" or Kaufman will be facing if Rousey can indeed sharpen her blade on the Diaz stone. Is there anyone in the women's division that can stop her? Calling all "Cyborgs" ...

Posted in: mma, time, train, irsquom, rousey

Read the full article at MMA Mania

This is a guest post by Stephie "Crooklyn" Daniels. Follow Crooklyn on Twitter @CrooklynMMA. By the time Alan Belcher steps back into the octagon on May 5, against super tough Brazilian, Rousimar Palhares at UFC on Fox 3, he will have been away from the sport for the better part of a year, but "The Talent" says that it feels like he just dispatched Jason McDonald only yesterday. With a little under six weeks to go before their scheduled bout, Belcher has once again brought in Daniel Moraes, and has added another well known name in Brazilian jiu jitsu to his camp, Dean Lister. In a recent interview, Alan details his preparation for Palhares, and talks about a new personal challenge he has set for himself, competing in gi jiu jitsu tournaments. SD: In a recent interview you did, you stated that you want to beat Rousimar by submission. Is it safe to assume that you'd like it to be a heel hook? AB: [laughs] Oh, that would be so cool to get a foot lock or a heel hook or something like that. That'd be great, but you know, I think I'd just be very happy with a win. If I could chose a way to win, definitely, but I don't think I'm going to put myself in that situation, so that's probably not going to happen. SD: Do you feel that you will be able to capitalize on your size advantage, and have you ever fought anyone as compact as Palhares? AB: I actually have fought someone like that. Not in the UFC, it was before I got signed. They have their advantages and their weaknesses, just like I do. I feel comfortable though. I'd rather fight someone shorter and stockier than me, than someone taller. SD: Many feel that you have a significant striking advantage. What do you think you'll be able to capitalize most with, kicks or punches? AB: Kick and go is definitely going to be a part of my game. I definitely want to be kicking him, slowing down his legs, shooting in, and making him think twice. People say 'You don't want to kick too much, and give him your leg,' but I have a lot of different weapons. I can punch straight down the middle, hooks, uppercuts, knees elbows, and I can kick high and low. All those things can throw my opponent off, so I don't want to limit myself to any one thing. I'm developing some slick tactics and strategies, for sure. SD: What do you think Rousimar's weaknesses are? AB: Obviously his striking. He doesn't have a lot of range, because he's kind of short. He also gets a little bit frustrated sometimes. If it's not going the way he wants, he's always quick to try to talk to the referee, and that's a bad habit to get into. He's really strong and explosive, but not really technical. He's got some nasty leg locks and foot locks, but still, on the technical side of it, I just think don't think he's all around as good as me, ground or standing. SD: You've been working with Duke Roufus for a while now, but have you brought in anyone special to your training camp this time around? AB: I'm going to go up to Roufusport in the middle of April, about two or three weeks before the fight. I want to at least get in a solid two weeks with Ben Askren and Duke Roufus. Those two guys are really good friends, and my main reason to go up there. I'm doing most of my camp here with Daniel Moraes, Davi Ramos and Dean Lister. SD: When did you add Dean Lister to your camp? AB: Yesterday, actually. He got here yesterday, and will be here for a few weeks. Dean Lister is an amazing guy. He's really technical and really strategic. It's really cool having him around. Just last night and today, we trained, and I've already learned a lot of cool stuff from him. He won't be going to Duke's with me, or be in my corner, but I just need a few weeks to pick his brain, and I think I'll be Palhares proof. Daniel Moraes is a five time jiu jitsu champ, and I've had him in my last few camps. He's the one that I went to Brazil with, and he's going to be with me the whole time, so he's kind of coordinating everything with me. I've got three really good black belt world champions. SD: You've had a fairly long layoff since your last fight, just shy of nine months. Do you foresee any issues with conditioning or ring rust at all? AB: I've kept myself in shape this whole time. The reason for my layoff this time was because my little boy had just been born, and I didn't want to get right back in there. It went by so fast that I feel like I'm in another training camp right away. It doesn't even feel like a layoff. It feels like I'm right back in there on schedule. My life is just going so fast right now. It's fun, and I'm having a good time right now, but I don't even feel like I've had any real layoff. SD: Do you have plans to fight again this year? AB: I think one more time would work for me. Maybe August or September at the earliest, and then at the beginning of next year. SD: Ideally, is two fights a year good for you, or would you like to shoot for three next year? AB: There's really no reason for me to fight three times in a year. I don't really need the money. My life is going fast anyway, so I don't want to just to cram fights in. I want to take my time, and make sure that I give myself time to focus on my fights from the mental aspect. Physically, I'm training year round. Two times a year is plenty for me. I love my family and my wife. Everything is great, and I have everything that I want. My fighting career is just a bonus, a personal challenge for me. You know, I did the gi world championships a couple years ago, and I lost my first match. It was really close, but now that I'm a black belt, I would like to put together a real training camp for that, and go for it, just as another personal achievement. To win a match as a black belt in the Worlds, that would be great, and it would mean a lot to me. It may not mean much to anyone else, and they may not care, but it does to me. It's [Worlds] coming up after my fight, so I might be doing that. SD: How important was your win over MacDonald, considering that he has a phenomenal ground game, and you were coming off a long layoff due to your eye injury? AB: It was great. I was obviously nervous about coming back off that injury. It was awesome that I was challenged by such a good black belt. SD: Where do you think that a win over Palhares puts you in the division? AB: My personal opinion, is that it puts me up in the top two or three guys. There's always going to be someone that's kind of equal to you, and I think it puts me into that category, like the three number one contenders [laughs]. One thing I keep saying in my interviews, is that I know if I win, I won't go backwards. Follow Alan via his Twitter @alanbelcherufc

Posted in: fight, time, year, ab, sd

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Strikeforce bantamweight title-holder Ronda Rousey has grown leaps and bounds since turning from judo to a life in MMA. Now, the former Olympian has decided to expand her skills on a regular basis by joining UFC fighters Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz in Stockton. Rousey talked about an upcoming trip to Cesar Gracie‘s camp, where the Diaz brothers amongst others, train, in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio where she said, “I’m going up there from the 3rd to the 16th 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,” added the 25-year old champion, also saying she planned to stop there in the future too while preparing for opponents. Rousey defeated Miesha Tate to secure the belt with an Armbar earlier this month. Her next opponent is likely to be Sarah Kaufman who earned a victory over Alexis Davis on the same show. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: time, mmaweekly radio, camp, rousey, stockton rousey

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

I don't know about anybody else, but it feels to me like TUF may have finally run its course as a succesful entertainment product. With the move to the new live format, there are obviously teething problems to be expected but it feels really disjointed and somewhat awkward to me. Some of that is really just production stuff - like John Anik commentating on the fights by himself, and the weird 10 second interview with Dana between the last commercial break and the next fight selection. Some of it, however, seems to be endemic to the live production of the show - not enough time to create a coherent storyline from a weeks worth of footage, ads during a live fight. So I'm wondering whether or not it might be time to scrap the whoel TUF concept and basically rip the Bellator tournament model and Friday night fights to create a new weekly UFC product. These tournaments could fulfil the same purpose that TUF fills - building up new/talent-light weightclasses by giving the winner a UFC contract, as well as impressive performances being rewarded with future UFC fights as well. Thoughts? submitted by deanacus [link] [comment]

Posted in: fight, time, tuf, ufc product, newtalentlight weightclasses

Read the full article at Reddit

At least, that's Cung Le's hope. After Wanderlei Silva ruined the much anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut of former Strikeforce Middleweight champion Cung Le at UFC 139 back on Nov. 19, 2011, rearranging his nose in the process, not much has been heard from the San Shou world champion. Perhaps he has been busy over in "Tinsel Town" putting the final touches on his latest Hollywood endeavor, "Dragon Eye’s," which is scheduled for release on DVD and Blu-Ray on April 9, 2012. Or, he was getting his nose fixed up again for the third time. Whatever's been keeping Le away from the mixed martial arts (MMA) spotlight, it will soon have to take a back seat as the head honchos over at Zuffa are requiring his services at UFC 148 on July 7, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada, against former 185-pound champion and all around "company man," Rich Franklin. The two will go toe-to-toe in a pivotal 185-pound clash to see just exactly where the two are in their MMA careers, though a win for either won't exactly mean an automatic catapult into title contention. Appearing on Tapout Radio Live (via Bloody Elbow) Le talked about what went wrong in his bout with Silva, his broken nose, and donuts and chocolate. Check out his comments in the extended entry: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} "Wanderlei came in with a great game plan. Watching all of his fights, he always comes forward. For him to get on his bicycle and backpedal, you know, have me come towards him, definitely threw me off. Having me take the fight to him threw me off, because my whole camp, from beginning to end, was having people come at me. I'm usually pretty good at chasing people down, but I didn't train that at all. I was on the defense ... it was a good game plan for him. I've got to take my hat off to him and his camp for coming up with a solid game plan. My trainer, Javier Mendez, got on me a lot, because when I had Wanderlei hurt, instead of staying on him with punches, because I was already right there, I stepped back and started throwing wheel kicks, trying to look for that spectacular knockout, and it didn't work out. My trainer told me that was dumb on my part, but, you live and learn. It's in the past, and I've accepted the loss. I was honored to have fought Wanderlei. Now, it's time for me to move forward and get ready to throw down with Rich Franklin." Le also talked about the badly damaged nose he suffered thanks to the dangerous Muay Thai attack of "The Axe Murderer": "I didn't even have the surgery until two weeks later. The nose break wasn't actually that bad. The Cardinal rule is when you get your nose broke, you don't blow your nose, but when I was walking back to my corner, I blew my nose to get all that crap out. Of course it blew up, so it might have looked really bad at the time, but it wasn't that bad. Don't get me wrong, it was broken, and I had surgery to fix it. Funny thing, Asians already have flat noses, so with this being my third surgery.... I'm just glad my doctor was really good. He's gotten it a lot straighter than the other two times." Finally, the all-around kicking machine touched on his upcoming bout with "Ace" and the rigors of cutting weight: "I'm honored to be fighting a former UFC champion. I'm very excited to get back in the octagon and fight my heart out. It's probably going to be a barn burner. We're both going to be in really good shape. He's coming off a long layoff, and he's cutting down. Cutting weight is no fun. I recently read somewhere that he has a sweet tooth, and I also have one. I think his is for donuts or something, and mine is for chocolate. When we step in the cage, and it's all said and done, maybe the winner can spring for either chocolate or donuts." With a budding movie career, it is unclear exactly how long Le will keep fighting professionally. From 2008 to late 2009, Le took a 21-month hiatus from fighting to focus on his film roles, and any bout, could possibly be his last. Though he isn’t talking about retirement in any sense of the word, the successful movie star seems to have plenty of options outside of the Octagon that do not lead to broken noses. That is of course, assuming he doesn’t do any of his own stunts. For the time being, Le has a date with Franklin, one of the most respected fighters in the UFC, on July 7, 2012 in "Sin City." Anyone think Le can take advantage of Franklin’s long layoff? Or will Franklin give Le his second consecutive loss in as many fights in the UFC? Opinions, please.

Posted in: ufc, time, game plan, franklin, nose

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Infamous YouTube fighter Rene "Level" Martinez (3-0-1) has found a new MMA promotion to call home. Martinez and Florida's Fight Time Promotions announced that the ex-Miami street fighter has signed a four fight deal with the company. Fight Time Promotions is run by former American Top Team striking coach and Olympic boxer Howard Davis Jr. Martinez made a name for himself fighting in the same backyards as Kimbo Slice (4-2). As a 170 pound MMA fighter Martinez made his debut in September 2009 to much less hype than his heavyweight street fighting counterpart. In four career professional fights Martinez has gone the distance three times and has only managed to stop MMA rookie Charles Champion (0-1).Fight Time 9 MMA Explosion will take place on Friday April 27th at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Martinez will compete on the undercard versus a unannounced opponent. Former UFC light heavyweight Wilson Wilson Gouveia (13-8) will headline Fight Time 9. Now 38 years old Martinez's days as a viable MMA prospect have dwindled to its lowest levels. Martinez's management team made the right call when they inked a long term deal with a stable MMA promotion like Fight Time. If, Martinez can put "butts in the seats" and rack consecutive noteworthy wins than he has an outside shot at making it in a national MMA promotion. Martinez's charisma and archive of online street-fighting knockouts could leap frog him to the front of the free agent line if he adds to his highlight reel under the Fight Time Promotions banner.

Posted in: fight, mma, promotion, time, martinez

Read the full article at UltMMA

For Rich Franklin, figuring out exactly where he fit in the UFC was a difficult prospect. Now, “Ace” is primed and positioned to compete at middleweight with a bout set for later this year against Cung Le. In Le, Franklin will be looking to shake off several months of rust, having not competed since early in 2011 against Forrest Griffin due to a serious shoulder injury. Franklin (28-6) is a former middleweight champion who lost the title to current champ Anderson Silva back in 2006. After getting another crack at “The Spider,” Franklin was unable to solve him, falling for a second time by way of brutal strike-baed stoppage. “That would be my Cinderella story. It would be great. I had one chance at that and fighting in my hometown and all that kind of stuff to regain my title, swing and miss, strike one,” said Franklin of making a final run at the belt in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “We’re starting with a good exciting fight, and we’ll move forward from there. But that would be my Cinderella story.” Silva earned a first round KO and a second round TKO over Franklin, the latter coming in Franklin’s hometown of Cincinnati. Since those meetings, the explosive Brazilian has dominated the 185-pound division while Franklin has spent time competing at a heavier weight. With his return to middleweight he feels like he’s back where he should be. “After the injury, I was talking to (manager) Monte Cox and I said, ‘What would the UFC think about me moving back down to 185,” Franklin explained of his drop back down. “I think at this point in time, in their minds, if I was able to put a title run together, even if they did do another rematch with Anderson and I, there’s been enough time at this point that there would be interest in the fight.” Franklin will face Le on July 7 at UFC 148. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, time, title, franklin, cinderella story

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Pat Healy here, checking in once more for the final edition of this chapter of the Bam vs. Wild series. In it I’ll talk a little bit about my fight with Caros Fodor, then update you on where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing since the fight. Caros was a really powerful and strong, compacted puncher, and his ground and pound showed that too. That surprised me, but I probably should have known it after the Justin Wilcox knockout. Still, you never really know what it feels like until you’re in there with an opponent. He was just so compact and stout and could definitely throw some leather. He caught me with a good shot and I got a bit of a head buzz in the first round, but I was never dazed or in danger of the fight getting stopped or close to getting KO’d. Man, that win felt good! I got six stitches after my fight, and I feel like I’m getting to know the doctor pretty well since he stitched me up after the last fight. Feels like we’re building some good rapport. The swelling in my nose has gone down, but it looks pretty crooked, at least a bit more than I’m used to. I took a hard knee in training around five weeks before the fight, and I’m pretty sure I’d broken it then. I had to sit out a lot from sparring, and when I got back into it I had to wear some headgear with a metal bar across the nose to protect it. I don’t know if I did it in training, or if it just got worse in the fight, but it looks pretty crooked and my breathing out of it isn’t very good. The first time I broke my nose was when I was 17, and I’ve never really been able to breathe out of it that well since, but it might be time to get it looked at, so I might go see somebody soon to see what they can tell me. I’ve never had anything done to it. I don’t know what they’ll say. I’m sure I’ve got a deviated septum, as I’ve never been able to breathe out of it properly after that first time it broke. Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate were amazing. They both looked tough, and if there was any question of Ronda being able to go, well, she looked fit and in control enough to go onto the other rounds. She looked very impressive. Miesha impressed me too when she managed to take Ronda’s back in the middle of the round. It was much more than I was expecting, and both of them looked so impressive. You’ve got to think Ronda is right up there with some of the top fighters in the world. I don’t know about “Cyborg” Santos but that fight would be fun. “Cyborg” looks like she’s on a different level, but Ronda is too with her strength and the way she was moving around. I don’t know if that match-up will ever happen, but it’d definitely be cool if it does. However, Sarah Kaufman is next for Ronda. I think Sarah’s hands looked superb, and if she can keep the fight standing I think she’ll do great. That being said, I think Ronda might be a little too much for her on the ground and may get her there if it makes the difference in the fight. Kudos to Alexis Davis too. She definitely won a lot of fans that night on her toughness as far as coming back and giving Kaufman a good beating in the third round. She definitely impressed a lot of people, that’s for sure, myself included. I was thinking about something. You know, I feel I’ve been the underdog every time I’ve gone out there for Strikeforce. From my very first fight, I think Strikeforce brought me in to lose to Bryan Travers because he was a rising star on a good streak. So I’ve felt a bit like they’ve had me against up and comers the whole time, but I’m okay with that you know? I think might make me a “gatekeeper” or whatever you want to call it, but I’m 5-1 in Strikeforce now, and six times I’ve been the underdog. I’ve proved the doubters wrong in every single fight but one. I don’t know what the future holds after this. It’s hard to argue Josh Thomson for the next title shot since he’s already beaten me, but I’d sure like to see what happens. If they feel like I need to fight somebody else I’d be happy to do that again. I’d love a rematch with Josh, especially if they have Gilbert Melendez fight someone else. In that scenario it seems like Josh and I would be the logical fight to make. There have been some rumors of a crossover fight where somebody from the UFC comes and challenges Melendez. I think it would be really good for Strikeforce in general because people still look at us as a “second tier” organization. There is a large segment of “hardcore” fans that still don’t know a lot about us or if we even fight with the same rules as the UFC. It’s something that I get asked quite often actually – “Is Strikeforce the same rules as the UFC?” So I think anything that will bring some star power and eyes on Strikeforce would be good, especially to let people know that we’re legit. A crossover fight would be interesting for sure and I’m excited to see what might come of that. Myself personally, I’m overall a different fighter than I used to be. I’d love if people could look at my career after I went to 155. That was a huge change for me. I think that’s the weight I should’ve been at the whole time. I was lazy and undisciplined with my diet. I would just eat whatever. I didn’t know what to eat or how to eat. I think a lot of it also changed when I moved back to Team Quest. When the IFL crumbled and I moved back to Quest, it really felt like home with coaches and teammates that cared about me. It was there that I really settled in and made some serious choices, like the days I’d start working short days and could get off to practice at 3:00. It was things like making choices not to work long hours and make sure I was in the gym five days a week. It might have been shortly after the first Ryan Ford fight now that I think about it. Back to the present, after my win over Fodor all I was looking forward to after the fight was eating and Chicago, but all I did when I got back to the hotel was have a quick meal and went to bed. I knew I had to get up early to drive to Chicago which I did the next morning with my friend and corner man. However, I definitely ate when I got to Chicago! From the North Side to the South Side to the West Side to everywhere and all different food spots. I definitely became a pig when it came to food. I was in Greek Town, Harold’s Chicken, Giovanni’s, you name it! I hit all the big spots. I wasn’t disappointed on that end of the trip for sure. If they call me for a fight tomorrow, I may definitely be a welterweight again, but hopefully I’ll have plenty of time to get back down before the bout. I also got to see the Chicago Bulls play live and I’ve never sat closer. It was basically front row, but there were a couple of boundaries and a divider in front of that so I guess technically it was the third row? Regardless, it was awesome to be that close. We were right behind the bench, and I was close to give the players some tips if they needed it. Truly, it was good fun. I then drove up to the St. Louis area to visit some of my old friends. It’s actually a town called Collinsville just outside of St. Louis. Anyways, I’ve got some friends from college and one of my regional coaches Steve Berger is still here. I went in and trained and rolled with him. It was great to see how far we’ve both come and to see some of the old guys and see how much they’ve improved. It was great, nearly being five years since the last time we’d gotten together. That’s all from me for this final edition of Bam vs. Wild. Before I go, I’d like to thank A.C.T. Sports Drink and Dr. Steve at Mentaltrainingprogram.com – I worked a lot with him leading up to the fight. He became a good friend and helped me get my mental game ready for the fight, and I look forward to continue working for him in the future. Thanks for Five Ounces of Pain for letting me do this again. I had a lot of fun! Until next time catch up with me on Twitter at @bambamhealy. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: fight, time, strikeforce, lot, ronda

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Dana White sat down with the Calgary Sun while in Canada and big-upped our national sport hockey while simultaneoulsy implying soccer was for pussies. I’m not a big hockey fan. But I respect how talented you have to be to play hockey. Soccer? That’s a whole other ball. Can’t stand soccer. It’s the least-talented sport on Earth. There’s a reason three-year-olds can play soccer. When you’re playing a game when the net is that big and the score is 3-1 (and that’s a blowout) are you kidding me? You know how untalented you have to be to score three times when the net is that big? Now back to hockey. You have guys on skates with crooked sticks and you have to hit a puck into a net that’s the same size as the goalie. And at any time someone could take your head right off your shoulders and it’s perfectly legal. That’s a real sport that takes real talent, speed and all the things you need to be a real athlete. Now fighting is a part of hockey and has been since Day 1. It’s part of the game. It is what it is. I think we live in a world now where everything has been so pussy-fied. When I grew up we didn’t wear helmets when we rode our bikes. We didn’t have car seats. We didn’t have all this stuff. Now things are safer and we should be safer but let’s not go overboard. Fighting’s a part of hockey. Period. What the hell is Dana White doing??? Doesn't he know he's going to be spending a lot of time down in Brazil, the land of Pussyball? Maybe he'll Romney-bot it when he arrives and say hockey is just figure skating for thugs. And maybe after the UFC spends a bit more time in stadiums rather than arenas he'll start to understand that it's the size of the field that's the deciding factor in scoring, not the net. And soccer isn't full of pussies. Those badasses are always mixing it up. More examples of the manliest sport in the world right here.

Posted in: time, ’t, sport, soccer, hockey

Read the full article at Fightlinker

Former UFC welterweight prospect Brian Foster has been ruled out of Bellator's upcoming 170-pound tournament less than two weeks before he was supposed to make his promotional debut at Bellator 63, the organization announced on Thursday. Bellator officials would not disclose why Foster (18-5) was not medically cleared to fight by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation. However, this isn't the first time Foster hasn't been medically cleared to fight recently. He was ruled out of a UFC 129 fight against Sean Pierson last year after a brain hemorrhage was detected in an MRI. The UFC decided to medically release Foster months later. Since then, he picked up two wins in England and Illinois and was set to debut for Bellator next Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. Michael Mazzulli, the director of the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation, also declined to specify why he would not grant the 27-year-old Foster a license to fight David Rickels. "Unfortunately, at this present time," Mazzulli said, "Mr. Foster was unable to pass a certain medical that was required by the Mohegan Tribe by all participants." Mazzulli said he requires every fighter to provide five pieces of medical information in order to get licensed. If a fighter fails to provide acceptable results in at least one of these tests, they are not licensed by his commission. Those pieces of medical information are: * A physical taken within the last year. * An eye exam taken with the last year. * A baseline EKG test. * An MRI or CAT scan. * A blood test for Hepatitis B, C and HIV. Mazzulli refused to disclose whether Foster failed his MRI or CAT scan this time around, however, Foster implied on Twitter moments after the news broke that he was dealing with the same issue as prior to the Pierson fight. "I'm fine it's just the same ole (expletive) from last time. They just didn't get my release stuff in time or something." Foster was not available for any further comment. Mazzulli said that the results provided by Foster for one of the test were not acceptable, and as a result, Foster has been placed on indefinite suspension by the Mohegan Tribe. Foster will only be allowed to fight there again if he provides a test result that is acceptable. Mazzulli will also suspend Foster for an undetermined amount of time and he said that he hoped every athletic commission would respect that suspension. "I'm looking out for the best interest of the fighter," he said. "My concern is health and safety." Bellator newcomer Jordan Smith will replace Foster against Rickles in the Season 5 welterweight tournament.

Posted in: fight, time, test, mohegan, mazzulli

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

UFC 152 fight card rumors and start times for September 22, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, card, rumor

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

UFC 154 fight card rumors and start times for November 17, 2012 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, card, rumor

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Former UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans has come a long way since winning The Ultimate Fighter 2 back in 2005. Since then he has turned into one of the more recognizable athletes in the UFC today and has elevated his game from that of just a wrestler to a well-rounded Mixed Martial Artist who can beat anyone put before him in the cage. “Sugar” ‘Shad has proven time and time again no matter how tough the opponent he is always game for a big fight and will never let anyone tell him he can’t win. He wasn’t supposed to win TUF as a small light heavyweight competing for the heavyweight title yet in the finale he defeated 6’7”, 265 lbs Brad Imes, impressive considering the size difference. After defeating a few fighters who were thought to be on par with his talent, Evans finally got his big chance against Tito Ortiz and gave the former champ all he could handle in what would go down as a Draw. Soon thereafter, Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, and Forrest Griffin, the latter of whom he defeated for the divisional title, would find out just how far Evans had come. He had dynamite striking and was adept at using his wrestling to get the fight to the floor when necessary. In his nearly seven years with the UFC, Evans has lost only once and the stumble came in a title defense to accomplished 205er Lyoto Machida at UFC 98. That was nearly three years ago, though due to injuries and inactivity Evans has fought only four times since, winning against Thiago Silva, Quinton Jackson, Ortiz, and most recently Phil Davis. The Davis victory set him up for a much anticipated shot at current champion and former training partner/friend Jon Jones next month at UFC 145 in Atlanta. The world already knows the history between the two and how Evans left Greg Jackson’s camp because of the animosity between him and Jones. However, there is much more to Evans than just the fight with Jones. He is as passionate about this sport as anyone else. He is a devoted family man who misses his best friend/big brother Lance Evans, presently stationed in Afghanistan. Evans knows that this fight is important, but he also knows that this one fight will not define his career. He is happy where he’s at and ready to reclaim the UFC championship. “Things are going so good for me right now,” explained Evans in an interview with Five Ounces of Pain. “I feel good since my last fight and it’s just continued on with this training camp. I’d really like to fight three or four times a year. I like to have that feeling where I want to fight. As long as I have that feeling I’ll fight as much as possible.” Evans had a lot riding on his fight with Davis this past January. If he had fallen he wouldn’t have received a chance to not only fight Jones but to also win back the title he lost to Machida. On top of all of that pressure, his bout with Davis was occupying the main event slot of a UFC on FOX card. It’s not that Evans hadn’t been in big fights before, but there were high expectations from all involved to produce an entertaining show after the UFC’s first foray on FOX lasted just a minute. “It felt like there was a little bit more pressure,” Evans said. “Then again I really put the added pressure on myself because I wanted to put on a show and put on a good fight for the people of Chicago. The actual show itself was pretty much the same as any of the other fights I’ve been in. One thing I was worried about was the title shot, I really wanted to win and go after the title so that added some pressure as well.” It seems all people want to do these days when they talk to Evans or Jones is get them to trash talk one another. For some, it’s gotten to the point where they want to tune it all out, anxious to simply see the fight to happen so the sport can move forward while the involved fighters move on to the next stage of their careers. Evans can relate to such a mindset, also having had his fill of people telling him what Jones is saying. “I’m just looking forward to fighting him to be honest,” offered Evans. “A lot of the back and forth and a lot of the drama is so old. I’m tired of hearing people say Jon is going to do this to you and he said this about you. It seems everyone has their own opinion. For me, I am just looking forward to getting it on. I had a good experience in Atlanta when I fought Chuck and hopefully it’ll turn out the same.” No longer training with Jackson in New Mexico, Evans has found a new home and a new family with the Blackzilians in Boca Raton, Florida. There, under the tutelage of Mike Van Arsdale, Evans feels comfortable and has formed a bond with many of his new teammates. Following him down to Florida thus far, amongst others, have Melvin Guillard and UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem. Managed by Authentic Sports Management, Evans is at peace with his surroundings. “Down here it’s more organized and there are a lot more talented guys,” Evans elaborated on his current circumstances. “There’s just a better overall atmosphere down here. I’m a silly dude and I like to joke around. I like to make things a little lighter and funnier. It’s crazy the way things are now and how they were when I first started. I thought things would always be the same, but now things have changed so much. Keith Jardine just came down to train with us for awhile and seeing him was nice. Keith and I said we would never fight and that’s the way things were supposed to be with John, but I guess he didn’t feel the same way.” Should Evans get by Jones next month and recapture the light heavyweight title the UFC already has an opponent waiting in the wings. 41-year-old Dan Henderson, fresh off of his thrilling five round Unanimous Decision victory over former 205-pound champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, is next in line for the winner of Evans-Jones. “I definitely think Henderson is next in line,” Evans proclaimed. “I heard he’s going to wait and face the winner of my fight with Jones. I mean it makes sense for him to wait. At his age he has every right to sit out and wait to fight for the belt. These opportunities don’t come around every day. He’s still going strong; he’s out there and still doing his thing.” Evans is one of many UFC fighters who will be attending the MMA Show Live in Birmingham, England in May. Others scheduled to join him are Brendan Schaub, Frank Trigg, Stefan Struve, Stephen Thompson, and Brittney Palmer. No doubt happy to focus on something other than the Jones rivalry and get away from the spotlight of America, Evans is looking forward to meeting the English fans and seeing some old friends as well. “I am going to be doing a seminar and a meet and greet with the fans,” revealed Evans. “I had a good time the last time I was in Birmingham to watch the fights. It’s definitely a different vibe over there, but I had a good time. I’m looking forward to spending some time with Schaub; it’ll be good to hang out with some of my old friends again. I watched Brendan go from a guy who came into the gym to get into shape and look where he is now, it’s nice to watch his progression.” Also outside of the regular realm of the fight business, Evans brother Lance, who once tried out for The Ultimate Fighter and has fought for some regional shows in Michigan and the surrounding areas, has since gone on to enlist in the United States military and is stationed over in Afghanistan. Rashad will miss having his brother around come fight time, but he’s happy to see his sibling doing something he loves. “He’s in Afghanistan right now, in fact he just went back,” Evans explained. “He won’t be able to attend the fight as he’s going to be there for awhile. He likes what he’s doing, it’s tough being over there and there’s a lot that they don’t show on the news over here. There’s a lot of violence and you never know what’s going to happen. Being away from your family is hard and you never know what you’re going to come back to, it’s tough on the soldiers. The thing about America is we follow fads and it goes that way as far as the troops are concerned. If it’s not cool to support them then people don’t support them and that’s a shame. I miss having my brother around and it’ll be nice to have him home when his time is up.” Until Evans-Jones meet on April 21 you can keep up with Evans on his Twitter account (@SugaRashadEvans).

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, jone, evan

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

In this feature I’ll be taking a look at a hypothetical showdown featuring two of MMA’s greats that never came to fruition. This time around I’ll be looking at a potential fight between Bas Rutten and Igor Vovchancyn, a pair of men who for the most part of their careers completely disregarded weight class and at one time were also in possession of two of the longest unbeaten streaks in the sport’s history. The Who: Rutten is one of the all-time legends of the sport. One of the first highly effective strikers to also adapt his game to be a well-rounded competitor, he rose through the ranks of the Pancrase organization to capture the King of Pancrase title. He then moved over to the UFC amidst as much fanfare was possible in 1999 and became the UFC Heavyweight Champion prior to retiring. Rutten ended his career on a 22-fight unbeaten streak stretching from April 1995 to July 2006. Rutten Weighs In on Steroids in MMA Vovchanchyn could top any list of the most underrated fighters in MMA history. While Rutten was over in Pancrase, palm striking dudes into submission, Vovchanchyn was beating them senseless in bare-knuckle fights, utilizing everything from soccer kicks to karate chopping Adilson Lima in the back of the neck to become one of the most feared fighters of his generous. A vicious kickboxer who relied on his power and ability to avoid getting put on his back, ‘Ice Cold’ compiled a 37-fight unbeaten streak (including 33-fight winning streak) between January 1996 and May 2000. First through a series of European events, and then in the early days of PRIDE Igor’s next level of violence was exhibited. Vovchanchyn’s incredible streak came to a head in the finals of the PRIDE 2000 GP, but had the circumstances of that tournament been different, who knows how long his streak may have lasted The When: There are many times this fight could have taken place because of the extended winning streaks both fighters had. After Bas beat Masakatsu Funaki for his 12th consecutive win, he was at the height of his popularity and success in Japan. Vovchanchyn’s winning streak would have been at 13 at this point, however Igor’s lower profile wouldn’t have made this the ideal time for the bout. The next option came after Vovchanchyn got his first high profile win by beating Gary Goodridge in rather devastating fashion in October of 1998 (winning streak – 26). At this time Rutten would have just fought his last bout in Pancrase and his unbeaten streak sat at 19. When looking at the best time for this fight from the perspective of when it would be the best fight, not the biggest, this was it. Rutten was still in moderately good health and Vovchanchyn had proven himself a top fighter. However, there is still another option for when this fight would have been at its peak popularity-wise. The final time occurred when Rutten became the UFC champion in May 1999 but announced his intentions to drop to middleweight (unbeaten streak – 21). Let’s forget that for a moment, because four months later Vovchanchyn turned consensus #1 HW Mark Kerr into a shell of his former self. Sure, the fight went down officially as a NC, but that doesn’t tell the real story. Even better, two months after that, Vovchanchyn laced one of the most brutal KOs in MMA history when he put Francisco Bueno’s face on backwards (unbeaten streak – 34). Rutten was on top of the North American MMA world, and Vovchanchyn was on top of the sport in Japan. In terms of the size of the fight, there would be no better time for it to take place, however Rutten’s injury history was already catching up with him. If Bas were healthy, this would have absolutely been the best time for the fight, so in the alternate universe where we actually get to see this go down, Bas is healthy and the fight takes place near the end of 1999. The Why: During the late 90s these were the two most dominant Heavyweight fighters in the sport. Vovchanchyn is one of the most devastating punchers the sport has ever seen. Despite being restricted by Pancrase rules for most of his career, Rutten still managed twelve TKO’s. When MMA was still a Wild West of sorts, this fight would have decided the best HW in the sport even though both guys were at best LHWs by today’s standards. Two fighters with diverse striking games who had a goal of putting as much violence as possible on their opponent, and it would decide the #1 heavyweight in MMA when that title still actually meant the best fighter in the sport. Honestly, I’d prefer to see a reason this fight shouldn’t have been made. The How: Aside from his early career, when “El Guapo” really had no concept of the submission game, the only weakness he ever really showed was in the wrestling game. An excellent striker who became a vicious body striker in part due to the Pancrase rules, Rutten used kicks, punches and knees to the head and body with equal effectiveness. The development of his submission game was the crowning achievement in Rutten’s career however, as he became almost as dangerous with his grappling as he was on the feet, and proficient enough in that aspect to compete with the likes of Funaki and Frank Shamrock on the ground. We’ve already discussed Igor’s potent punching power, but his effectiveness both standing and on the ground with those punches makes them even more of a weapon. Vovchanchyn doesn’t bring the same type of well-roundedness as Rutten to the ring in terms of a submission attack, and that would likely hurt him in this fight, although his wrestling is probably a notch above Rutten’s, and his takedown defense is vastly superior to that of Rutten’s, in part because of his stature and partly because he actually learned how to sprawl, rather than just slapping on a front headlock and hoping for the best. In the end, I actually would expect that despite these two having their base in striking this fight would end up on the mat, with Vovchanchyn on top trying to re-create his brutal beating of Enson Inoue. Igor’s positional awareness when it came to grappling was never the best, but as a result of the Pancrase style of grappling he was accustomed to, this is likely not something Rutten would be able to capitalize on. Imagine Bas’ fight with Kevin Randleman if Randleman was willing to stand up for portions and actually let loose with consistent offense throughout the fight. The question then becomes, is Rutten’s length and superior kicking game enough to win him the fight during those striking exchanges? Personally, I don’t think it would be. Vovchanchyn is too savvy a kickboxer to stay on the outside and allow himself to be peppered with strikes. He would get in tight, work his power shots and get the fight to the floor. I know it’s blasphemy to pick against Bas, but as long as Igor would be able to avoid getting caught with a leg lock in the midst of a scramble, Vovchanchyn would likely come out the victor via Unanimous Decision, because I simply don’t see El Guapo getting finished. Agree or disagree with this breakdown? Have suggestions for future fights to be included in this series? Let me know on twitter @bradtaschuk. Tweet

Posted in: fight, time, rutten, streak, vovchanchyn

Read the full article at Fighters.com

At UFC 145 on Sat., April 21, 2012, at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones will put his title on the line against former division king and ex-teammate Rashad Evans. And he's blogging about it at Fox Sports: "My opponent believes he 'has my number' because of the time we spent training. While he is obviously familiar with how I fight, I am familiar with him too, and we didn't spend that much time training together. If you added up all the days we worked out together or sparred, we probably only trained together for a month. That's a ton of time to observe someone, but it's not like we spent years training with each other. ... I'll let my opponent continue to say he has my number. On April 21 he'll realize he doesn't even have my area code." Buh dum tss. There have been countless stories told regarding who got the better of who for the short time these two elite 205-pound beasts grappled and rolled on the mats down in New Mexico at Greg Jackson's gym. Not surprisingly, both claim that they were the one who, in fact, got the better of the other. But while proper training will certainly play a large part in who actually wins the fight come April 21, it's unlikely that a mat session years ago will be the deciding factor. Or will it? Only one more month until we find out.

Posted in: time, training, april, division king, month thats

Read the full article at MMA Mania

For an entire decade the URCC has been scouring the Philippines to find the best fighters, giving them opportunities to showcase their talents and guiding an elite few to greatness. The likes of Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon and Eric Kelly are recognized and respected all over Asia after making a name for themselves fighting for the only domestic Filipino promotion. As Folayang, Belingon and Kelly are finally getting their chance to shine on the international stage, along with URCC Champions Rey Docyogen and Honorio Banario, the search is already on for a new generation of Filipino talent to fill the roster. One of the fighters most likely to succeed will be in action in the main event of URCC 21 as the promotion returns to the capital city of Manila for the first time in almost six months. It will be the 42nd event the URCC has put on since its formation ten years ago and center stage is likely to belong to Froilan Sarenas (pictured). The 31 year old Filipino is the reigning URCC Middleweight Champion and is going up against Light Heavyweight Champion Nicholas Mann. The Australian's belt will be the one on the line and it will be an opportunity for Sarenas to make history by becoming the first man to hold URCC titles at two different weights. The match up ranks as something of a surprise as Sarenas, who has a professional record of 3-0, was widely tipped to drop down to the welterweight division. However instead he will me moving up and fighting at the light heavyweight limit of 189 lbs. Sarenas did not enter the MMA world until late in life, making his debut in 2010 at the age of 29. He won his first three fights, claiming the URCC middleweight title in the process, but was forced to fit his training around a full time job. He recently joined Ole Laursen's Legacy Gym in Boracay and has been training full time with the Muay Thai and K-1 veteran as he prepares for back to back ONE FC fights. Sarenas has been a purple belt in BJJ for over four years and now that he is dedicating himself full time to MMA he looks likely to be the next Filipino fighter to break out onto the international scene. His opponent, Nicholas Mann is currently 3-1, riding a three fight win streak and will be determined to silence the Filipino fans by handing Sarenas the first loss of his career. If Sarenas can register a fourth consecutive career win he will be well on his way to becoming the latest in a long line of MMA superstars to emerge from the Philippines. Another name to watch out for is Jerson Estero. He is a Muay Thai champion with professional boxing experience who has an MMA record of 4-2 and is coming off a loss to the much taller Will Chope at URCC 20, in a fight the American failed to make weight for. He will be up against 2-1 Onyok Transmonte whose only career loss was by majority decision. Chope is currently 4-0 in the URCC having defeated four separate Filipino opponents but he could be in for his biggest challenge yet when he takes on former lightweight champion Angelito Manguray. The Karate expert is a dentist who is well into his 40s but he is still an extremely dangerous opponent who has only been beaten once in five MMA fights. This fight will probably be taking place at the 159 lbs lightweight limit which will be a relief for Chope who has been trying, and more often than not failing, to boil his 6"4' frame down to bantamweight. A win over Manguray would establish him as a legitimate title contender in whichever URCC division he chooses to compete in but the crowd will be firmly behind 'The Filipino Fighting Dentist' as he fights for the first time in a year. Colt 45 URCC 21 'Warpath' SMX Convention Centre, Manila April 28th, 2012 Card (to date): Froilan Sarenas vs Nicholas Mann (For Mann's Light Heavyweight Belt) Jersen Estero vs Onyok Transmonte (Bantamweight bout) Alvin Ramirez vs Roy Doliquez (Pinweight bout) Angelito Manguray vs Will Chope (Lightweight bout) For up to date information visit: www.urrccmma.com www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, time, urcc, filipino, sarena

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Just a little reminder on why you should never rely on your MMA opponent being a decent human being.  

Posted in: mma, time, opponent, reminder, mma opponent

Read the full article at Fightlinker

Dynamic middleweight Cung Le delivered an extremely entertaining albeit unsuccessful performance in his UFC debut this past November when he faced Wanderlei Silva. Now it appears the former Strikeforce champion is poised to repeat at least one part of the previous feat when he rumbles with Rich Franklin at UFC 148. Franklin, also known for his exciting style and run as a middleweight title-holder, will be making a return to 185 pounds after a short stint at light heavyweight. The UFC confirmed the bout over the weekend. Le’s match-up with Silva marked the first time the he had competed in more than a year based on work in the film industry, and though he didn’t come out with his hand raised the match-up was awarded Fight of the Night honors. The 39-year old, who turns 40 a little more than a month before the July 7 bout with Franklin, is 7-2 in his career with seven strike-based stoppages brought on by his unique San Shou background. Le Feels Career Has Come Full Circle with UFC Run The 28-6 Franklin will have served a similar stint on the sidelines to that of Le’s time in Hollywood by the time UFC 148 rolls around. “Ace” has been out since February with a series of injuries and, also similar to his upcoming adversary, could desperately use the victory at this stage in his storied career. Among Franklin’s numerous instances of success at a high-level are wins over Silva, Yushin Okami, Ken Shamrock, and Chuck Liddell. UFC 148 is also expected to play host to a title-fight between bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and rival Urijah Faber. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: ufc, time, light heavyweight, franklin, franklin ’s

Read the full article at Fighters.com

UFC 149 fight card rumors and start times for July 21, 2012 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, card, rumor

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

It's a slow Sunday night so it's time to do it again: A top 10 rankings list of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world today. It's a daunting undertaking. After all, what good can come of this? Spirited discussion, I hope, at the very least. That and a better appreciation for the elite fighters in the sport we know and love. A comprehensive listing of the USA Today/SB Nation consensus rankings can be found here. Comprised of some of the top MMA sites on the Internet, it's a rather informative rankings list of the top seven weight classes in the sport today. But it doesn't venture into the dreaded "pound-for-pound" waters. That's what I'll do here. I haven't done so since Oct. 20, 2011, and a whole lot has happened since then. Click here to check out how my list looked five months ago. Of course, any rankings list is highly subjective and up for debate. You know the drill; don't hold back one bit if you disagree. In we go. 10. Rashad Evans (17-1-1) By the betting lines and general consensus in the MMA world, I may be one of only a few who are picking Evans to pull off the upset when he squares off against Jon Jones at UFC 145 on April 21 in Atlanta. Detractors tend to point towards irrelevant issues when attempting to talk "Suga" down, like when he was caught by Thiago Silva or when an errant knee from Quinton Jackson sent him flying. They ignore that he controlled every single second of those fights until then. He'll have a moment or two of trouble against "Bones" but he'll ultimately take care of business. If he doesn't, no one else will. 9. Alistair Overeem (36-11) He was one spot lower five months ago and now he's moved up one just to spite his haters, of which there are still many. Here's what I said last time around: "When he beats Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 on Dec. 30, it will only solidify his placement." He didn't just beat Lesnar, he stomped a mudhole in his ass and walked it dry. Brock, by the way, skipped town right after. That tends to happen when fighters realize they just don't measure up to pound-for-pound greats. 8. Ben Henderson (16-2) What he managed to do against Frankie Edgar was nothing short of astounding. "The Answer" was able to defeat B.J. Penn twice in a row before handing Gray Maynard his first defeat, by knockout no less. Knocking him off, even by close decision, deserves all the accolades "Bendo" is currently receiving. Yes, I can still see the "Showtime Kick" over and over in my head but that rematch is coming and the story will be a lot different the second time out. This is a complete fighter, as well rounded as they come. 7. Junior dos Santos (14-1) If there's one knock to be made against this Brazilian badass, it's that he's a tad too mysterious. We know he has big power in his hands, we know he can place his punches perfectly on the button and destroy opponents even when he doesn't, but we don't know how he'll react if he ends up on his back and he's unable to get back to his feet. But, of course, dusting Cain Velasquez, who had previously looked unstoppable, deserves a pound-for-pound award. 6. Gilbert Melendez (20-2) Jorge Masvidal was no match for Melendez when they hooked up last December and there likely isn't a fighter under the Strikeforce banner who will pose a significant challenge to him. The problem, of course, is that he's not moving over to the UFC any time soon, so we can only know so much, namely that he'll crush glorified contenders while waiting for his time to shine on the big stage. 5. Jose Aldo (20-1) As noted earlier right here, Aldo is so dominant in his division, matchmaker Joe Silva and UFC President Dana White have all but begged a few of the top lightweights to move down in weight to challenge him. Because, let's face it, "Scarface" is probably running through anyone at 145-pounds right now. That right there qualifies him for this spot. The scary part? He might be just as good 10 pounds heavier ... or 10 pounds lighter. 4. Dominick Cruz (19-1) Speaking of which, Cruz would quite obviously have something to say about that. And he might pose significant problems, too, considering his speed and crafty footwork that no one has been able to figure out yet. Sure, he has a defeat on his record but that was thanks to a reckless streak he no longer possesses. Much like Aldo, he's fast running out of challengers in his weight class and the calls to move up are growing louder. 3. Jon Jones (15-1) Quite possibly the most gifted athlete in MMA history, Jones looks as though he could dominate both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions ... at the same time. His combination of size and speed, along with his unorthodox style, has befuddled every opponent he's ever faced. He's also a cold-blooded killer, as evidenced by his choking Lyoto Machida unconscious with a standing guillotine and dropping him to the floor with no feeling whatsoever for his health and well-being. That's not a bad thing, either. He'll have his hands full with Rashad Evans but there isn't much to look forward to after that. Not at 205-pounds at least. 2. Georges St. Pierre (22-2) No movement here and that's largely because he hasn't done anything since we last visited. I'm not one of those "you have to be active" types, either. We know damn well what we've got with St. Pierre and that's the most well-rounded fighter in the game today, perhaps ever. When he's on and not operating with one eyeball, he's about as good as it gets. Carlos Condit will present a significant challenge to his title but I wouldn't count on getting it fitted for a new waistline. 1. Anderson Silva (31-4) This position will remain his until someone takes it from him, which doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon. That's because, simply put, he's too good at what he does and there just isn't a chance for him to move up or down in weight to pose a threat to him. He's staying at middleweight and there isn't a 185-pound fighter on Earth who can defeat him. You can tout Chael Sonnen to me all you want, I don't believe for a second he stands a chance when they hook up in Brazil this summer. He's a snowball headed for hell and he can steal as many pro wrestling promos as he wants, it won't save him when he's getting blitzed by the best striker in MMA history. That's my list, Maniacs. What's yours?

Posted in: time, fighter, hell, he, that

Read the full article at MMA Mania

It may not have been the clean sweep Coach Cael Sanderson was hoping for at Saturday's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship finals, but Penn State did manage to take homr two more singles titles than the previous year. Already the team winners two years in a row heading in, Penn State had 5 finalists and 3 victories. Nicholas Megaludis was unable to overcome the 2010 125 lbs NCAA Champion Matt McDonough of Iowa, losing a decision of 4-1. McDonough is now a two time champion, and the 2011 runner up when he lost to Anthony Robles who was serving as the third man in the commentary booth at the Scottrade Center in St Lois, Missouri last night. Frank Molinaro finished his collegiate career with a title win at 149 lbs, also taking a 4-1 decision but against opponent Dylan Ness of Iowa. Molinaro's knee seemed fine throughout the match, despite it being heavily wrapped and padded. The pin fall victory evaded David Taylor this time out, but the wrestling prodigy was still able to score a Tech Fall win in an action packed 165 lbs final against Lehigh's Brandon Hatchett. Ed Ruth got his revenge over Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui in a rematch from last year's Quarter Final, becoming Penn State's third singles champion of the night at 165 lbs in another decision win. Finally, last year's champion at 184 lbs Quentin Wright was unable to repeat when losing in Over Time to Cornell's Steve Bosak, when the Big Red scored a Sudden Victory takedown. Cornell had two other singles finalists and managed to go 3 for 3 last night, as #1 seed Cam Simaz managed to edge Edinboro's Christopher Honeycutt in a back and forth 197 lbs bout, while 157 lbs Kyle Dake not only managed to win his third singles championship in a row, but to be the first Wrestler to ever win the NCAA Championship in 3 different weight classes. If Dake manages to make it 4 in a row next year -- though I expect him to stick with the 157 lbs division - he becomes only the third man to ever win 4 NCAA titles, alongside Cael Sanderson and Pat Smith. Related: NCAA Division I Wrestling Results: Penn State Officially Win Team Title For Second Year Running | NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Semi-Finals Results | NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship Quarter Final Results | NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship Session 2 Results | NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship Session 1 Results In the most controversially called match of the night, Ohio State's Logan Stieber upset defending champion Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) at 133 lbs by a 4-3 decision, when with seconds to go in the 3rd Period Oliver was denied 2 points for a takedown that clearly put Stieber on his butt. The referee's positioning and perspective however meant the takedown was not called, much to the dismay of Oliver's coach, John Smith who like countless others believed Oliver should have been given the nod 5-4. If both compete in the same weight class and make it to the finals next year, it should make for one heck of a rematch. Michigan's Kellen Russell was able to put to rest the controversy surrounding last year's Semi-Finals match with Iowa's Montell Marion, when Russell clearly beat Marion at this year's 141 lbs final via a Sudden Victory takedown in Over Time. In perhaps the biggest upset of the night, Minnesota's red-shirt sophomore Anthony Nelson beat defending champion Zachery Rey of Lehigh, by a 4-1 decision scoring a last second takedown in the 3rd Period. In Team Standings, Minnesota managed to hold on to second place while third place went to Iowa, edging Cornell by just 5 points. Full event play-by-play and results after the jump. Team Results (via TrackWrestling.com) 1. Penn State 143.02. Minnesota 117.53. Iowa 107.54. Cornell 102.55. Ohio St. 68.56. Oklahoma St. 66.07. Illinois 62.08. Lehigh 61.09. Northwestern 42.510. Oregon St. 40.5 Quick Results (via Trackwrestling.com) 125 lbs Matt McDonough (Iowa) 36-1 won by decision over Nicholas Megaludis (Penn State) 28-8 (Dec 4-1) 133 lbs Logan Stieber (Ohio St.) 33-2 won by decision over Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma St.) 28-2 (Dec 4-3) 141 lbs Kellen Russell (Michigan) 33-1 won in overtime over Montell Marion (Iowa) 31-4 (OT 6-4) 149 lbs Frank Molinaro (Penn State) 33-0 won by decision over Dylan Ness (Minnesota) 24-9 (Dec 4-1) 157 lbs Kyle Dake (Cornell) 35-0 won by decision over Derek St. John (Iowa) 21-3 (Dec 4-1) 165 lbs David Taylor (Penn State) 32-0 won by tech fall over Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) 22-4 (TF 22-7) 174 lbs Edward Ruth (Penn State) 31-0 won by major decision over Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) 24-1 (Maj 13-2) 184 lbs Steve Bosak (Cornell) 33-4 won in overtime over Quentin Wright (Penn State) 30-4 (OT 4-2) 197 lbs Cam Simaz (Cornell) 31-1 won by decision over Christopher Honeycutt (Edinboro) 40-2 (Dec 7-5) 285 lbs Anthony Nelson (Minnesota) 32-2 won by decision over Zachery Rey (Lehigh) 26-3 (Dec 4-1) KJ's Play-by-Play Results 125 Matt McDonough vs Nicolas Megaludis 1st Period - Feeling each other out and McDonough in with a quick Single-Leg, Megaludis with a hard Whizzer, limp-arms out of it, both struggle for the first minute until out of bounds for a neutral reset. With a heavy tripod on the Front-Headlock, McDonough is looking to clear and get a leg but unable to. McDonough remains the aggressor in the match but unable to get an advantage leading to a 0-0 1st Period. 2nd Period - McDonough chooses to start out in down position, and escapes for 1 point. Both lock up looking to get their hips lower and further in than the other in a really tiring bicep and collar tie battle. Megaludis shoots but McDonough sprawls easily until out of bounds and a neutral reset. Constant struggling until Period runs out, 1-0 for McDonough. 3rd Period - Megaludis on bottom, McDonough trying to break-down and control the right leg and gets about 20 seconds riding time before Megaludis escapes for 1 point. McDonough in on a takedown immediately and works hard to score, bringing it to 3-1 in his favour. McDonough Single-Leg rides with a 1-on-1 Bar-Arm, but gets warned for riding parallel and therefore potentially stalling. McDonough has the riding time point from over 1:30 clocked up, keeps trying for a takedown but doesn't get it, but does get the 4-1 Decision giving him his second NCAA Championship. 133 Jordan Oliver vs Logan Stieber Quick start with a takedown for Oliver and escape for Stieber in the first 20 seconds. Feeling each other out and testing for any holes in their defenses. Stieber tries to turn the corner on a Single, transitions to a High-Single, but Oliver able to hip heist and prevent 2 points being score on him. 2nd Period - Stieber chooses down position and works his way to an escape in the first 10 seconds tying the score at 2-2. Stieber in on a Low Ankle-pick attempt, Oliver defends and gets himself up while in a High-Single, Oliver struggles but Stieber gets the takedown and is now up 4-2 against Oliver. 3rd Period - Stieber relentless going for a takedown, trying for the Ankle-pick from behind but Oliver gets it out of bounds for a neutral reset. Escape from Oliver bringing the score to 4-3 but time is running out. Oliver trying to get his own takedown to get ahead, out of bounds with 11 seconds left. Oliver tries for a takedown and Stieber is able to stall out on the mat and picks up the upset win, Coach John Smith furious it wasn't counted as a takedown for Oliver. Replays show Stieber was in fact on his butt and should have had the takedown scored against him, but Referee's perspective didn't see it. 141 Kellen Russell vs Montell Marion in a grudge match. 1st Period - Both lock up with Marion controlling the mat and pushes Russell out. This is also a rematch of their Big 10 finals as well. Both constantly looking for an inside tie and wrist control until Russell is able to slip to a Single-Leg and follows through for a take down, giving him a 2-0 lead. Marion having trouble with his head gear as it comes off mid-takedown. Marion tries to escape from down position and gets to his feet, only to be belly-to-back slammed by Russell back to the mat, Marion landing on his shoulder and head. No points scored under the Folkstyle rules as the focus is on Russell's riding and control. Marion escapes bringing the score to 2-1 by the end of the first Period. 2nd Period - Marion on Russell's back, Russell to his feet and a 1 point escape. More looking for inside tie and wrist control by both wrestlers, Marion dropping to a knee for an attempted duck-under that's defended, Marion does get a single though and gets 2 points bringing the score to 3-3. Referee cautions Marion for locking hands. Russell in down position trying to escape Marion, another caution against Marion for locking hands. Russell gets the escape and drives Marion to out of bounds. 4-3 Russell and Marion is looking for a level change only to have Russell beat him to the shot, and is in on a Single-Leg attempt but the Period ends. 3rd Period - Russell on top now as Marion stands to try and escape, another belly to back slam to ride on Marion, and again, but none are scoring under Folkstyle rules. Russell tries a Half-Nelson, but lets go, Marion stands up but taken down again, and again Marion is still on his front. All this adds up to riding time for Russell. Marion pops his hips for an escape and ties the score 4-4 . With 40 seconds left, there's a little bit of desperation from Russell as he's 1 second away from a riding time point. Both fight from the inside tie and wrist control and it looks like we're going to over time. OT1: Russell tries to shoot straight away for a high crotch, but Marion blocks. Russell blocks the shot from Marion, stuffs the head and spins around to take Marion down for a Sudden Death victory of 6-4. 149 #1 Frank Molinaro vs #7 Dylan Ness. 1st Period - Both circle, Molinaro looking for an inside tie control with his left and a snap down with his right, both measure distance with their lead arms straight, Molinaro tries for an inside tie and has his other wrist blocked, Ness in with a low Sweep-Single that Molinaro Whizzers, Molinaro back to the front and works his way to a Front-Headlock, back to their feet with neither scoring as it goes out of bounds. Molinaro in with a single, head outside, Ness nearly gets a back-rolling Cow Catcher reversal but doesn't score and they scramble to out of bounds.1 minute left and Molinaro tries a high crotch that gets blocked, Ness tries a shot of his own but to out of bounds. Molinaro in on a single switching from head inside to outside, then switches to a double leg and gets the first 2 points of the match. 17 seconds left and Molinaro is trying a breakdown from the back, only for Ness to get back to his feet as time runs out. 2-0 Molinaro 2nd Period - Molinaro chooses down position, scrambles to an escape and tries to control with a Front-Headlock on their knees that's partially blocked until a stalemate returns them to neutral. Molinaro looks for a high crotch that's blocked, Ness with a takedown but it's out of bounds and doesn't score. 3-0 Molinaro still, Ness increases the aggression as the period ends. 3rd Period - Ness in down position, works his way back to the feet and Molinaro with a non-scoring takedown to out of bounds. Molinaro clocks up riding time and gets his 1+ minute. Referee calls for a stalemate that causes the crowd to boo. Ness trying for an escape again but Molinaro all over him until he locks in a Cross-body ride that he tries to follow through into a Leg Turk but to out of bounds. Molinaro with an over leg ride and a tight waste, Molinaro lost control and Ness scores an escape finally. 3-1 to Molinaro + 1 point riding time with 15 seconds left, and Molinaro does enough to hang on for a points decision, giving Penn State their first 149 lbs champion. 157 Kyle Dake vs Derek St. John John 1st Period - Dake starts low and posts on his rear hand, looking for a shot opportunity with St. John matching his levels for the most part until Dake is able to seize an opening and gets a 2 point takedown at less than a minute in. Dake riding St. John as they squirm to out of bounds. Dake continues to control from the back around the waist and clocks up over 40 seconds of riding time, needing over a minute to get a point added at the end of the match. St. John trying to work on the ankle of Dake to stop it hooking in and becoming a more secure ride. Dake has 1m:20s riding time with 50 seconds left in the first period and continues to amass seconds of control. St. John doing well to get out of bounds but without an escape has to reset in down position every time. St. John constantly moving to create escapes, but Dake is masterful at keeping the ride. Dake has just over 2 minutes riding time getting him an additional point to add on later. 2-0 Dake by the end of the 1st. 2nd Period - Dake chooses to go down position, works an escape but St. John rides just as well and controls him standing with an ankle-pick / toehold from the back. Dake gets the escape and a point, 3-0 for Dake. both fight from neutral as Dake is looking for another takedown opening with just over 30 seconds left in the period. Dake gets accidentally poked in the eye, and it seems to have upset his contact lens! It gets sorted out and they continue with 25 seconds left, Dake looks to re-counter a takedown with one of his own only he is unable to score. 3rd Period - Dake chooses to go neutral and looks for his shots still, though potentially risking a stall call in the process. St. John needs a time out for blood with 59 seconds left. They continue and St. John tries to stay heavy with an inside tie and clubbing snap down attempts to wear Dake out, St. John warned for stalling now, but Dake manages to take the victory 4-1 decision, becoming the first ever 3 time national champion in 3 different weight classes. 165 #1 David Taylor vs #11 Brandon Hatchett 1st Period - In less than 3 seconds Taylor was in on an Ankle-pick for 2 points and begins his ride from the back. Hatchett back to his feet and an escape for 1 point himself. Taylor with another takedown via a low angle Single, and Taylor working a riding time of 48 seconds so far. Taylor with another Ankle-pick ride and gets 1:05. They start touch-optional with Hatchett down, Taylor allows Hatchett back up for an escape point but Taylor in with another takedown making it 6-2 with 50 seconds in the period left. Hatchett trying to stop Taylor getting a Single Leg Ride but unable to escape. Out of bounds and back to a reset where time runs out. 2nd Period - Taylor starts on bottom and gets a 2 point reversal, 8-2 to Taylor. Taylor works wrist control with two 1-on-1 bar-arms until both wrestlers worm their way to out of bounds. Reset and Hatchett scores an escape but is still 5 points behind with just over a minute left. Taylor with another 2 point takedown, 10-3 Taylor. Taylor gets another 2 points for a near fall, and has nearly 3 minutes riding time. 12-3 Taylor and 6 points away from a Tech Fall. Taylor rides and tries to use a Claw, has 3:12 total riding time at the end of the period. 3rd period - Hatchett chooses neutral, but Taylor scores a 2 point take down taking the score to 14-3. Hatchett with an escape and it's now 14-4. 2 point takedown for Taylor again, 16-4. Optional touch reset with Hatchett down. Escape from Hatchett and it's 16-5, takedown by Taylor 18-5, escape by Hatchett 18-6, High Crotch takedown from Taylor 20-6 and the Tech Fall with 1:10 left in the period. Complete dominance by Taylor, even though no pin. Final score 22-7 due to riding time. 174 #1 Ed Ruth vs #3 Nick Amuchastegu 1st Period - Amuchastegui tries first shot, Ruth stuffs and tries for his own until they're out of bounds for a neutral reset. Ruth gets the takedown and begins his riding time, Amuchastegui back to the feet but no escape as they go out of bounds. Amuchastegui reset in down position, Ruth looks to lock up a cradle and roll but can't secure as Amuchastegui able to go back to belly down on the mat. Ruth gets 2 near fall points though and leads 4-0. Ruth gets over a minute riding time which will count for later. Amuchastegui trying for a reversal rather than escape and gets it giving him 2 points. Amuchastegui begins his ride of Ruth, Ruth tries to escape to his feet and Amuchastegui takes him down but out of bounds. Reset with Ruth on bottom. Ruth turns into Amuchastegui and elevator rolls Amuchastegui back towards out of bounds but only gets an escape point by the end of the first period. 2nd period - 5-2 to Ruth at the beginning, Ruth starts on bottom, stands up and scores the escape. Ruth with a near side cradle takedown and locked up, but only gets the takedown points, now leading 8-2. Ruth on top now with Amuchastegui looking for the escape, Ruth rides well and keeps the pressure to stop the escape with 45 seconds left in the period. Ruth has over 1:30 riding time now, Amuchastegui tries to stand but Ruth Crab Ride trips Amuchastegui from the back and continues to ride him to the end of the period. 3rd Period - Amuchastegui chooses neutral, Ruth in with a shot and goes behind Amuchastegui until he can get the takedown for 2 points. 10-2 to Ruth, constantly looking for a cross-face to setup his cradle. They work their way out of bounds and a reset with Amuchastegui in down position. Ruth constantly working and has 3 minutes riding time. Ruth now looking for a tilt for back points and gets 2 near fall points. 12-2 Ruth +1 point for riding and he takes the decision 13-2, avenging his loss to Amuchastegui from last year's NCAA's. 184 #6 Quentin Wright vs #4 Steve Bosak 1st Period - Wright looking to work from a right inside tie, until they separate. Wright takes a shot but Bosak defends with a Front-Headlock until a stalemate. Neither have scored half way through the first period, both cancelling each other out through hand fighting and clinch attempts. Inside vs outside tie now from Wright and Bosak respectively, Wright changes levels and tries a high crotch shot but is blocked. Scoreless first period, no clear advantage to either. 2nd Period - Wright chooses down position and tries to stand and escape, Bosak getting riding time although not from the cleanest of control. Bosak tries to get Wright on his back but can't, gets a two separate 1 counts but not enough for back points, Wright hits a reversal for 2 points and the first to score. Escape for Bosak and its 2-1 by the end of the period. 3rd Period - Bosak chooses bottom position, escape for Bosak to neutral tying the score 2-2. Bosak has 20 seconds riding time and needs to make it a minute to get ahead by the end of the period, but both continue to fight from neutral position. 1 minute left and both seem to be stalemating on the feet. Bosak warned for his hand on the throat of Wright. 30 seconds left and it looks like we might go to OT sudden victory. Wright tries for a low single in the last few seconds but fails to score. OT 1 - Wright immediately tries to shoot for a single from an underhook setup but gets blocked. Both working form inside and outside ties, Bosak looking for the takedown but it's being called neutral by the Referee, Bosak continues to work and gets the sudden victory takedown, 4-2 decision much to the annoyance of opposing coach Cael Sanderson. 197 #1 Cam Simaz vs #2Chris Honeycutt 1st Period - Simaz looking to get lower than Honeycutt early on. Both measuring distance to look for their own takedown opportunities. Simaz in on a Low-Single with Honeycutt draped over and looking to pick a leg himself. Stalemate and back to neutral at the half way point of the period. Simaz with a shot easily sprawled out of by Honeycutt. Simaz again looking for a Low-Single but unable to score, Honeycutt might be able to counter and finally does with a 2 point takedown. Both scramble to out of bounds with 17 seconds left. Escape from Simaz for one point, Honeycutt leads 2-1 at the end of the period. 2nd Period - Honeycutt chooses down position, tries for a reversal first then gets a high double leg pick up and slam, getting him 2 reversal points, and leads 4-2. Simaz Ankle-pick takedowns and gets 2 points right at the edge of the match, both are tied at 4-4 with 59 seconds left. Reset with Honeycutt down, Simaz working his riding time until out of bounds at 46 seconds left. Honeycutt still unable to escape from bottom, Simaz with an over-leg, seatbelt and near half nelson. Honeycutt tries to escape and Simaz drags him back down. Simaz gets 1 minute riding time right at the whistle. 3rd Period - 4-4 but Simaz has a riding time point ace in the hole. Honeycutt takes some injury time. Simaz starts on bottom, both to standing and Honeycutt tries to sag the hips back but Simaz gets the escape and is up 5-4. Honeycutt looking for a shot but Simaz counters with his own and scores 2 points, now up 7-4. Honeycutt gets an escape point, Simaz has 56 seconds riding time after having some erased by Honeycutt. Both are neutral and looking for their own takedowns, Simaz looking to pick the ankle and Honeycutt looking to muscle his way into a Double-Leg. 30 seconds left and Simaz defends a takedown until a stalemate is called. 7-5 for Simaz, Simaz gets his first stalling warning. 10 seconds left, Honeycutt with a Double-leg that's defended but Simaz does enough to win a points decision 7-5. 285 Zachery Rey vs Tony Nelson 1st Period - Nelson in golden singlet as he's made it to the final, both are working for their own inside collar tie control. Rey with clubbing head control. Rey's legs look twice as thick as Nelson's. A minute left in the period and neither have scored and both continue to fight for collar and arm control. Stalemate called at 19 seconds left, Rey looks for a takedown and has the single leg, head inside but is unable to finish. 0-0 in the first period. 2nd Period - Rey starts in down position, Nelson looking to ride. Rey outweighs Nelson in this division, as Nelson only around 230lbs. Nelson continues to ride while Rey gets a stall warning. Referee calls a stalemate and Nelson has over a minute riding time. Rey cautioned for moving before the whistle. Rey Granby rolls and escapes and gets 1 point with just over 40 seconds left in the period. Both standing neutral and looking for a collar tie and wrist control. 1-0 Rey at the end of the period, Nelson has riding time on his side though. 3rd Period - Rey on top, Nelson stands up and manages an escape to tie the scores 1-1. Rey has erased some riding time, so Nelson has 58 seconds of riding time currently. 1 minute left and both continue to work from a tie up. Nelson tries to drop down for a single leg that gets easily defended. Nelson tries again, Rey tries to counter with a low single, Nelson reverses and gets a takedown! 2 points and Nelson leads 3-1, and has 1:00 riding time at just 6 seconds left and wins! Nelson upsets Rey 4-1.

Posted in: takedown, time, point, second, period

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Self worth is something that is hard to describe, especially in an oppressive environment with no end in sight to the abuse. Even worse is when the world is allowed to look in through a picture window and witness the horror that is a life in chains, only to look on with astonishment, without being able to directly interact. It was the same predicament that Billy Pilgrim found himself on Tralfamadore as a human exhibit in a zoo. Billy Pilgrim had the dignity of being unstuck in time and understanding the non-linear nature of the fourth dimension which is time, much like a Time Lord would.Be it a symptom of post-traumatic stress or a true awakening, Slaughterhouse-Five protagonist Billy Pilgrim's Tralfamadore exhibition exposes how we, as a collective society, view the exceptional figures in the world. We view them as larger-than-life dolls, playthings that live out our fantasies like shadow play on the wall before bed time as a child. The tralfamadorians were hands off in their approach to enslaving Billy Pilgrim and locking him up with Montana Wildhack, where they copulated for their intergalactic onlookers and spawned a child. In a way, the existence of the tralfamadorians did not matter to the narrative Pilgrim spun.Whether it was escapism, a protest against free will or a way to mentally write off infidelity, Buakaw Por Pramuk is not behind the glass window, us peering into his dysfunctional life with a beautiful porn actress birthing children like Billy Pilgrim was. Buakaw, like Pilgrim, was changed by the battle scars from war and society, with his inability to escape suffocating him into accepting a fate less fitting for someone of his stature. If you watch Kickboxing for Muay Thai, Buakaw Por Pramuk is a hero, a truly exceptional person whose fame and abilities are something to marvel at. Be it you kicking the pads at a gym with a poster of him on the wall or channeling his attitude and style into your mundane daily tasks, if you know Buakaw you know his influence.We find ourselves with nearly unlimited access to the lows that Buakaw has had to fall to over the past few years to continue fighting, to continue entertaining us from behind that glass window. Continue Reading...

Posted in: time, billy, buakaw, pramuk, pilgrim

Read the full article at Middle Easy

By the end of the Semi-Finals last year, Penn State had amassed an irrecoverable points lead and were celebrating their team victory. By the end of the Semi-Final championship round earlier tonight, PSU were close to repeating -- but they're not there just yet. With wrestle-backs, the medal round Saturday morning to determine 3rd place and below, and of course the finals, for the Cael Sanderson coached Nittany Lions, victory is within their reach. Short of a disaster in results their end, and a superb showing by their closest competitors, it almost seems academic at this point. PSU's star talent David Taylor (165) didn't disappoint as he scored team points with yet another pin fall victory. Not as fluid as his astonishing 29 second pin from the Quarter Finals, it was none the less impressive. Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Clarion) scored against Taylor early in the first period with a 2 point takedown, only to have Taylor score for an escape and a takedown of his own putting him 3-2 ahead. Taylor continued to rack up points with riding time and multiple takedowns until he found himself in a strong position on the ground, cross-facing Abdurakhmonov enough to turn him over, before swiftly gliding to a top saddle pin and adjusting his cross-facing arm into a reverse half-nelson that elevated Abdurakhmono's head and kept his shoulders on the mat. Watching Taylor dominantly pin his way through the tournament hearkens back to the era of Dan Gable in his college days, and like Gable Taylor has suffered a finals set back in his career that shocked everyone. A pin on Saturday evening and Taylor perhaps already deserves his place among the sport's very best of all time. Related Stories: NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Semi-Finals Live Discussion | NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship Quarter Final Results | NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship Session 2 Results | NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship Session 1 Results | NCAA Wrestling Champions That Have Succeeded In The UFC Unable to get a pin this time out, Oklahoma State's Jordan Oliver still picked up a dominant 8-2 decision over Bernard Futrell of Illinois. Intent on scoring from takedowns, Oliver was even willing to allow his opponent to escape and score 1 point at a time if it meant he could score 2 at a time in return. Oliver even went for a low single leg, made infamous by his coach John Smith, before time ran out in the third period. On the other side of the bracket, Logan Stieber (Ohio State) took a hard fought 4-2 decision win over Tony Ramos(Iowa) and meets Oliver in the 133 lbs final. PSU's Frank Molinaro (149) seemed to show no sign of ill effect regarding his knee in his match with unranked Justin Accordino (Hofstra), bulldozing his way into an early takedown and showing great control with a heavy Cross-body leg ride from the back, racking up riding time but also looking for openings to end the match sooner. From this ride, Molinaro ankle picked at the insteps and laces of the far leg, hunted for one-on-one bar-arms to control a wrist, and at one point looked as if he might try to setup a Wrestler's Guillotine (Twister) for a pin. Another takedown and the 1 point for the riding time gave Molinaro a solid 5-0 decision victory. 171 lbs Ed Ruth was unable to get the pin over Logan Storley (Minnesota), though you can't fault him for trying. A quick take down from Ruth to open the first period, Ruth almost had a match ending cradle if not for his head wrapping arm being a little shallow, enough for Storely to worm his way free while conceding 3 near fall points in the process. Ruth was soon running away with it, and the points kept on coming eventually giving Ruth a 17-1 Tech Fall win. Along with a 3-2 decision win by Quentin Wright (184) -- who somewhat played it safe in his match with Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) -- and a fantastic 3-2 Over Time win for #10 seed Nicholas Megaludis (125) over Frank Perrelli (Cornell), Penn State went 5-0 in the Semis. Iowa's Matt McDonough won a 15-7 Major Decision over Kent State's Nicholas Bedelyon at 125 lbs, with McDonough being able to score early and often with takedowns, but Bedelyon managed to do enough to hang in there in the first period. Michigan's lone representative in Kellen Russell picked up another win at 141 lbs, but not before Ohio State's Hunter Stieber was the first to score. Doing so almost seem to incense Russell who scored his own takedowns and riding time leading to a 5-2 decision. Also at 141 lbs, Iowa's Montel Marrion had a fantastic match with Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), that saw Maple tying Marrion on the scoreboards and attempt to run down the clock in the first over time period. Having none of it, Marrion seized on a leg of Maple and dragged him back towards the center of the mat to stop him retreating, before scoring with a Sudden Victory takedown with around 11 seconds left of the Over Time period. Marrion faces Russell in a rematch from last year's NCAA's where many Hawkeyes insist Marrion was robbed of victory. Kyle Dake (Cornell) was unable to muscle a pin this time out, but iswell on his way to win his third NCAA title and doing so in a third different weight class. Opponent Ganbayar Sanjaa (American) played a very defensive game that stifled Dake's usual offensive output, but an escape, a takedown and another escape netted Dake a 4-0 Decision. Facing Dake in the finals is Derek St. John (Iowa)who beat Jason Welch (Northwestern) in a 5-1 decision. Also for Cornell, Cam Simaz (197) did what was expected of him against Cayle Byers (Oklahoma State), scoring a quick 2 point takedown off the bat, and clocked some riding time before the referee called a stalemate. Two escapes from Byers and the pair were tied. Simaz gets ahead 5-2 in the third period and earned himself a 5-03 decision. Simaz meets Christopher Honeycutt (Edinboro) in the final, who dramatically scored a reversal and near fall in over time against Matthew Wilps (Pittsburgh) for an OT decision of 6-3. Finally for Cornell, Steve Bosak won his match after scoring a sudden victory takedown in over time against Austin Trotman (Appalachian). At Heavyweight Ryan Flores (American) was unable to best Zachery Rey (Lehigh) after a clash of heads during a Rey takedown in the first period had Flores visibly dazed for the rest of the match, while Rey remained unaffected. Flores exhausted all his injury time trying to recover from a possible concussion, and because of the injury time used Rey got to choose how to start period 2 and 3. Rey chose the down position both times, which he easily escaped for 1 point each time. Rey even threw Flores off of him like a ragdoll at on point, and barges him out of bounds Sumo style near the end of the 3rd. Flores just seemed out on his feet the whole time, and Rey vindicitvely used cliubbing snap down attempts to make things worse. Flores far and away was the better wrestler of the tournament, but Rey got the win and finishes their career Rivalry 4 wins to 3. Rey meets Anthony Nelson (Minnesota) in the finals. Results collated from information found at TrackWrestling.com Team Results (at time of writing) 1. Penn State 124.02. Minnesota 94.53. Iowa 87.54. Cornell 86.05. Lehigh 57.56. Oklahoma St. 57.07. Ohio St. 56.58. Illinois 53.09. Virginia Tech 35.010. Michigan 34.0 125 lbs- Matt McDonough (Iowa) 35-1 won by major decision over Nicholas Bedelyon (Kent St.) 32-5 (Maj 15-7)- Nicholas Megaludis (Penn State) 28-7 won in overtime over Frank Perrelli (Cornell) 33-6 (OT 3-2)133 lbs- Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma St.) 28-1 won by decision over Bernard Futrell (Illinois) 30-7 (Dec 8-2)- Logan Stieber (Ohio St.) 32-2 won by decision over Tony Ramos (Iowa) 31-4 (Dec 4-2)141 lbs- Kellen Russell (Michigan) 32-1 won by decision over Hunter Stieber (Ohio St.) 28-5 (Dec 5-2)- Montell Marion (Iowa) 31-3 won in overtime over Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) 31-2 (OT 3-1)149 lbs- Frank Molinaro (Penn State) 32-0 won by decision over Justin Accordino (Hofstra) 26-12 (Dec 5-0)- Dylan Ness (Minnesota) 24-8 won by decision over Tyler Nauman (Pittsburgh) 30-6 (Dec 8-5)157 lbs- Kyle Dake (Cornell) 34-0 won by decision over Ganbayar Sanjaa (American) 25-4 (Dec 4-0)- Derek St. John (Iowa) 21-2 won by decision over Jason Welch (Northwestern) 26-2 (Dec 5-1)165 lbs- David Taylor (Penn State) 31-0 won by pin over Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Clarion) 34-5 (Pin 4:44)- Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) 22-3 won by decision over Josh Asper (Maryland) 28-2 (Dec 5-4)174 lbs- Edward Ruth (Penn State) 30-0 won by tech fall over Logan Storley (Minnesota) 26-7 (TF 17-1)- Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) 24-0 won by decision over Chris Perry (Oklahoma St.) 29-1 (Dec 6-3)184 lbs- Steve Bosak (Cornell) 32-4 won in overtime over Austin Trotman (Appalachian S.) 36-5 (OT 4-2)- Quentin Wright (Penn State) 30-3 won by decision over Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) 32-2 (Dec 3-2)194 lbs- Cam Simaz (Cornell) 30-1 won by decision over Cayle Byers (Oklahoma St.) 26-4 (Dec 6-3)- Christopher Honeycutt (Edinboro) 40-1 won in overtime over Matthew Wilps (Pittsburgh) 33-4 (OT 6-3)285 lbs- Zachery Rey (Lehigh) 26-2 won by decision over Ryan Flores (American) 21-1 (Dec 6-2)- Anthony Nelson (Minnesota) 31-2 won by decision over Clayton Jack (Oregon St.) 38-2 (Dec 4-3)

Posted in: time, decision, lb, dec, state

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

It’s time again for the Twitter Mailbag (or TMB, if you’re nasty). In this edition, we look at the bizarre turn of events involving "Rampage" Jackson and the UFC, Joe Warren’s rough night in Bellator, and much, much more.If you have a question of your own, hit me up on Twitter at @BenFowlkesMMA. And for those of you whose questions didn’t make it into the TMB this time, better luck next time. Now who’s first?ATX Steve M @atxsteve17do you agree with UFC giving rampage his last fight an not cutting him immediately after his poor comments? Sure I do, for a couple of reasons. 1) If you work with "Rampage" Jackson for as many years as the UFC has, you probably know that what Jackson says today he won’t necessarily stand behind in a month or two. He’s an emotional guy, and prone to overreaction. So why not let him have the last fight on his contract, then, if he still wants to walk, thank him for the memories and wave goodbye? 2) If you’re the UFC, you probably don’t want to establish a precedent of letting fighters talk their way out of contracts. Why would you? You’d only be telling fighters that they could get free of a deal they didn’t like simply by badmouthing you in the press, which would probably only encourage more badmouthing. I understand why many people -- including my colleague Mike Chiappetta, who wrote a great column about it -- think the UFC should grant Jackson’s wish and cut him now. That would be a satisfying short-term reaction, and you could argue that the UFC would be better off for it. At the same time, I can understand why the organization doesn’t want to reward its malcontents by giving them what they ask for whenever they ask loudly and obnoxiously enough.Michael Venuti @Mvenuti4do you think a featherweight move would be in pettis' best interest, and if so do you think that he would do well?Could he do well at featherweight? Sure. Do I think he should make the drop? Definitely not. At least, not yet. What’s the rush? If keeps winning fights at lightweight, he’ll get his title shot. He might only have to win one more while he waits for the Ben Henderson Frankie Edgar situation to get sorted out. So why jump now? Anthony Pettis is 25 years old. He doesn’t need to flee the division where he’s done very well -- the same division where he already owns a prior win over the current champ -- just because he isn’t getting a title shot after a 2-1 stint in the UFC. It ain’t broke, is what I’m saying. So don’t go trying to fix it.Michael Reveles @mjreveleshow do you score a takedown in a fight? Do you have to keep the opp down? Do Damage? Just make the guy trip, does that count?I was recently talking with fellow MMA writer Chad Dundas at ESPN about this very topic. We both went back and took a look at the judging criteria in the unified rules and found ourselves wondering what would happen if that criteria was followed more rigorously. For instance, here’s what it says on the definition of "effective grappling":"Effective grappling is judged by considering the amount of successful executions of a legal takedown and reversals. Examples of factors to consider are take downs from standing position to mount position, passing the guard to mount position, and bottom position fighters using an active threatening guard."First of all, when’s the last time anybody won a decision off their back, thanks to an active, threatening guard? Second, according to that definition, the takedown is a scoring move all by itself. By that definition, even if you take the guy down and he pops right back up ten seconds later, you’re still winning the battle for effective grappling.Personally, I don’t think that’s a great idea, nor do I think it’s actually how judges score fights. I also think that scoring a takedown is tougher than we realize, especially when it doesn’t lead to anything significant once the fight hits the floor. If you take a guy down once, hold them there without hitting him or improving your position until the ref stands you, did you just win the effective grappling portion of that round? How about if you do the same thing half a dozen times over the course of the round?That’s a more complicated problem than what’s explained in the rules, which is partly how we end up with so many differing opinions on close fights.Danny Chavez @Dchavezif you had the ability to bring 1 non UFC fighter over to the UFC, who would that be?Gilbert Melendez. That was an easy one.Morgan Waltz @MorganWaltzSince you’re currently suspended from The MMA Hour, have you considered starting your own show? Ben Fowlkes Ultimate MMA show.After Ariel Helwani tried so desperately to disparage my name in Tokyo, I was in negotiations to get my own TV show in the Japanese market. Things were looking good for a little while, too. Sadly, the pilot we shot for "The Ben Fowlkes Super Terrific Hour of Most Honorable Fun" resulted in numerous injuries among audience members and guests alike, and most of our investors promptly pulled out. It’s a bummer, but what can you do? Same thing happened to Arsenio Hall.Deadpanda @DeadpandaCPWhat chances are you giving T. Silva against Guffstafs...you know who? I see it as a huge miss match stacked with ring rust.I wouldn’t say it’s a huge mismatch, but I definitely don’t like Thiago Silva’s chances to come off the bench after more than a year out of action and be successful against a talent like Gustafsson (that is the guy you’re asking about, right?). On paper, Silva’s a very tough fighter. His only two losses came against Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida, which is respectable. At the same time, look at who he’s beaten. Keith Jardine? Houston Alexander? His best showing was probably against Brandon Vera, but that became a no contest after he tried to pass off some fake urine in the drug screening (note to the kids out there: it’s better to get popped using your real urine that it is to suffer the indignity of the NSAC catching you submitting a sample that is "inconsistent with human urine," which just sounds gross).It’s not outrageous to think he could get Gustafsson down and dominate him there, but at the same time I don’t think it’s likely. Gustafsson is one of those fighters who you want to fight two years ago, when he still had a lot to learn. Now? That kid is dangerous. He’s probably even more dangerous if he’s your first fight back after more than a year, and if there are thousands of screaming Swedes against you.Josh C @_allmyfriendswhat would Sean McCorkle need to do to be back in the UFC?Beat someone who matters. That’s easier said than done, of course. As a heavyweight, I realize it’s tough to even find an opponent outside of the Zuffa realm who really, truly matters. At the same time, are we supposed to be impressed when he runs up a nice win streak against fighters with records like 2-15 or 15-13? Sorry, but with all the good Strikeforce heavies coming into the UFC now, it’s going to take more than some clever smack talk and a bunch of wins over nobodies to get the UFC’s attention again.James Hawkins @jmhawkinsyou mentioned working on the Goodridge story affected you. Can you elaborate? Brilliant article too BTW. #TMBI touched on this a little in my Sports Illustrated column this week, but basically what I meant was that it made me take a step back and wonder whether there wasn’t something just a little bit sick about watching people give each other brain damage as a form of entertainment. Obviously, Goodridge is an extreme case. Not only did he take far more punishment in kickboxing than most MMA fighters ever will, he also kept at both MMA and kickboxing long after he should have, and he knows it.I don’t know if some of the fighters I’ve enjoyed watching and writing about over the years will end up dealing with the same problems that now plague Goodridge, but I can’t say it would surprise me. MMA fans and promoters like to point to sports like boxing and kickboxing and football and hockey and say, ‘See? This is much safer than that.’ And I think that’s true. Generally, particularly as it relates to the risks of brain trauma, it is safer. At the same time, that doesn’t make it totally safe. No sport where you’re rewarded so handsomely for knocking another person unconscious really can be. Some of the fighters we’ve all loved probably have some bleak years ahead of them. If they’re allowed to continue past their athletic prime thanks to things like testosterone replacement therapy, that number will only increase. Many of them would say that they know and accept the risks, just as Goodridge says now that he’d do it all the same if he could. And that’s fine. I believe that the choice is theirs to make, just as I believe that the point of life is not to prolong it at all costs. If they want to trade tomorrow for today, that is their right. I just hope they realize what that trade actually entails. I hope we all do.Justin Prejean @Filthy_SluntI wanted to see @JoeWarrenMMA get KO’d by @PatCurranMMA, until I saw him get knocked out. Any opinions on the ref’s stoppage?That was hard to watch, especially in light of the Goodridge story. You hate to see a fighter take that many concussive blows -- so many of them unnecessary -- and all just six months after being brutally knocked out in another fight. We may not know everything there is to know about brain health, but we know that that’s probably bad. Some refs seem to think that as long as a fighter can still stand, you shouldn’t stop the fight. I disagree, and that fight showed why. I sure hope Warren takes some time off to recover before jumping back in the cage again. Aron Gunningham @PureMMADo you think, like me, that Rampage is losing fans with his attitude of late? He's crazy to think he should fight elsewhere.In some ways, I think that many "Rampage" Jackson fans are probably a lot like many Nick Diaz fans. That is to say, they like him because they like him, and there’s almost nothing he could do to drive them away. Still, I do think he overestimates the current market for a free agent MMA fighter. Where’s he going to fight if he leaves the UFC and burns his bridges with Zuffa? Who will possibly pay him as much, or give him the same exposure, the same opportunity to make so much in sponsor and endorsement deals, all while he’s clearly nearing the end of his best years as a fighter? Jackson comes with a lot of baggage, whether he realizes it or not. If he really jumps ship once his current contract is done, he might find that the water down there is colder than it looks.Lee Futcher @Futch6MAILBAG: What do you think of the 146 main card being all heavies? Do you think its a good or bad choice for fans and the UFC.Let’s call it an interesting choice, and one not without its risks. When you load up a card with so many heavyweights, there’s always the chance that a few key injuries could derail the whole thing, and there’s a shortage of potential replacements to help keep it together. At the same time, why not try it? The UFC heavyweight division has probably never been deeper than it is right now, and fans love seeing the big boys throw them bungalows. It you don’t at least try to pull this off now, you might never know whether it would have worked.Jason Rule @JasonRuletmb? where has the cut list gone? In upcoming events who do you see needing a win Page, Danzig, Torres, Brown, Rothwell?The Cut List hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s just that some fight cards are more Cut List-worthy than others. It’ll be back when the lineup of a future event calls for it. As for the second part of your question, obviously all those guys could use a victory (what fighter couldn’t?), but Ben Rothwell and Matt Brown could especially stand to notch a few more in the win column. Both are probably on the bubble right now, which is never a good place to be in the UFC.Joshua Fitch @joshuafitchif Roy Nelson falls to Bigfoot does he finally move to 205?I hope not. As several fighters have pointed out in the past, a heavyweight who hovers around the six-foot mark is still going to be undersized at light heavyweight. It’s just that, at 205 pounds, the fighters are generally quicker and more athletic too. Nelson is better off staying where he is and looking to close some of the holes in his game. I think he can still hang with the big boys.Brendan @CursedDiamonds2 Qs. 1)Maia's weight drop:bad idea, or terrible idea? 2)Solo Amanda Palmer, or the Dresden Dolls?1) I think Maia’s decision to drop to welterweight could be an instance of what I like to call The Fighter’s False Friend. It’s one thing to drop down because you’re getting dominated by bigger, stronger guys. But if you’re just losing fights because people have figured out your game and are out-performing you in the cage, I’m not sure a change in weight class is really going to cure what ails you. Look at Maia’s loss to Chris Weidman. Does anyone really think that it was the extra 15 pounds that doomed him there?2) Solo. "Who Killed Amanda Palmer" is a spectacular album.Mr. Cthulhu Kitten @cthulhukittendoes Lorenzo Ferttita's kind words about WMMA hint at the possibility of a UFC division or longevity of WMMA in Strikeforce?I hope so. I’m definitely encouraged by what Fertitta had to say, and I think he’s right that matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby might really be able to do something with the women’s division. Those guys know what they’re doing, and they’re both fans of women’s MMA. The division could still use more depth, but I’m optimistic about its future now that Zuffa is getting behind it, at least on the Strikeforce side of things. A Fragile Smile @AFragileSmileYou always write up articles on betting odds. Do you actually make bets? If so, are you on the plus or minus?I do not make bets. I like money too much. I’ve also been covering this sport and watching the betting lines for long enough to know that betting on MMA is a bad idea. Or maybe I’m just no good at it. All I know is that, judging from my own record in various fight-picking endeavors, this sport is too unpredictable for me to want to risk my hard-earned money on my ability to see into the future. If you view it as a source of entertainment, knock yourself out. If you’re trying to consistently make money at it, I recommend a job instead.Ben Larson @LenBarsonDoes Nick Diaz actively fighting his suspension lead you to believe he might be reconsidering retirement?I never believed he was really retired to begin with. Or maybe I just hoped he wasn't. Either way, I think we'll see him in the cage again sooner or later.Gamil Karachiwala @GK0920With the incident between Rousey and Tate and Curran and Warren, what would you suggest to improve referee decisions?I think there’s always more we can do to educate and evaluate referees, but human error is always going to be part of it. We’re never going to get the point in MMA where referees don’t screw up on occasion. That’s true of any sport. I mean, have you been watching the NCAA basketball tournament? The difference is, when MMA referees screw up people can get really hurt.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, fighter, itrsquo

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

(Miesha Tate provides photo evidence her arm isn't a crippled wet noodle hanging gimpily by her side) The unthinkable has happened: I am suffering from RRF, or Ronda Rousey Fatigue. Since she took the title from around Miesha Tate's waist by breaking her arm backwards twice, I've missed out on two opportunities to talk about Ronda: the time Miesha's boyfriend Bryan Caraway helpfully offered to perform dentistry on Ronda's teeth with his fists, and now the back and forth between Tate and Rousey on a rematch. Here's what Tate said: "I, personally, would love the opportunity to have a rematch," Tate protested. "I think at a high level, it takes one mistake. Anyone can make a mistake at any moment and someone's able to capitalize on that."I don't feel that Ronda proved anything other than what she's already (proved) -- that she has one thing that she's great at. Really phenomenal at. But everything else, I could beat her. Give me another shot. I think it was competitive. I think for the most part I was probably winning. And I think at a competitive high level, one day one person could beat the one person, and the other day the other person would beat the other person." It seems somewhat rude to demand a rematch before learning if your arm is going to need surgery from the mangling it just took, but what were you expecting? Chicks to kiss and make up after a fight like that? Here's Ronda's response: It just kind of makes her sound dumb. Everyone knows that I wanted to armbar her, and there was nothing she could do to stop me, even with months of preparation. I think that proves a lot. It's like she's not even looking at the actual situation. I don't know what match she was watching, to really think that. One of those pieces of advice that my mom tells me all the time is, 'Never listen to your own press.' The second I got out of that cage, my coach was already telling me a million things I did wrong. It just seems tome like she must be surrounded by a bunch of "yes men" all the time, saying stuff like, 'Oh yeah, you were winning. You were totally dominating.' If I was her, I would look at that match, look at what I did wrong, and try to fix it next time, and not be like 'I was totally winning before I lost.' One part of women's MMA I didn't really expect was the estrogen fueled hatred certain competitors would have for eachother. Ronda and Miesha are giving Chael and Anderson a run for their money. And just like Chael and Anderson, I can only take so many months of bitchy back-and-forths before I just cants takes no mores.

Posted in: time, tate, miesha, ronda, person

Read the full article at Fightlinker

Today sees the start of the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship at the Scottrade Center in St Louis, Missouri. The USA's top college talent will meet across 10 different weight classes in a tournament to crown the best American Folkstyle wrestler of the year. Historically collegiate wrestlers have found a great deal of success in Mixed Martial Arts, and some have even become champions at the highest level, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Here's a quick run down of past NCAA champions that have had the most success in the UFC thus far. Brock Lesnar - No heavyweight burst onto the UFC scene quite like this Minnesotan Man-Mountain. Originally from South Dakota, Lesnar became a stand out for the University of Minnesota 'Golden Gophers', and even then had an imposing physique when competing in the 285lbs class. He was a Big Ten Conference Champion 2 years in a row, and NCAA runner up -- losing to New England Patriots star Stephen Neal --, and an NCAA Champion in 2001. Lesnar made his MMA debut after a storied Pro Wrestling career, by fighting Judo Silver Medalist Min So Kim at a K-1 Dynamite! USA event in 2007. Lesnar would finally make his UFC debut against Frank Mir at UFC 81 in 2008, losing by kneebar in the first round but putting on enough of a show that Dana White was willing to give him another chance. Lesnar ran the gauntlet of Heath Herring, Randy Couture and Frank Mir, picking up the UFC Heavyweight title along the way and looking unstoppable until a debilitating bout with diverticulitis halted his career. Lesnar made a dramatic comeback to defeat Shawn Carwin a year later, but would lose quickly to challenger Cain Velasquez before being sidelined yet again with diverticulitis. Lesnar came back one last time and lost emphatically to Alistair Overeem before calling it a day, and retiring. Related Stories - NCAA 2012 Division I Wrestling Brackets And Who To Look Out For Josh Koscheck - One of the most polarising fighters at Welterweight, Koscheck's MMA career consisted of 2 fights at the regional level before making it onto the cast of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. A 4 time All American, 1 time NCAA runner up and 1 time NCAA Champion out of the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Koscheck went 42-0 in his championship year and competed at 174lbs throughout. Koscheck brought a great double leg takedown to his MMA fights and like many wrestlers of his caliber in the earlier days of MMA, relied on his single discipline base and his athleticism to carry him through to decision wins, going 7-1 in the UFC before his first title shot against champion Georges St. Pierre. Outwrestled by the Canadian, Koscheck began putting more of the pieces together and has shown an ability to garner a fight ending Knock Out in a few of his fights since, as well as submission skills in the form of a Rear Naked Choke against Anthony Johnson. Koscheck went 6-2 before getting another shot and Georges St. Pierre, but a broken right orbital bone suffered during the fight sidelined him for nearly a year until he made his successful comeback by knocking out legend Matt Hughes. Fresh off a split-decision win over Mike Pierce, Josh Koscheck's next fight is against a fellow NCAA champion in Johny Hendricks. Mark Coleman - The 'Godfather of Ground 'n' Pound ', Coleman was the first wrestler to show complete dominance in the early UFC's and proved Gracie Jiu Jitsu wasn't the only game in town. Coleman smashed his way through the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournaments, before submitting Dan Severn at UFC 12 to become the first ever UFC Heavyweight Champion. Initially a Freestyle wrestler as a teenager, Coleman represented Ohio's 'Miami University' (aka the RedHawks). Coleman was a 2 time All American, 1 time Big Ten champion and 1 time NCAA champion and wrestled at 190lbs. He also found success at Freestyle, taking 1 gold at the National Championships and 2 golds at the Pan Am Championships, a Silver at the World Championships and 7th place at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. After winning the UFC Heavyweight Champion, Coleman went on a skid where his one dimensional fighting style and lack of conditioning caught up to him, having the title wrested away from him by Maurice Smith, suffering a highlight reel head kick KO loss to Pete Wiliams, and losing by split decision to Pedro Rizzo before entering the Pride Fighting Championship. After losing by submission to Nobuhiko Takada in what many believe to be a worked fight, Coleman found a career resurgence and went on a tear, winning the 2000 Pride Openweight Grand Prix and beating all but the very best of his opponents during his Pride run. It would be to only the top heavyweights of their time in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic and Fedor Emelianenko that Coleman would lose before Prides doors would close forever. Another chance in the UFC came a little over 2 years after Pride's demise, where Coleman would lose to Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua in a rematch, a decision win over Stephan Bonnar, and a submission loss to fellow legend Randy Couture. Phil Davis - Still one of the most promising fighters in the UFC's Light Heavyweight class, this Penn State alumnus has one of the most ridiculous mesomorphic physiques in all of professional sports. Competing at 197lbs throughout his college career, Davis is a 4 time All American, 1 time NCAA Runner Up and 1 time NCAA Champion. Under the coaching and tutelage of Alliance MMA and Team Lloyd Irvin, Davis has adapted the submission game effortlessly to his high caliber wrestling and has shown off wins using a Rear Naked Choke, an Anaconda Choke and a One Armed Hammerlock. Davis has also shown he can TKO opponents in his pre-UFC career, and was thought to be the most competitive opponent to yet face champion Jon Jones until a knee injury kept him out of action for most of 2011. Coming back in January of this year and suffering the first loss of his career to former UFC champion Rashad Evans, Davis still has several years left in his career to continue to improve and evolve, and perhaps only has Jon Jones standing between him and some UFC gold in the future. Mark Munoz - 'The Filipino Wrecking Machine', Mark Munoz has some of the most vicious Ground'n'Pound the middleweight division has ever seen, and may be one of only a select few that stands a chance of dethroning the greatest champion the sport has known in Anderson Silva. Starting his career at Light Heavyweight, Munoz steamrolled his way through his first 5 opponents including two stoppages in the WEC before being transferred to the UFC, only to lose to NCAA Division III Champion Matt Hamill in Munoz' first fight. A 2 time All American and 1 time NCAA Champion at 197lbs for Oklahoma State, Munoz wisely chose to cut down to the UFC's Middleweight division where he has found success against some of the best in the class, including wins over C.B. Dolloway, Damian Maia and Chris Leben. Winning 7 of his last 8 fights, Munoz was scheduled to fight Chael Sonnen for a possible title shot until Munoz sustained an injury during training camp less than 2 weeks out from the fight. When Munoz returns he'll likely have to fight one or two more at the top of the division for the chance to compete for the championship, however the Black House Friends-not-fighting-Friends policy may have to be contested first. Johny Hendricks - There might be no one currently in the UFC's Welterweight division that has as much raw Knock Out power as one Johny Hendricks. Set to face Josh Koscheck at UFC on FOX 3, Hendricks has had a dominant MMA career barring one anomaly in a decision loss to Rick Story. A 4 time All American, 1 time NCAA Runner Up, 1 Time Big 12 Conference champion and 1 time NCAA Champion at 165lbs for Oklahoma State, Hendricks brings a ferocity to the cage that has seen 7 of his last 12 opponents separated from consciousness. Hendricks punched his ticket into the top of the division by being the first Welterweight to KO the perennial second best in the world Jon Fitch in just 12 seconds*, and has notable wins over Amir Sadollah, TJ Grant, Charlie Brenneman, TJ Waldburger and Mike Pierce. (* Jon Fitch has been KO'd before in his career, against Wilson Gouveia when Fitch unbelievably used to fight at Light Heavyweight in 2002). Special Mention: Mark Schultz - Schultz only ever had one MMA fight, and it was against Gary Goodridge at UFC 9 when he stepped in as a replacement for Canadian Wrestling Champion Dave Beneteau, whom Shultz had been training for the fight just 4 months after his brother, Dave Schultz, had been murdered by John E. duPont. Before UFC 9, Mark Schultz had been 8 years retired from Amateur Wrestling. Winning 3 NCAA championships for Oklahoma State, Schultz went on to have success in Freestyle Wrestling that included 1 Olympic Gold Medal, 2 World Gold Medals, 1 Pan Am Gold Medal, and 4 US National Open Freestyle championships. A combination of money problems, back problems and a staph infection that nearly cost him his arm, Schultz never competed in MMA again officially, but did have what was meant to be a predetermined Pro Wrestling match with Leopoldo Montenegro at a Jungle Fight event. Montenegro decided to make it a shoot, double-crossing Schultz and submitting him. Outside of wrestling, Schultz studied BJJ initially under the famed Rickson Gracie, but mostly under Pedro Sauer who awarded Schultz his black belt after just 4 years of training. Schultz may have only had one fight in the UFC, and one can never tell how well he would have done had he been able to continue fighting, but without doubt Mark Schultz is the most accomplished Amateur Wrestler to have ever set foot in the Octagon.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, champion, ncaa

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The Score Fighting Series will hit the Hamilton Place Theatre in Ontario, Canada, on Friday, March 16, 2012, as it presents a hard-hitting event which will be headlined by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) veteran John Alessio taking on Strikeforce and WEC alum, Ryan Healy. One half of the main event, Healy has been in the mixed martial arts (MMA) game for almost a decade. In fact, when he steps into the cage this Friday night, it will be exactly 10 years to the day that he made his MMA debut way back in March of 2002. Now, if you're thinking to yourself, "Didn't I just see a guy named Healy that looks just like him competing a few weeks ago at the Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey event?" Well, you're simply confusing him with his twin brother, current Strikeforce lightweight standout, Pat Healy. Fighting since the age of 14, professionally since 18, Healy has put in the time and is now fighting his way to the top while out to prove he belongs in the big show. "The Diamond" took the time to speak to MMAmania.com about his time in the fight game, training at Team Quest, his upcoming opponent and whether or not he would ever fight his twin brother. Check it out: "We started when we were 14, and we had a neighbor who was taking kickboxing and he wanted some people to spar. So I agreed to spar, and he actually knocked me out the first time we sparred. He kicked me right in the face. Afterwards I thought, wow, this is pretty cool." That was his first taste at fighting, and he has been hooked ever since. With an aggressive push the pace style, "Diamond" recalls his youth, where that aggression was present early on. "Me and my brother grew up playing sports, we kind of got in trouble a lot for our aggression and then we found boxing, kickboxing and jiu-jitsu we were just hooked," said Ryan. "We would go down to the basement, lock the door and scrap it out for like half an hour or 45 minutes until somebody won." It wasn't long before he sought out to look to get himself a MMA fight in a local high school before he went off to college, an event that was being run by a certain trash-talking UFC middleweight. "I had my first fight when we were still in high school at an event that Chael Sonnen ran. So we fought for him as amateurs then my brother went to Southern Illinois to wrestle and I went to the University of Nevada to box. I won an amateur Championship in boxing and he did pretty good in wrestling. I knew I was boxing to get back into MMA." After college, Healy found himself back in Oregon and reconnected with Sonnen at Team Quest. "We moved back to Oregon and hooked up with Team Quest. The atmosphere there is awesome, its electric, I love being there every day. Having guys there like Lindland, who has a Silver Medal in the Olympics, and Sonnen, guys that have been to the top pushing you is inspiring and it gives you something to work for." From 2008 to 2009, Ryan hit a rough patch, suffering five consecutive losses. Though Healy says the fights were taken on short notice, he places all the blame solely on his shoulders. "It was pretty brutal going through that losing streak and I have no one to blame but myself. I took so many fights on short notice," said Ryan. "I think the most notice I got was when I fought Jorge Masvidal, it was like a month's notice. I fought Rick Story on like seven day's notice and it was a weight class up. I wasn't taking smart fights." The streak, says Healy, was almost enough for him to rethink his career choice. "When you lose, it's a dark hole to get out of and it takes your confidence. I was ready to quit after the last loss, but my brother slapped some sense in to me." After his five fight skid, Ryan quickly turned things around and went on a five fight win streak, taking seven of his last nine bouts overall. The former WEC vet now finds himself headlining Score Fighting Series against John Alessio, a bout that was originally set for December, but was scrapped due to a partially torn MCL Healy suffered while training. "I think he's got good submissions. His ground game is his best attribute. Training with Robert Drysdale, he is one of the best Jiu-Jitsu guys in the world. So I think his submissions are his best attribute," said Healy in his assessment of Alessio. "He likes to fight a slow and controlled pitter-patter fight and looks for a submission. My strengths lie in fighting hard and pushing the pace and make him fight me. That will be my edge in the fight, is turning it into a scrap." Now that he has the chance to train full time, Healy insists it will make a huge difference in his career moving forward. "I was the guy that was taking extra shifts and he (Pat) was the guy that was cutting out early to get to the gym. And I see how it has paid off for him and he deserves everything that he has because he works his ass off for it. So it makes be a little bit jealous because I want to be in that spot. But it is also inspiring to know if I do put in that work, I think I will get to that spot." Of course, we had to touch on the subject if there would ever be a possibility of having a real life "Warrior" situation between he and his brother. "I think we probably would fight. We've said that if we can retire after the fight then we would. If it ever came to the point that we were both at the top and it made sense, I think we could put our brotherly love to the side and I think we could put on an entertaining fight." A fight Ryan believes would be truly entertaining. "Just our sparring matches alone are quite entertaining for people to watch so if it came down to it, I think we would fight each other, but it would be very hard for my mom, she would definitely have a hard time with it." When Ryan steps into the cage this Friday, it will mark the 10 year anniversary of his MMA debut. "People will see an accumulation of all the hard work I have put in over the years. You will see a great fight between two guys getting to the level to make the jump into the big time and they will see in your face and hard hitting action." As Ryan looks for his third consecutive win, he also looks for an impressive enough performance to get a call from the UFC. "I'm in this sport to be a world champion. I know I have the tools to do it and I will put in the hard work to get the wins to get there." The Score Fighting Series event will be streamed live on TheScore.com the website of leading Canadian sports TV network, The Score. For all you need to know about the Score Fighting Series, click here. Ryan would like to thank L.A. Boxing, Gamma Labs, Dirty Boxer, Float On, Deprivation Chambers, and Oregon Grown Design and all his teammates at Team Quest.

Posted in: fight, time, guy, ryan, healy

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Former Strikeforce champ Marloes Coenen has been through a lot in the last year and a half. First she won the women’s 135-pound title, then lost it to Miesha Tate after defending it once. She was released from her Strikeforce contract during a time of frosty relations between Zuffa and her Golden Glory management team, then verbally committed to BlackEye Promotions, only to later sign an exclusive North American deal with the upstart all-female organization Invicta.Through it all, Coenen told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, she had her mettle thoroughly tested yet again, and now believes she’s emerged stronger for the experience."It never really crossed my mind to quit MMA [after the loss to Tate], but I was hurt," Coenen told Helwani. "I was really, deeply hurt. I really needed some time to be away from my family, from my friends, from my training camp, from the Netherlands. I really recovered in Kansas." Kansas, oddly enough, is where Coenen stayed for three months in the aftermath of the Tate loss and the Strikeforce release. While there, she said, she worked on her wrestling a great deal, but also got a chance to reflect on a career that’s spanned more than a decade, with plenty of ups and downs along the way.At 19, she won the ReMix: World Cup 2000 championship in Japan, fighting three times in one night. She’d come into the event with only one pro MMA fight to her credit, and returned to her home in the Netherlands with a title she wasn’t sure what to do with."I had just started studying at the university," she said. "...It wasn’t that interesting. [MMA] wasn’t my world at the time. Then all of a sudden I became a champion in Japan and I said, well, I’ll quit university and focus on fighting."Shortly thereafter, the women’s MMA scene in Japan began to decline, and Coenen’s family pressured her to go back to school. They also encouraged her to give up fighting and focus on something resembling a more normal career for a Dutch woman."There were so many points in my life where my parents told me I had to quit. Come on, Marloes, focus on something else, because it will not work out with fighting. At a certain point I started to believe that as well, then Strikeforce came and my world changed again."After splitting her first two fights in Strikeforce -- a submission win over Roxanne Modafferi in her debut, followed by a TKO loss to 145-pound champ Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos in her next fight -- she became the 135-pound champion with a submission win over the previously unbeaten Sarah Kaufman. Coenen couldn’t have known then that she’d be out of a job after just two more fights."I made a lot of sacrifices in my life, prior to when I went to Strikeforce," Coenen said. "Those things really helped build who I am."Women’s MMA is in a very different place now than it was when she found it, Coenen admitted, but she thinks the time is right for Invicta’s all-female approach, and expects that she’ll be proven right when the organization rolls out its debut event in Kansas City on April 28 -- a card that Coenen will headline in a rematch with Romy Ruyssen.Though Coenen said she’s always tried to be a role model for young girls in and out of the cage, a recent run-in with a different type of fan convinced her that the demographic for women’s MMA might be bigger than many realize."In the supermarket this woman came up to me, like a mom with three kids. ...She said to me, ‘Oh, I saw your TV show, and you really inspired me.’ I was like, huh? I inspired you? That proves to me that there’s this audience we do not hear of, they don’t go onto the forums, but they do want watch female fighting because it’s a big empowerment for women."For now, the 30-year-old Coenen will only say that she has "a few more years" left in MMA, but before she goes she has one specific goal in mind."I want to end my career fighting Cyborg," she said. "All my fights up to that will lead up to that."And even after news of Santos’ positive steroid test and subsequent suspension, Coenen refused to pile on the criticism of the recently stripped champion, explaining "that when an opponent is down, you don’t kick them."Then again, after feeling Santos’ strength, it’s not as if she was surprised to hear the news, Coenen added."I was in the cage with her, and believe me, I couldn’t understand that she really could hit that hard. I always thought that I really hit hard and I’m tough, but when I was in the cage with her, it was on another level."While many people might be upset to learn that the hard blows they took might have been the result of a juiced up physique, Coenen offered another, somewhat surprising take."I really like Cyborg, and I deeply respect her as well. Even after she got caught, it tells also that she really wants to do everything she can to win. That says something about her mindset, and that sort of mindset I can respect."

Posted in: mma, time, strikeforce, loss, coenen

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Quinton Jackson will compete one more time inside the Octagon, fulfilling his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contractual duties, accepting a rematch against his Pride FC nemesis, Mauricio Rua. The Light Heavyweight fight announcement was made this evening (March 13, 2012) on FX's "UFC Tonight" program. No date, venue or event is known at this time; however, it will certainly be an eagerly anticipated 205-pound showdown. Jackson and Rua, two of Pride FC's biggest stars during the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion's heyday, initially locked horns at PRIDE: "Total Elimination" in Osaka, Japan, way back in 2005. "Shogun" had his way with "Rampage" from the opening bell, delivering strike after strike, which forced the referee to step in and stop the bout halfway through the opening frame. Much has changed since that time. More on this breaking news shortly.

Posted in: time, opening frame, date venue, fxs ufc, pride fcs

Read the full article at MMA Mania

There is a simple solution to the Quinton "Rampage" Jackson mess that, for some reason, is apparently being overlooked. Cut him. The UFC ought to sever ties with its mercurial former light heavyweight champion as quickly and completely as possible. There is no good being done for any side in this equation by forcing an unhappy Jackson to fight the final bout on his UFC contract. It certainly won't do Jackson any good to hang around. He's apparently had it with the UFC and has complained about the opponents matchmaker Joe Silva has picked for him to fight, his pay, and the seeming lack of gratitude UFC officials have shown him for fighting while injured. Speaking to Bas Rutten on HDNet's "Inside MMA," Jackson said he is displeased that the UFC is matching him with wrestlers who don't want to fight. Four of his last five opponents were wrestlers, but there's more to the story than just the UFC putting him in against wrestlers. On May 29, 2010, he lost to Rashad Evans in a battle for the No. 1 contender's spot at 205. He came back at UFC 123 on Nov. 20, 2010, with a win over karate expert Lyoto Machida in a battle between former champions looking to get back into the mix. Next up, at UFC 130, was wrestler Matt Hamill on May 28, after a series of potential other opponents fell through. Beating Hamill earned (got?) Jackson a title shot against wrestler Jon Jones at UFC 135 on Sept. 24. After being submitted by Jones, the UFC put Jackson in against wrestler Ryan Bader on Feb. 26 at UFC 144 in Japan. Jackson missed weight by five pounds in Japan, pointing to a knee injury suffered in training. He could have pulled out, but was so desperate to fight in Japan that he remained on the card. That was his choice, but now we're supposed to shower him with thanks because he did what nearly every one of his peers do every time they compete and went out and fought hurt? Please. Cutting Jackson would be the wise move for all parties, because Jackson clearly doesn't want to be around, he's no longer a particularly exciting fighter and all the attention being paid to his complaints takes attention away from those who could use it. Jackson did a lot for the UFC and deserves to be recognized for that. His knockout of Chuck Liddell at UFC 71 on May 26, 2007, is one of the seminal moments in Zuffa history and won't soon been forgotten. His fight with Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92 was breathtaking. He was one of the stalwarts of the PRIDE Fighting Championship and should be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame based upon his achievements in the two organizations. That, though, is for the future. For the present, Jackson is complaining about his lot in life, which is particularly galling considering his recent performances. It's time UFC president Dana White ended the circus and cut Jackson. Maybe that will make him happy. Jackson only wants guys who will engage him in a slugfest and he wants to be hailed as a conquering hero for doing it. So maybe nothing will make him happy, because that's not life in one of the hottest divisions in MMA. Perhaps Jackson will be energized fighting for Bellator or some other promotion. Perhaps he'll get back to being the fighter he was when he was an absolute can't miss. It's debatable, but there is one thing that absolutely, unequivocally not: The time has come for the UFC to sever its ties with him.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, jackson, wrestler

Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports

Though popular pugilist Manny Pacquiao may have a squeaky-clean image in comparison to rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. it appears the decorated champion is not immune to an occasional brush with the law. Pacquiao recently had a charge of “contempt” filed against him by the Philippines’ Bureau for Internal Revenue after Pacquiao failed to submit paperwork pertaining to a tax investigation seeking information about his earnings. The 33-year old Pacquiao has contended he meant no offense and simply needed more time while the BIR has argued “Pac Man” was made fully aware of the deadline with a representative citing 39 other cases filed against other Filipinos at the same time for similar reasons. While it’s likely Pacquiao will not serve jail time if found to be in contempt, the charge does carry the possibility of a two-year sentence meaning there is still a minimum risk in place pertaining to Pacquiao potentially being put behind bars. A Look at Pacquiao’s Next Opponent Pacquiao is also facing allegations of harboring a fugitive after one of the nation’s primary news outlets reported he allowed a former government official to stay at his estate while being sought in connection to selling a stolen car. The 54-3-2 Pacquiao has denied any connection with the man and is contesting the source’s credibility by filing a libel suit against the reporter. Tweet

Posted in: time, pacquiao, libel suit, tax investigation, jail time

Read the full article at Fighters.com

The animosity some fighters have with each other leading up to big fights is often beaten out of them by the time the fight is over. That’s not the case with Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey. Tate appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani yesterday to talk about her loss to Rousey earlier this month and basically suggested that Rousey’s really only great one at one thing and just happened to capitalize on a mistake she made. Otherwise, Tate feels she was winning and wants a rematch to prove she can still beat her. “I, personally, would love the opportunity to have a rematch,” Tate protested. “I think at a high level, it takes one mistake. Anyone can make a mistake at any moment and someone’s able to capitalize on that. “I don’t feel that Ronda proved anything other than what she’s already (proved) — that she has one thing that she’s great at. Really phenomenal at. But everything else, I could beat her. Give me another shot. I think it was competitive. I think for the most part I was probably winning. And I think at a competitive high level, one day one person could beat the one person, and the other day the other person would beat the other person.” Rousey’s response: Miesha sounds dumb. Here’s here more elaborate response from an interview she did with Stephie “Crooklyn” Daniels over at BE: “I don’t think there’s any way she could argue that she was winning that fight at all. If you just look at the striking stats, I landed 43 strikes and she landed 11. If you look at the actual damage, she was bruised up on her leg and her face, not to mention her arm. The only point in the fight where she could say she was being the least bit dominant, is the part where she had my back, but she definitely landed fewer strikes from the back, and had zero submission attempts. The one time she tried to do something, she lost her position immediately. That wasn’t a dominant position for her, that was pretty much her holding on for dear life. Every single takedown was me, I had the majority of the strikes, and I got the win. This all happened in four minutes, and if she assumes that the few seconds that she had my back, that she was the winner…well she wasn’t doing anything productive there anyway, except prolonging the inevitable.” “It just kind of makes her sound dumb. Everyone knows that I wanted to armbar her, and there was nothing she could do to stop me, even with months of preparation. I think that proves a lot. It’s like she’s not even looking at the actual situation. I don’t know what match she was watching, to really think that. One of those pieces of advice that my mom tells me all the time is, ‘Never listen to your own press.’ The second I got out of that cage, my coach was already telling me a million things I did wrong. It just seems tome like she must be surrounded by a bunch of “yes men” all the time, saying stuff like, ‘Oh yeah, you were winning. You were totally dominating.’ If I was her, I would look at that match, look at what I did wrong, and try to fix it next time, and not be like ‘I was totally winning before I lost.’” Despite her strong feelings on how the fight played out, Rousey says she is more than willing to give Tate another shot if that’s what she wants. There’s probably a good chance of that happening down the road given the success of the fight and the general lack of legitimate title contenders in her division, but Tate is going to have to win some fights before that should happen. It was a fun fight with a lot of back-and-forth action, but Tate didn’t do nearly enough to warrant an immediate rematch. Their little grudge that clearly hasn’t been settled is probably going to have to wait for now. Regarding the status of Tate’s arm, she’s still waiting for the MRI results to find out the extent of the damage, but she’s “pretty sure” she has a torn ligament. No broken bones though. Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime

Posted in: fight, time, tate, rousey, person

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Get this: Before having her arm nearly ripped off by Ronda Rousey at Strikeforce this past March 3 in Columbus, Ohio, Miesha Tate thought she was winning the fight. Really. Click here if you don't believe me. After a bitter war of words and a forehead press at the weigh-ins, the two top 135-pound women met up inside the cage to determine who the better fighter really was. And with her first round armbar finish, "Rowdy" Ronda seemingly answered that question. Definitively. "Takedown" Tate doesn't agree. In fact, she believes "for the most part" she was "probably winning." Not only that, but she thinks Rousey didn't really prove anything we didn't already know, which is that she's really good at tearing people's arms off. When informed of all this, the new Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion responded with a shake of her head and these pointed words: "It just kind of makes her sound dumb," Rousey told Bloody Elbow. "Everyone knows that I wanted to armbar her, and there was nothing she could do to stop me, even with months of preparation. I think that proves a lot. It's like she's not even looking at the actual situation. I don't know what match she was watching, to really think that. One of those pieces of advice that my mom tells me all the time is, 'Never listen to your own press.' The second I got out of that cage, my coach was already telling me a million things I did wrong. It just seems tome like she must be surrounded by a bunch of "yes men" all the time, saying stuff like, 'Oh yeah, you were winning. You were totally dominating.' If I was her, I would look at that match, look at what I did wrong, and try to fix it next time, and not be like 'I was totally winning before I lost.'" It is quite amazing, when you think about it. Rousey literally told Tate she was going to finish her in the first round by armbar and she went out and did just that. What does that prove? Quite a bit, actually. And with Tate's assertion that wrestling trumps judo nine times out of 10, it would seem clear she was either way wrong or Rousey caught her on the right day to get that one win. Thankfully, "Rowdy" is open to a rematch saying "If she wants Rousey vs. Tate 2, then I'll be happy to oblige her." Anyone up for watching these two lethal ladies go at it again?

Posted in: time, tate, armbar, rousey, ronda

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Guest post by Stephie "Crooklyn" Daniels. You can follow Crooklyn on Twitter @CrooklynMMA. More than a week after their electrifying fight, Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey are still engaged in a battle of sorts. A war of words, if you will. Tate was recently featured on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, and made bold statements about Rousey's skill level, as well as issuing a bid for a rematch, saying she felt she could best the newly crowned women's champion if given another opportunity. While Ronda has been a scarce commodity on the social networking sites and MMA media, she took the time out from her vacation to grant me a short interview to respond to Miesha's comments. SD: Miesha stated that she felt she was winning until you caught her with the second armbar. What's your take on this? RR: I don't think there's any way she could argue that she was winning that fight at all. If you just look at the striking stats, I landed 43 strikes and she landed 11. If you look at the actual damage, she was bruised up on her leg and her face, not to mention her arm. The only point in the fight where she could say she was being the least bit dominant, is the part where she had my back, but she definitely landed fewer strikes from the back, and had zero submission attempts. The one time she tried to do something, she lost her position immediately. That wasn't a dominant position for her, that was pretty much her holding on for dear life. Every single takedown was me, I had the majority of the strikes, and I got the win. This all happened in four minutes, and if she assumes that the few seconds that she had my back, that she was the winner...well she wasn't doing anything productive there anyway, except prolonging the inevitable. SD: Miesha said during her interview that you didn't really prove much during your fight. How do you feel about that statement? RR: It just kind of makes her sound dumb. Everyone knows that I wanted to armbar her, and there was nothing she could do to stop me, even with months of preparation. I think that proves a lot. It's like she's not even looking at the actual situation. I don't know what match she was watching, to really think that. One of those pieces of advice that my mom tells me all the time is, 'Never listen to your own press.' The second I got out of that cage, my coach was already telling me a million things I did wrong. It just seems tome like she must be surrounded by a bunch of "yes men" all the time, saying stuff like, 'Oh yeah, you were winning. You were totally dominating.' If I was her, I would look at that match, look at what I did wrong, and try to fix it next time, and not be like 'I was totally winning before I lost.' SD: Miesha says that the only thing you're really good at is the armbar, and that she feels she excels in all other areas over you. Are there any areas you felt she was dominant in during your fight? RR: Then why did she get taken down three times? I had more takedowns than her. I had more submission attempts. I had more landed strikes. Even if you just look at it on paper, I had more dominant positions, more strikes...I beat her in every single category. Anyone watching the fight wouldn't have thought that she was winning at any point. I don't know what fight she was watching, but it might be a different one than the one I'm looking at. SD: Miesha is picking you to beat Kaufman because she feels her style plays right into your strengths. Would you agree with that statement? RR: Yes and no. It's another grappler vs. striker match. Miesha is not as good as I am in grappling, and striking is not really her forte either, even though that was really the only way for her to try to win, and that didn't work out for her. Sarah also doesn't have as good grappling as me, but she has way better striking than Miesha. It could be that she's much stronger in my weaker area than Miesha ever was. I don't know. We'll see. It's hard to say until you're there. SD: Would you say that Sarah presents a tougher challenge than Miesha did? RR: Yeah. No one is ever easy until after you beat them. I already beat Miesha so I can say 'OK, that was easy, but this next chick is going to be really tough' because I haven't fought her yet. I feel that Miesha would probably be the easier one for me, because I know that my grappling was better than hers. I didn't feel that I was in danger of being submitted or knocked out. Sarah doesn't pose any submission threat towards me, but she is more of a standing threat than Miesha ever was. I feel that she is a more dangerous fight for me than Miesha was. SD: Miesha has stated that she would like a rematch with you. Would you be interested in Rousey vs. Tate, Part II? RR: If she wants Rousey/Tate II, I'll be happy to oblige her. SD: What have you been doing with your time since the fight? RR: I've been pretty much living in a cave. I've been hanging out with a lot of my friends that I haven't seen in a long time, and just sitting on couches, watching TV, and catching up. I've also been hanging around a lot with my family and my new niece. Just visiting with the people that are really close to me that I haven't been able to spend that much time with. I'll probably rejoin society on Wednesday when I fly back to LA. SD: Are you overwhelmed by the response from the male faction of your fans due to your newly single dating status? RR: I'm off the market for a while. For the last three years, I was single for like two months. I kind of need to have time to just hang out with my dog. [laughs] You can follow Ronda via her Twitter @RondaRousey

Posted in: fight, time, miesha, sd, rr

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

There was a time not too long when UFC welterweight Dan Hardy knew inside his heart that he should take a break from fighting to refocus on his training and career to get things back on track. Now what you might be thinking is the time off that Hardy has taken over the last several months following his fourth loss in a row in the UFC is what he was talking about, but you’d be wrong. Looking back, Hardy points at his 2010 loss to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre as the first major bump in the road that should have caused him to step away from...

Posted in: ufc, time, loss, welterweight, dan

Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports

UFC flyweight Ian McCall has some serious unfinished business. The top ranked 125 pound fighter on the planet, "Uncle Creepy's" UFC debut just over a week ago ended in an unprecedented fit of controversy as he was initially ruled the loser against Demetrious Johnson before finding out 45 minutes later that the commission had made a grievous error and the fight had actually been a draw. Now, the flyweight division, after hoping to be guided quickly into the limelight, is at a standstill while a rematch is in the works to find the rightful challenger for Joseph Benavidez to crown the promotion's inaugural champion. McCall took a week off to be with his family, but he's already back to work trying to correct his mistakes from his UFC on FX 2 main card fight against "Mighty Mouse." The Team Oyama fighter spoke with MMAmania.com during a guest appearance on "The Verbal Submission" last night where he discussed his new tattoos, not following the gameplan against Johnson and even a potential return to bantamweight in part one of this exclusive interview. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): This past Friday was your last real day off before you got back into training mode. Was it tough to get that time off? You mentioned earlier that you feel weird being inactive after a fight. Ian McCall: I enjoy taking time off because I get to hang out with my wife and my daughter because I don't get to hang out with them that much when I'm training. It's my job so I have to do it but, I don't know, I train a lot. I get bored kinda. All the relaxing gets to me. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You've used this past week off to add some new tattoos to your body of work, one on your arm and your leg. Was there any significance to them? Ian McCall: The leg is just something that I wanted to finish. I've got the whole right side of my body with Japanese and I wanted to try and finish it as fast as possible. My wrist and my hand, I just have from Shakespeare "These violent delights have violent ends" which I think is kind of fitting with me punching people in the face with my hands and all. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Let's talk a little bit about the Demetrious Johnson fight. First of all, there were a lot of doubters heading in because Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson, they had fought for titles at 135 pounds before and many assumed that they were going to win even though you were the top ranked flyweight. Do you feel like, even though the judges didn't end up siding with you, that it was a draw, that you really made your mark on the division and proved that you belonged with these guys? Ian McCall: I at least proved that I belonged. I didn't really put the stamp on it that I wanted to. The stamp that I wanted to do would have been a finish but at least people have respect for me now. Thank God. All I needed to do was one fight to show them I'm actually worth their time. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): What makes you want to yell out loud when you're in a fight or before a fight starts? Ian McCall: I don't know. I've got issues. I get too excited and I just want to yell. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Now I know you were disappointed with the result in the end, but did them paying you your win bonus plus the $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus take away a bit of the sting? Ian McCall: Yeah, it hurts a lot less when I have an extra 50 grand in my bank account. (laughs) Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): My assessment of the fight. It seemed like Johnson was a bit quicker and you were more powerful and the better wrestler. What do you feel you need to do to close that speed gap the next time you guys meet up? Ian McCall: We had a gameplan going into it. I didn't follow the gameplan. I felt like I was in slow motion the whole time. He's a little quicker than me, but next time I'll show the real me. Like I said before. I'm very disappointed in my performance. Next time you'll see the real me at least on the feet. My wrestling was on point but the rest of my game was kind of off. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Something that I noticed was that he was really finding a home for his right hand. Do you feel that was perhaps your biggest mistake, letting him sneak in that right hand time and time again? Ian McCall: Yeah, I wasn't keeping my hands up. I wasn't moving and I wasn't fighting like I was supposed to fight. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Do you feel like because you and Demetrious have to fight again and Joe Benavidez has to wait, is that an advantage for you guys staying active while he's just kind of sitting on the sidelines? Ian McCall: Not really. In some ways yes and in some ways no. He could get hurt. He's got more time to watch us. It goes both ways. Gerry Rodriguez: You said it doesn't hurt having an extra 50 grand in your pocket and you said you're a guy with issues. Did you have any weird splurges or interesting buys? Ian McCall: I bought myself a nice John Varvatos jacket, that's it. My wife was like, "Well you earned it. Why don't you buy it?" and I was like, "I don't want to spend that much money on a jacket," and she was like, "Do it!" so I bought myself a nice jacket. That's it. It was almost $1400. Gerry Rodriguez: Have you ever thought about approaching Playstation to sponsor you? You've got this rematch coming up and he's an X-Box guy. Even if you don't play video games, it would make sense from their standpoint. Ian McCall: You know, I have some friends that are some hardcores gamers and they keep talking about it. A friend of a friend's dad runs some company called Razer. They make gaming equipment and laptops and all that stuff so they were actually thinking about it but everything's just talk right now. If Playstation actually did want to sponsor me, that would be great. Sony's awesome and Sony could set up my house with TVs and systems and whatever they wanted to do. Ben Thapa: Is there a point when dropping weight classes where the body tells the mind, "Yes, this is the right spot for me," or do you have to get used to either one? Ian McCall: Some people can fluctuate. Some people -- 125 just felt right for me. I'm sure sooner or later I'll end up going back to 135 because I realize that I'm a big, big, big 125-er, but once I go up, I guess on day your body just adjusts to things. I've become very adjusted to 125 but I'm sure it won't be too hard for me to go back. Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of our interview with Ian McCall where he discusses fight philosophy, changing his life and what exactly he needs to do differently to win the rematch with Demetrious Johnson later this year. So what do you think, Maniacs? After seeing McCall in action under the UFC banner for the first time, do you believe he has what it takes to not only defeat Demetrious Johnson in the rematch, but also win the inaugural UFC flyweight title? Sound off! To listen to the complete audio of our interview with Ian McCall, click here (starts at the 7:30 mark).

Posted in: fight, time, mccall, ian, mmamaniacom

Read the full article at MMA Mania

"Medical conditions and stuff like that you know. My legs stopped working. Some things just weren't clicking like they were supposed to click. You obviously saw the result so by me missing weight and stuff, but I'm not living off that. It's still fresh in my mind. That time period in my life is a big letdown because I let myself down more than I let anyone else down. I remember every single day of that week and how it was just not a good week. But it's over with now. Dana and them did what they had to do. They are making a statement and that's fine with me. As for if it was fair, life isn't fair sometimes, you just gotta roll with the punches. You can sit on your ass and cry about or get up and do something. Business is business I didn't take anything personal, I don't know if they did. I don't have anything against the UFC, the Fertitta's and Dana, it is just business." -- Appearing on the The MMA Hour today (Mar., 12, 2012), Anthony Johnson talked about the troubles that led to his failure to make the required 185-pound limit at UFC 142 on Jan. 14, 2012. Johnson said that despite being cut from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster shortly thereafter, he has no hard feelings toward the powers that be over at Zuffa. After coming in 12 pounds overweight in Brazil -- the third time he has failed to hit the required mark -- "Rumble" went on to loss to Vitor Belfort via rear-naked choke in the closing seconds of the opening round. It was the final blow in a painful weekend. Not one to "sit on his ass and cry," Johnson revealed that he has signed with Titan Fighting Championships and is scheduled to make his debut with the promotion at Middleweight, the division he says he will stay at for the remainder of his career. He expects to return to action on May 25 of this year; however, no opponent has been confirmed at this time. Anyone think "Rumble" can find himself back into the world's largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion should he rack up a few wins in the smaller shows or have we seen the last of him inside the Octagon?

Posted in: ufc, time, johnson, vitor belfort, i dont

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Anthony Johnson has found a new home following his release from the UFC after missing weight and losing to Vitor Belfort in his middleweight debut at UFC 142. Johnson revealed on The MMA Hour today that he has signed with Titan Fighting Championship and has his first fight scheduled for May 25 in Kansas City. He’s obviously disappointed that he’s no longer with the UFC, but seems to be taking the setback in stride. “I’m going to fight a few times and eventually come back,” he said. “There’s a time for everything and right now just isn’t my time to be with the UFC. But when my time comes again, if that’s what UFC wants, you know I’m there.” “As far as if it was fair, life isn’t fair sometimes,” he said. “You’ve got to roll with the punches. Either you can sit on your ass and cry about it or get up and do something. And I’m not going to just sit around boo-hooing and not do anything.” Johnson was 11 pounds off his mark when he weighed in for UFC 142, but says he was actually only 1.5 pounds away from 186 when his legs “stopped working” and doctors determined that it was too dangerous for him to continue his cut. Despite failing to make 185 in his first attempt, Johnson still plans on making the middleweight division his new home. He’s completely done with the welterweight division and is currently walking around now between 210-215. It’s unclear who Johnson will face on May 25. A few fighters accepted the fight said Johnson but then backed out for unknown reasons. Nevertheless, Johnson believes there are plenty of quality middleweights for him to fight outside the UFC. If he can beat those fighters and just as importantly make weight for those bouts, chances are the UFC will let him back in sooner or later. Image via MMA Junkie

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, johnson, middleweight

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Former UFC welterweight/middleweight/light heavyweight Anthony Johnson has signed with Titan Fighting, according to the man himself. He announced the signing on today's edition of The MMA Hour with MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani, and his first fight will be on May 25th in Kansas City. He does not have an opponent as of yet. Here's what he had to say: "I'm going to fight a few times and eventually come back," he said. "There's a time for everything and right now just isn't my time to be with the UFC. But when my time comes again, if that's what UFC wants, you know I'm there." Johnson was released by the UFC after failing to make weight in a UFC 142 bout against Vitor Belfort, despite a move up to middleweight for the matchup. It was the third time he had missed weight in his 11 bouts under the UFC banner, with the first two coming at welterweight. Rumble wouldn't really elaborate on the "medical condition" that led him to miss by 12 pounds, but he did state that his future is at middleweight. One possible opponent for Johnson could be former UFC middleweight Jorge Santiago, who recently signed with Titan and won his first bout by knockout on March 2nd.

Posted in: ufc, time, mma hour, johnson, vitor belfort

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

It's been a little more than three months since Urban Meyer took over at Ohio State in that time he's learned of NCAA sanctions, landed the nation's fourth-ranked recruiting class, dealt with some accusations from his fellow Big Ten coaches and offended a campus LGBT group. The guys deserves a little R&R, so he packed up the family and headed to Utah where his wife and son went to ski and he joined them after speaking at the ACG Utah Intermountain Growth Conference. It's the first down time Meyer has had since become the Buckeye's coach. "There's some really important people in my life and that's my wife and my children and they said they want to do this," Meyer said . "I wanted to do this, but I probably wouldn't have done this in the past. "We'll do this every year." Meyer was relaxed in a non-football setting as he prepared to speak with several business folks about winning strategies, something he's done several times in the past. Because he was so comfortable in his old stomping grounds of Salt Lake City, he opened up to the Salt Lake Tribune about the trials and tribulations of his first few months, especially learning about the NCAA sanctions that will keep the Buckeyes out of a bowl game in 2012.

Posted in: time, ncaa, meyer, ncaa sanctions, time meyer

Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports

There was a time not too long when UFC welterweight Dan Hardy knew inside his heart that he should take a break from fighting to refocus on his training and career to get things back on track. Now what you might be thinking is the time off that Hardy has taken over the last several months following his fourth loss in a row in the UFC is what he was talking about, but you’d be wrong. Looking back, Hardy points at his 2010 loss to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre as the first major bump in the road that should have caused him to step away from...

Posted in: ufc, time, loss, welterweight, dan

Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports

It's time to move on for Anthony Johnson.The 28-year-old former UFC fighter has officially announced his new home and his permanent weight class, signing with Titan Fighting Championship. He will debut on their May 25 event in Kansas City, he told MMA Fighting on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour.Though Johnson doesn't yet have an opponent finalized, it's phase one of his plan to return to the UFC. "I'm going to fight a few times and eventually come back," he said. "There's a time for everything and right now just isn't my time to be with the UFC. But when my time comes again, if that's what UFC wants, you know I'm there."Johnson (10-4) was released after UFC 142. That was supposed to be his debut as a middleweight after having competed his entire career at welterweight, but he missed the mark badly, checking in at 197 pounds and forcing a catch weight bout against Vitor Belfort. Belfort won by rear naked choke submission in the first. In his first extended interview since that day, Johnson declined to detail the exact nature of the issue that led to his weigh-cutting difficulty but said it was due to a medical condition that happened during the day of weigh-ins. He said that his legs "stopped working" and was eventually directed not to continue with his cut. At that point, he says, he was just 1.5 pound away from making weight."Some things just weren’t clicking like they were supposed to click," he said. "You obviously saw the result so by me missing weight and stuff, but I’m not living off that. It's still fresh in my mind. That time period in my life is a big letdown because I let myself down more than I let anyone else down. I remember every single day of that week and how it was just not a good week. But it’s over with now. That was in January, this is March. I’m not worried about it anymore, I've just got to keep looking forward."Johnson said he never considered withdrawing from the fight despite his difficulty, saying he would never pull out of a fight so close to its date.He also noted that he has no ill feelings towards the UFC for letting him go."As far as if it was fair, life isn’t fair sometimes," he said. "You've got to roll with the punches. Either you can sit on your ass and cry about it or get up and do something. And I’m not going to just sit around boo-hooing and not do anything." The other part of the equation came from the disappointment of the fans, many of whom slammed Johnson for his history of weigh-in difficulties. Johnson said he's ignored most of that criticism while focusing on the future. "People can say what they want to say," he said. "I don't care. I’m still going to be me, I’m still going to fight hard, I'm still going to do the best I can. So what am I supposed to say? Am I supposed to pay attention to those people?" Making weight should help quiet some of the criticism, and going forward, Johnson should have more success there. He said that he's left welterweight behind for good and middleweight is now his exclusive home, and noted that he's currently between 210-215 pounds.As far as his next bout, though he has no one lined up and said a few fighters have accepted the fight and then backed out, he expects someone to step up and agree to face him soon. Johnson wouldn't name those fighters, but said the talent pool outside the UFC should generate quality opposition."There’s tons of talent outside of UFC," he said. "Of course UFC is where everybody wants to be. It's the Super Bowl of MMA, like everybody says. There's talent outside of UFC of course but we’ll see. Someone is eventually going to say they'll fight me and take a chance. That’s what life’s about, taking chances."

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, johnson, irsquom

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

It's a new season, and that means a new year of Power Rankings. Each week throughout the season, we'll size up who's rising and who's falling, based on current standings, behind-the-scenes changes, expected staying power, recent history and general gut feelings. It is not scientific, nor is it meant to be. And remember, whoever your favorite driver is, we're biased against him and like someone else better. So let's begin with a guy we haven't seen around here lately ... 1.Greg Biffle: In the first three races, Greg Biffle has finished third, third and third. That's halfway to the apocalypse! If Biffle keeps this pace up over the whole season, he'll finish ... well, he'd probably win the championship. Which would be weird if he did that never finishing higher than third. But we'll have to deal with it when the time comes, won't we? Last week: 3. 2. Denny Hamlin: You know that Hamlin was loving it when Darian Grubb notched a win before Tony Stewart did. So what does Stewart do? Comes back and wins the next week! Dammit! Stewart has to be like the guy who says he can do anything better than you, and then goes out and does it. Those people stink. Last week: 1. 3 . Tony Stewart . If you had to pick one driver to win a race for you because your life depended on it ... well, you'd probably be trapped in some weird old '80s movie where strange plot contrivances like that were a way of life. But if you did, I'd go with Stewart, and I'd up the ante by saying that nobody respects him and everybody's counting him out and all that business. The guy gets motivated by that kind of talk. Which is good when your life is on the line. Last week: 7. 4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: I have to admit, one of the great pleasures of this business is watching when people who are rabidly, completely unhinged in favor of (or against) one driver see that driver's fortunes running in the opposite direction than they want. What do you think the haters were thinking when Junior was ticking off laps three seconds ahead of the field? Of course, they got their satisfaction a few laps later, but still ... nothing like seeing a little comeuppance. Last week: 5. 5. Kevin Harvick: A friend of mine who's not a NASCAR fan decided to go for Harvick this year because he's got a baby on the way. Extra motivation and all that. I beg to differ; if you're a parent, you'll do ANYTHING YOU CAN to avoid the messiness of taking care of an infant. So when lil' Cupcake arrives, expect to see Harvick willing to drive the car even if it's on fire to avoid taking it to the garage. The more time on the track, the less time spent changing diapers. Just saying. Last week: 4. 6. Matt Kenseth: We have an early nominee for "most striking paint scheme of 2012" with Kenseth's Zest ride on Sunday. I thought it looked like mouthwash; others compared it to toothpaste. Bottom line: that's a blue you don't find in nature. Still, the wall at Vegas is now Zestfully clean after that end-of-the-race rub. Last week: 2. 7. Jimmie Johnson: There was a time when Johnson would have run down Stewart like a leopard on a baby gazelle in one of those nature videos. But now, Stewart is the master. It's like "Star Wars," which would make Stewart Vader's son, except that Stewart is older and has already won ... you know what, I've tortured enough metaphors this entry. Punching out and moving on. Last week: 10. 8. Carl Edwards: It's now been over a year since Carl Edwards' last win. O-for-36! What a failure! He's got nothing left! Though if history is any guide, Edwards will grab wins in bunches ... even if they come too late to do him any good in a given season. And he can always go back to Nationwide and beat up on the kids if he needs to get some flips out. Last week: 9. 9. Kyle Busch: Did you catch Busch's coldblooded murder of the orange cone late in the race? We couldn't believe they kept showing that in such graphic detail. Absolutely no regard for the victim's family there. Fox Sports: heartless. Also, isn't it about time we started mandating safety equipment for cones? Last week: 6. 10. Martin Truex Jr.: You gotta feel a bit sorry for MTJ. After all, he's by no means the most famous Junior in NASCAR, so we can't call him that. And Mark Martin is the first "Martin" everybody thinks of. Which leaves Truex, which sounds like an antifungal cream, and one that would be sponsoring Carl Edwards if it even existed. So we need a nickname for this guy, pronto. Get on it, people. Last week: 8. 11. Mark Martin: OK, everybody admit it. We all love Mark Martin. Everybody does. Seriously. No ill will for the guy at all. But haven't you wanted to ram a slow elderly driver in the rear bumper the way Junior did? Bet that felt goooood. I tried it this morning and all I got was a ticket and a lawsuit from this old woman. "Whiplash" my eye. She wasn't even going fast enough to crack a whip. Save me, Junior! Last week: 11. 1 2. Joey Logano . The yellow Dollar General ride confused a few people Sunday, but not as many as the position in which Logano ran early in the race. Sure, he faded to around the 20s fairly fast, but it's been a decent enough season so far for Sliced Bread. Not decent enough to get him a better nickname, but still. Last week : NR. Lucky Dog: Jamie McMurray. Zoolander returns! Time again for everybody's favorite frosted-tip/Ricky Bobby bird victim driver to return to the spotlight. A good solid run Sunday was anything but pathetic, and McMurray will need much more of that to hang onto his seat at Ganassi after this year. DNF: Kurt Busch. Another week, another wrecked Phoenix Motorsports car. Kurt's certainly creating enough ashes for this phoenix to rise from, that's for sure. Next up: Bristol! Fighter jets in a toilet bowl! Skittles in a gymnasium! Something like that. Anyway, send your co mments to us via Twitter at @jaybusbee , via email by clicking here , and via Facebook . Go!

Posted in: time, week, everybody, driver, stewart

Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports

Despite having elite athleticism, Nets wing Gerald Green has had a frustrating NBA career, finding his way out of the league several times while never really figuring out how to become consistently productive. For all that disappointment, though, there's no denying that the man can dunk. He won the 2007 dunk contest , and a year later performed one of the most hilarious and creative dunks of all time by blowing out a candle on a cupcake placed on the rim. Never mind that it was no one's birthday — that was the part of the fun. Green hasn't been on many fans' radars for the last few years, but any time he enters a game, no matter where it is, there's the potential for greatness. That's exactly what happened on Saturday night when Green took a pass from MarShon Brooks on a fast break and threw it down for a windmill alley-oop. It's the best lob of the year, if not the best dunk entirely. Watch the video above. No one can blame you if you do it more than once. It might be a long time before Green does something like this again. But, after moments like this one, it's hard to complain that they come too infrequently. Just enjoy it for what it is.

Posted in: time, year, nba career, marshon brooks, greatness thats

Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports

It's been a while but we're back! Sunday Night Fights returns and for the first time featuring UFC Undisputed 3. Tonight we plan on running a few tournaments so we can figure out who's who in the UFC 3 hierarchy, maybe give away a few prizes, and fill a few vacant slots on the UFC 3 MiddleEasy fight team. New to Sunday Night Fights? Here's what you need to do: At approximately 9PM Central Time you will log on to your Xbox 360 entertainment system. If you haven't already, you will add the 360 Gamertag 'MiddleEasy' (why haven't you already?). Then, you will see that MiddleEasy is online and I will have you join a party. You will then be put in a bracket. Not hard eh? This will be our first time running a Sunday Night Fights without the aid of a 'Fightcard' feature, but I'm sure we'll figure it out just fine. I even scribbled out a little bracket on this piece of paper next to me (not shown). Let it be known that we will be using Simulation Energy Settings, Equalized Stats, and it will be PRIDE mode. This is going to be awesome as long as this doesn't happen to me tonight: Poor Cro Cop.

Posted in: fight, night, time, middleeasy, sunday

Read the full article at Middle Easy

submitted by ohnospiders [link] [comment]

Posted in: time, bob, i cant, sapp, ohnospiders link

Read the full article at Reddit

"The Ultimate Fighter," the reality show that helped jumpstart the UFC's success, began a new chapter on Friday night as it switched both channels and format. For the first time, fights were shown live and on FX. Though fights on TUF were previously two rounds with a sudden-death round when needed, the fights to get on the show were just one round. Fighters who needed time to find their rhythm did not fare well, but the ones who managed to win by submission or knockout got a $5,000 bonus. Some highlights from the fights: -- Sam Sicilia wasted no time making a name for himself, getting the fastest knockout of the day in just eight seconds. -- After Andy Ogle's win, he jumped onto UFC president Dana White for a full-body hug. -- Dakota Cochrane, the fighter whose past included acting in gay pornographic movies, did not make the house. He lost a split decision. -- On the way to losing to Al Iaquinta, Jon Tuck also sustained a broken and disfigured toe. Complete results:

Posted in: fight, time, fighter, round, round fighters

Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brought back its reality show baby, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), for season number 15 last night (Fri., March 9, 2012) for a 2.5 hour season premiere on its brand spankin' new channel FX. But this wasn't like any old regular premiere. This was the first time the series had ever featured live fights. Indeed, 32 competitors got together in Las Vegas for 16 elimination bouts to determine who would be moving into the infamous TUF house. Of the many changes we'll see this season, that's not one of them. Those who managed to fight their way into the house will find the same restrictions of years past. No television or texting or e-mail or any of that jazz. Just fighting. Speaking of which, that's all the season premiere featured last night, as the promotion packed as much action as possible into its 2.5 hour time frame. But it came with a twist. Instead of the traditional format of two five minute rounds, UFC President Dana White opened the episode by explaining to the budding TUF guys they would get just one round to put their best foot forward. Two men with five minutes alone inside a cage with the stakes so high? What could be better? Well, for starters, the performances of those who typically start slow. In theory, the new gimmick sounds good but in practice it made for some seriously uneven performances from fighters with far more potential than what showed in the short time they were given. Dakota Cochrane, for example, showed promise both as a competitor and a reality show style contestant but fell prey to a split decision defeat. Would we have seen a different outcome had he been given another round to work with? Who's to say? And that's the problem, really. Some of the bouts went quick, with guys like Justin Lawrence and Chris Tickle letting it all go and having it pay off while others fell victim to insecurity and chose to work a safer wrestling style approach. It's difficult to blame them but one can't help but wonder how different the house would look had they not tinkered with the formula. As for the new live format, it most certainly added a level of excitement not seen in seasons past. There's something to be said about knowing you're watching a fight go down in real time. However, the broadcast felt low rent at times, as though they were operating on a smaller budget. Some fans, like myself, may have enjoyed the presentation, but others may not feel the same. This is the UFC we're talking about, after all. An aspect of the fights I truly enjoyed more than anything, though, was the fact that while Jon Anik was on the scene live and giving interviews, they didn't let him do commentary. Instead, we at home were treated to UFC President Dana White, Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber casually chatting cageside while the fights were going on. It felt very visceral, as though we were being given a peek behind the curtain and hearing something we weren't necessarily supposed to. It also gave us certain insights we wouldn't have gotten from Anik, a skilled broadcaster but lacking knowledge on the level of either Cruz or Faber, the two coaches this season. Overall, there wasn't much to glean from the season premiere. Simply put, it was 16 fights -- some good, some bad -- and a whole lot of conversation between White, Cruz and Faber. A solid introduction to FX but the best, hopefully, is yet to come. But that's it from me, Maniacs. Now it's your turn to sound off with all your thoughts on the season premiere of TUF 15. What did you think of the new live format? And what of the fights themselves? Sound off! For complete results and individual recaps of all 16 fights from last night's premiere episode click here.

Posted in: fight, time, season, tuf, premiere

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Tonight on FX, the Ultimate Fighter debut for the first time on the cable network. Featuring bantamweights Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber as coaches, this season will be the first time in history that the fights are shown live. Tonight, 32 lightweight fighters will square off for the sixteen spots for the remainder of the season. This season will also see several changes from previous years as this will be the first time that contestants will compete for an unheard of thirteen weeks. Both the UFC and FX have stated that all sixteen fights will air live tonight. The show starts at 9:00 PM ET/8:00 PM CT and will run for two and a half hours on FX. After the premiere, the show will settle into its normal time slot of 10:00 PM ET/9:00 PM CT. Join us for a live discussion of the debut episode of the Ultimate Fighter Cruz vs Faber.

Posted in: time, fighter, fx, season, pm

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The Twitter mailbag is back, and ready to tackle your toughest questions on everything from Tim Sylvia's public campaign to get back into the UFC to Ariel Helwani's incredibly unjust and unpopular decision to suspend me from The MMA Hour. It's a full docket today and there's no time to waste, so we'll get right to it. If you want to ask a question of your own, you can find me on the old Twitter machine at @BenFowlkesMMA. Milton Creque Jr. (@lawdahmussy)has a referee failed to protect a fighter when the fighter is arm barred, refuses to tap then suffers a dislocation? Good question, and one I’m sure we’ve all been thinking about ever since referee Mark Matheny let Ronda Rousey bend Miesha Tate’s arm in awful ways. It’s a tough call. If a referee stops an armbar in progress because it looks like the armbaree either has been or is about to be injured, he risks controversy. If he doesn’t, he looks like a sadist in latex gloves, which is, I think we can all agree, the worst kind of sadist.I don’t think it’s the referees job to protect the fighter from dangers that the fighter is capable of protecting herself from. Tate could have tapped before things got bad, and she chose not to. To a certain extent, that’s her choice to make. I think that choice has limits, of course. If her bone’s sticking out of her arm and she still won’t tap, by all means, someone do something. But if we’re talking about a possible dislocation, do we really want the ref to be diagnosing injuries on the spot? If you can fight with a broken nose or hand, why couldn’t you fight with a dislocated elbow, assuming you could get out of the submission in the first place?I think we have to take it on a case-by-case basis. In the case of Tate, her arm is totally her fault. She could have tapped, but she didn’t. I think she should get the opportunity to make that choice...to a point. Once her arm starts looking like a bad horror movie special effect, might be best for the ref to help her call it a night. Albert (@albertheredia)have you ever "sexted" a fighter before? That would be cray.... The closest I’ve come (so far) was accidentally sending Josh Barnett a text that was intended for my wife. I was on the road in Stockton, Calif., to do a story on Nate Diaz. As I was going to bed in my hotel room that night, I sent the typical ‘I love and miss you’ sort of text message that one sends to one’s wife in such situations, only I sent it to the completely wrong recipient. I’m lucky it was Barnett, actually. He has a sense of humor. When I wrote him immediately to explain that it was intended for my wife, he texted back, ‘You don’t have to lie. I miss you too, boo.’ Somehow I doubt this story would have ended the same way if I’d accidentally sent that text to Nate Diaz instead. Zach Thorax @sephiroth872 do you regret that this hurt biz series didn't turn into the book in the end? Not really. Considering how everything played out, I think it works better as a web series. Plus, this way it’s more likely to be read by the people who actually care about how an MMA gym operates and already know who Brendan Schaub and Nate Marquardt are. I think part of the reason I originally wanted it to be a book was because I felt like I should write a book, or like I wanted to have it sitting on my bookshelf to show people. That’s an ego thing, and ego is not a good reason to do something like this. I think it works best this way, and I think people will understand why when they see the whole thing.Aaron Carroll @agc563is @danawhite refusing to bring @timsylviamma back because he truly believes he can't hang. Or is it just pride?Sadly, I cannot get inside White’s mind and fling open all its locked doors in search of the one true answer. All I can do is speculate as to why he’s so opposed to a Tim Sylvia revival tour, and there’s no shortage of possible reasons. Maybe he doesn’t think Sylvia has what it takes to compete with these guys. Maybe he just doesn’t think enough people actually want to see Sylvia try. Maybe he looks back on the years when Sylvia was heavyweight champ as a dark time for the division (at least in the UFC). Maybe he can’t get that image of Sylvia getting clocked by Ray Mercer out of his mind. Whatever White’s reason, I can’t say it’s breaking my heart not to have "The Maine-iac" back in town. With all the quality heavyweights the UFC has now, who even has time to miss Sylvia?Rob Rivera @RobRiverawith akiyama and rousey's judo success in the cage, will it influence other fighters to practice more judo?Maybe. It will definitely encourage their future opponents to work on defending against it, which in turn might lead them to bring in some real judo experts, who would inevitably end up teaching them some offensive judo moves as well. For me, the bigger question is, will Rousey’s success encourage other female judo practitioners to move to MMA? I’m just saying, she was only the third best female judoka in her division at the 2008 games. Once some of these talented female martial artists see that they can make money at MMA (a little, anyway), they might decide it’s worth their while to trade the gi for some spandex shorts.Jared @Orderx7What's with @arielhelwani stealing your " Fighter vs. Writer" title & using it on @FUELTV? Can't he think of anything orig.?They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I suppose that makes outright theft a version of flattery that’s so sincere it almost hurts. In fairness, while Helwani totally lifted the name of my feature, he also stole the formatting of his own "Five Rounds" feature from the MMA Hour. Of course, ever since he suspended me from the show, I’ve been unable to defend my Five Rounds title, which effectively sidelines the whole thing until I make my glorious return. For now, that’ll have to be punishment enough for Mr. Helwani.Patrick Cusick @pcusick13will your MMA Hour suspension end up being akin to Pete Rose's suspension from baseball? #twittermailbagIf you’re asking whether it will be remembered by the masses as a terrible injustice, then yes. If you’re asking whether it’s related to my serious gambling problem, no comment.Ariel Helwani @arielhelwaniyeah, why did you bail on The MMA Hour 3 wks ago w/ no notice? Who was the "intv" w/ and how much do you regret your actions?Okay, let’s clear this up once and for all. I missed my MMA Hour appearance in order to conduct a phone interview with Dr. Don Catlin, who some might say is the father of modern drug testing. I interviewed him for this article on the state of drug testing in MMA, and I found his insights into the topic to be extremely valuable. That may not compare to the fun I would have had swapping insults with you on the MMA Three Hours, but dammit, my job is to be the interviewer rather than the interviewee. If I had it to do over again, I’d do it exactly the same. Actually, wait, that’s not true. This time I wouldn’t apologize for blowing off your show. So yeah, I do regret something.Justin Prejean @Filthy_Slunthow do you see @PatCurranMMA vs. @JoeWarrenMMA playing out at #Bellator60 & does this fight excite you?The fight definitely excites me, and I’m a little surprised there’s not more buzz for it out there, especially with so many fans complaining about the long Zuffa layoff in March. I was almost surprised to see Curran was a 3-1 favorite according to some online oddsmakers. I could see making him a slight favorite against Warren, who hasn’t fought since his brutal KO loss to Alexis Vila back in September, but don’t count that man out. I think Warren will surprise some people here, and I wouldn’t be at all shocked if he found a way to pull out a victory.Tobias Lechner @minga_lechido you think the strikeforce heavyweights will change the ufc heavyweight division? Are they good enough for the ufc?Do I think they will change the UFC heavyweight division? Um, haven’t they already changed it? They’ve certainly added depth to it, not to mention variety. A few years ago it was mostly enormous wrestlers at the top. The Strikeforce infusion also added Alistair Overeem (an enormous kickboxer) and Fabricio Werdum (a merely large jiu-jitsu specialist). Then you’ve got guys like Shane del Rosario and Lavar Johnson further down the food chain, plus Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett still waiting for their turn to fly the Strikeforce coop. Once all those guys are under the UFC banner at once, it should make for the best heavyweight division since the death of Pride.Wanna Bet UFC @WannaBetUFCAre you in favour of 0.5-unit 10 point must system? Close rounds are currently weighted too heavily (MM Rd 1/2), few 10-10's.I almost hate to say it, but I’m with Dana White on this one. These judges seem to have a hard enough time with 10s and 9s, not to mention the mysterious and elusive 8s. I don’t see how a half-point scoring system will help them. I do agree that there aren’t enough 10-10 rounds, perhaps because judges fear a draw. Plenty of times we see rounds that are so close, picking a winner is somewhat arbitrary. Maybe the solution is to add the "sudden victory" round clause to all fighter contracts, which would take some of the pressure off the judges and give the fighters one more chance to make their case in a close fight.Overall though, we need better judging and better judges. The way to do that is to hold judges accountable and evaluate their performances on a regular basis. This isn’t the Supreme Court, and state athletic commissions should not be handing out lifetime appointments. Be good or be gone.Christopher Cheung @christopher_kitwho is the best mma fighter not from Brasil, USA or CanadaAlistair Overeem, who hails from the Netherlands. Though Britain's Michael Bisping and Sweden’s Alexander Gustafsson both deserve a mention, as does Brian Ebersole, who hails from Parts Unknown. James Hawkins @jmhawkinsAre you excited about TUF Live? Many are talking about the long break between Zuffa events, will this fill the void left?I’m definitely glad to see TUF change its format after so many seasons of the same old thing. Live TV sounds like a real challenge, and I’m not sure I would have picked Friday night as the ideal slot for a reality sports competition show, but yes, I’m interested to see how the new TUF works. I’m also glad to see Bellator coming back, and I think this could make for some fun Friday night battles going forward. For more on that, I recommend checking out Loretta Hunt’s piece on Sports Illustrated. Tell ‘em the TMB sent you.Ben Howell @BenjaminHowell1Does Jon Jones move to Heavy Weight (whenever that happens) undefeated?I don’t want to freak you out or anything, but he’s not undefeated now. His creative/illegal use of elbows earned him a DQ loss against Matt Hamill back in 2009. But okay, I see what you’re really asking, and I think the answer is yes. I think Jones will hold that light heavyweight title for a long time, though I do think his toughest tests are still in front of him. I think he beats Evans, then gets past a very tough Dan Henderson before smashing a retooled Phil Davis or maybe even a gradually ascending Alexander Gustafsson. That's when I think he looks around at the division he decimated and he weeps, for he sees there is no one left to conquer. Then I think he starts ordering his steak sandwiches with fries instead of a side salad, and he moves up to heavyweight in search of a new challenge.Aron Gunningham @PureMMAWhat's the point in an interm WW belt if it's going to be tied up until the main title is ready to be fought for? #mailbagThere really isn’t one, and thank you for pointing that out. Not that I’m in favor of interim titles in general, but I certainly don’t see the point in creating a new champion just so he can sit around and wait for the old champion to heal up. All it does is allow the UFC to put ‘interim welterweight championship bout’ on the fight posters, which, for a fight like Carlos Condit-Nick Diaz, it didn’t need anyway. Now that main events are five-rounders, there’s really no reason to go around creating fake titles just to inject a false sense of importance into top contender bouts. And if Condit is just going to put the interim title on the shelf and let it collect almost as much dust as the real one, it truly makes no sense.Matt Pryor @CRUMxMMAdo you think it was a mistake giving Edgar the rematch? Especially considering Pettis/Bendo 2 has big money aspirations.Gian Patelo @nogstaiDo you think Pettis actually deserves a shot on Henderson? Loss to Guida, SD to Stephens, and KO of JLau? I think not.I put these two questions side by side to make a point about the tricky matchmaking position the UFC was in when it came to the lightweight belt. If the powers that be had decided not to give Edgar the same rematch opportunity that they forced him to give others, some people would have complained that he was getting screwed. Now that he’s getting another shot while Pettis gets overlooked, other people will complain that Pettis is getting screwed, and the UFC is missing the chance to hype a big title fight that already has one of the best highlights in MMA history to help promote it. There’s just no pleasing everybody here.I suppose it comes down to what’s more important to you: fairness or fun? Giving Edgar the immediate rematch is fair. It’s what he had to do for his challengers, after all, so he’s kind of earned it. But getting Henderson and Pettis to run it back definitely sounds way more fun. It would also be easier to promote, even if there’s no way Pettis’ recent history would justify a title shot against any other champion. Personally, I’d rather see Henderson-Pettis, but I can’t complain too much about seeing Edgar get another crack. More than anything, I object to the precedent the UFC sets with stuff like this. What, we’re going to do a rematch every time there’s a close title fight? What happens if Edgar wins a decision this time? Do we do it a third time, just to be fair to Henderson? We’re rapidly approaching the point where fair is just no fun. Super D - Dave @FightSpectatorQ: who would win in a Gina Carano vs Ronda Rousey bout?I have to go with the person who has actually been fighting and winning lately, and not the person who’s been hanging around on movie sets and green rooms, trying her best to stay away from the free shrimp cocktail. If Carano came back now and fought Rousey right away, I think her next movie might have to be one of those uplifting stories about a brave woman who triumphs in spite of her horribly mangled elbow.Eddie Doty @LuckyBestWashWill Sarah Kauffman be more dangerous to Ronda than Miesha was?Yes, but I’m not sure what that means. She could get submitted in the second round rather than the first, and we’d all cite that as proof that Kaufman was more of a test than Tate was, but it wouldn’t help Kaufman much. I think her chances depend entirely on takedown defense. Obviously, she’s going to have an edge in the striking department. Rousey still has some work to do there, as we saw against Tate. But if Rousey can grab Kaufman and fling her to the mat as easily as she did Tate, it won’t matter. You know how we hear about grapplers going to Thailand or the Netherlands to work on nothing but kickboxing? Kaufman might be wise to head to Japan and enroll in some judo classes.Kengi Smith @KengiSmithWhat are your thoughts on Brandon Saling, why has no one brought up the 88 on his shoulder? A known nazi mark.People have brought it up, trust me. They’ve also brought up his criminal record, which is pretty horrifying. Saling allegedly lied about his criminal past in his licensing application, and, weirdly enough, that’s what he’s in trouble for now, and not the original offenses. Don’t be surprised if you never hear from this guy again, at least as an MMA fighter. And to all the people who wrote me emails about how stupid it was of the UFC to allow Dakota Cochrane, a former gay porn actor, to represent the company on TV? This sure puts that in perspective, doesn’t it? What Cochrane did might have been distasteful to some, but it wasn’t illegal. It didn’t hurt anybody. If you’re going to try and drum someone out of the sport for their past behavior outside of it, how about focusing your energy on the criminally violent, racist sex offender?dp @DP1331How would I get a job as a sports writer? Where do i start? How did you get to where you are?I see this question a lot on Twitter and on forums, directed to me and to others, so it seems worth answering. The bad news is, you can’t have my job. I like it too much. The good news is, we live in a wonderful time for writers. It used to be that you had to come up through the right channels and know the right people for a media outlet to even give you a shot. No you can just start your own website and start writing, which is exactly what you should do. Not only is it good practice as a writer, it also gives you a body of work to show a potential employer when the time comes. Don’t sit around waiting for someone to offer you a job out of nowhere. Get to work, and then let that work help you find more work. Somewhere in there, hopefully someone will decide to start paying you.

Posted in: ufc, mma, time, fighter, work

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

There was a time when everyone just assumed Bjorn Rebney was crazy. This was back during the days when mixed martial arts leagues were popping up throughout the country, hoping to become the No. 2 promotion behind the UFC. At the time, there was stiff competition for the spot. Strikeforce had just started to break out following a deal with NBC. The IFL had just become the first fight league to gain network exposure, though it was on little-seen MyNetwork TV, while other organizations like Affliction and EliteXC were making big splashes by signing fighters to lucrative deals.In Chicago, Rebney decided upon a slow build for his new promotion, Bellator. There would be no record-shattering contracts handed out, and no title shots simply given away due to name value. Everything would be earned. So it was for the fighters, so it was for the promotion, which began life on Spanish-language cable TV on ESPN Deportes, but by 2013, will move to its new major cable home, Spike, replacing UFC.That Rebney has outlasted most of his deep-pocketed competition is a testament to his own drive as well as the model he's built and the athletes he's showcased through a tournament format that's created all of the promotion's champions. It's the same formula he'll take to Spike, with a few slight alterations. Before then, he still has time to tinker with things, with season six beginning with Bellator 60 on MTV2 this Friday. But because business is about growth, it's impossible not to look ahead to a move to the cable network that is, as he puts it, "where MMA fans live." "The announcement of the transition to Spike, it felt a long time away, but now you look around the corner and it's like nine months until the premiere," he said during an interview with MMA Fighting. "It's an exciting time. There's a lot going on, but it's exciting."Rebney has Spike's full support behind him because of the recent deal with the cable channel's parent company, Viacom, which bought a majority stake in the promotion last October. While he remains in charge of the company's day-to-day business, the new ownership group provided him with a deep and experienced support system that's fully invested in Bellator's success.As a result, there are plans to launch Bellator into its new home right at the start of 2013 in a kind of grand re-opening that will trumpet its move. But it's not simply about the live fights. According to Rebney, in the works are a potential reality series, a "best of" show and other ancillary programming that will make Bellator a major presence on Spike. When that channel first launched UFC programming back in 2005, it was something of a happy accident that had to be built upon. This time around, the foundation has already been poured and the house will be ready when the new tenant moves in. "It will probably premiere and kickoff on January 1," he said. "The specificity of when things hit hasn't been set up, but I know we'll get a great push from our partners at Spike coming out of the box. My assumption is that it will start super-quickly, and all the talk is about starting it super-quickly as well."In some ways, they've already begun. Recently, Viacom paid to fly 70 fighters to Orlando, Florida for photo and video shoots that will allow Bellator to tell their individual stories and invest viewers in their success. There have been changes made to graphics packages, new music has been licensed, and the lighting setup has been altered in a move that will help both the in-arena and television viewing experiences.Some of those changes may sound minor, but it's all part of tightening up the show. What goes unsaid but is obvious is that once Bellator moves to Spike, comparisons to the product it replaced will be inevitable. That said, Rebney doesn't view the remaining year on MTV2 as a test run, but as a transitionary time in the move. "I think we’re at a level now where would be prepared to make the move at any given moment," he said. "I think it's just continuing to evolve the level of fighters so once we get to Spike, when we make that next jump, it's as elevated as its become."Season six also marks a schedule shift, as Bellator moves to Fridays, where instead of going head-to-head with UFC pay-per-views and fight nights, it's now head-to-head with The Ultimate Fighter on FX.Rebney though, says he does not see the overlapping time slots as competition, viewing Bellator's live events and the UFC's reality show as fodder for two different audiences. "It's just a much different dynamic in terms of what they’re providing and what we're providing," he said. "It doesn't mean one's good and one's bad, one's better and one's worse. They're such different formats. One's a pre-taped reality show with a small part at the end with a live fight, and ours is live-fight entertainment. I think people have good options with the two."He does have a few outstanding issues that will need to be addressed within the next few months. He'd like to re-sign Eddie Alvarez and Hector Lombard, who are both nearing the end of their deals and could be headed to free agency. He'd like to continue the organization's commitment to women's MMA by putting together a 125-pound tournament, too.He's also hoping to rid Bellator of "superfights" which pit divisional champions against competition in non-title bouts. His hope is that he can increase the number of tournaments to the point that there's always a challenger lined up to face the champion. Beyond that, there's just excitement for what is to come, both with the move to Spike as well as what happens in the cage. Last year saw the quick rise of Michael Chandler, who went from unknown to beating Alvarez in one of the best fights of 2011. In another promotion, Chandler likely would still be working his way towards the top, building his name and his resume before getting the break he earned in Bellator within months. That's why Rebney believes in his product, and that philosophy will follow him to his new home."This is what gives fighters here an opportunity to be like Bulter in the NCAA's March Madness," he said. "This can be the most amazing catapult to establishing a career. I have no idea who the next Mike Chandler is, but the barrels are full."By the time Bellator moves to Spike, the promotion will be celebrating its fifth anniversary. Most of the other big-spending startups that began alongside him are gone. The guy who started on Spanish-speaking TV is still moving forward, expanding, improving, looking to begin a new life on the channel that gave life to MMA.

Posted in: bellator, promotion, time, spike, move

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

The most recent Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event took place in Sydney, and Australia seems to have overtaken a couple of countries, including England, on the ZUFFA list of priorities. Matchmakers are well aware that as they move into new territories they need to find local talent and that means that they will have their eye on any up and coming fighters in these areas. One mixed martial artist in Australia who seems to be well and truly on the right track is 22 year-old Ben Wall. He is unbeaten in seven MMA fights with a 6-0-1 record and is coming off a big win at Cage Fighting Championship, the continent's most prestigious promotion. He has come up the hard way, facing reputable fighters like Nick Honstein, Robert Lisita and Shane Wundenburg and cannot be accused of passing his record or of taking easy fights. With such a strong record at such a young age the sky seems to be the limit for this young man and he has every chance of following in the footsteps of Australian based fighters George Sotiropoulos and Bernardo Magalhaes by making his way into the UFC. He spoke exclusively to MMAmania.com about his ambitions as a fighter and the state of Australian MMA. When did you start learning martial arts and why? I was always good at sports when I was growing up and I pick up new sports quite quickly. I was good at them but I never really enjoyed them as much as I thought I should, I liked playing all sports but I didn't 'love' them. I believe you have to love what you do to reach your full potential. I had done a bit of wrestling and other martial arts when I was a teenager but not too seriously until I started MMA when I was 19 and I knew it was the sport for me and from then on I put everything into it. Where do you train and who are your training partners? The main two places I train at are Advance Martial Arts and Team Gamebred in Brisbane. My main training partners at these places are Brendan O'Reilly, Simon Clough, Matt Cooper and Jarret Owen. I really like to travel around and train with different people, I work on my boxing with Jimmy Shannon and I love going up to the Sunshine Coast to train with Ryan Dunstan, I really enjoy training with him, he's a great fighter and a great coach with a lot of experience. I fight out of Advance Martial Arts. Do you have a full time job? No I don't work full time, there would be no time to train. I work part time and I am a university student however I have taken this semester off uni and will be able to focus on MMA even more. Who is the toughest opponent you have ever faced in your career? It's hard to say who my toughest opponent has been, I haven't really been in danger in a fight yet. Rob Lisita, Nick Honstein and Shane Wundenberg are all tough guys. Are you hoping to fight for a major league international promotion in the future?Yes, One FC have said they are keen to have me on future events and would definitely like to see me on the card. I hope to be on the card for One FC 4 which is hopefully not too far away and I will fight anyone they want to give me. Are there any fighters in Australia at your weight you particularly want to fight?Not really I just want to fight the best guys. I would like to fight for the CFC Lightweight title and if Trekko (Bernardo Magalhaes) comes back to defend it I would like to fight him or else I will just fight whoever. I would like that title though and I want to fight Bernardo because he is the best in Australia and he has the title, as far as I know he just had a one fight contract with the UFC and I'm not sure if he will be offered another fight with them. I have a feeling he will be back to defend his CFC title but if not and the title is vacated then I wish him all the best and I would be happy to fight anyone else for the title. You fought four times in five months in 2011 and then took six months off, was there a reason for that? I injured my elbow in my win against Nick Honstein and this meant that I had to pull out of my fights against Jai Bradney and Greg Atzori and take a few months off. My fight against Rob Lisita was my next fight after this. Do you know when your next fight will be? At the moment I do not know when my next fight will be. How popular is MMA in Australia? MMA is not a huge sport in Australia yet but the future looks bright, it is growing bigger every day and gaining a lot more interest. Are you hoping to stay just as active in 2012? Yes, I hope to have four or five fights in 2012. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I look at an up and coming prospect I tend to take into consideration three factors; their record, their age and the strength of opposition they have faced. Ben Wall is very young, has an outstanding record and has consistently beaten more experienced fighters with more wins than him. It's probably too early for him to start pushing for a UFC contract but Sotiropoulos was already in his 30s when he got the call so time is well and truly on Wall's side. If he can continue to hold his own against the top fighters on the highly competitive Australian scene it is only a matter of time before he breaks out and becomes an international star. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, time, title, fighter, australia

Read the full article at MMA Mania

I was sitting around last night, leisurely enjoying a nice dinner of microwaved pizza and Old Milwaukee, when I stumbled across a statement posed by a friend of Thapa's -- 'You might be able to argue that (UFC 146) is the single best night of heavyweight MMA action in the history of the sport'. A brief discussion followed and I also took the question to twitter, where some of BE's finest commenters discussed the issue at length. At the end of it all, I drew a conclusion - UFC 146, if it goes off with the scheduled fights it has right now, will indeed be the most stacked heavyweight card ever. Has there ever been a card where the number one guy faced off with the guy tied for number two (Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem) the other number two met number four (Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir), ten met fourteen (Antonio Silva vs. Roy Nelson, and twenty-two met an undefeated prospect (Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shane Del Rosario)? No, there hasn't. Some have come close though, and here's a brief synopsis of some other cards that had a lot of highly relevant heavyweight fights (in no particular order). Note - I'm not talking about what card had the most awesome heavyweight KO's or submissions or what you would normally classify as "action". I'm purely speaking from a relevance standpoint. Pride Final Conflict 2004 This was the semi-finals of the 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix. Ron Waterman faced Kevin Randleman, who was bounced in the quarter finals by Fedor Emelianenko, in a non-tournament bout. The prelims also featured a matchup between top heavyweight Mirko Filipovic and Aleksander Emelianenko. It was only Aleks' fourth pro bout though, and Cro Cop was already out of the tournament. The tournament semi-finals featured the (at the time) undefeated Sergei Kharitonov vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Fedor taking on the undefeated (again at the time) Naoya Ogawa. After all that, the finals between Fedor and Big Nog also went down. This is the card that comes the closest to competing with UFC 146 to me. Pride Critical Countdown 2004 The quarter-finals of the same GP , that featured five HW bouts: Mark Hunt vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (non-tournament); Sergei Kharitonov vs. Semmy Schilt; Naoya Ogawa vs. Giant Silva; Heath Herring vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (a huge bout at the time); and Fedor Emelianenko vs. Kevin Randleman, who was coming off a big upset of Mirko Filipovic in the opening round. Affliction: Banned I know it sounds weird, but hear me out. Fedor Emelianenko, the top-ranked fighter in the world, faced former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, who was ranked at number five at the time. Andrei Arlovski (6th) faced Ben Rothwell (10th - seriously). And Josh Barnett (4th) faced Pedro Rizzo (Unranked). The undercard also featured a Paul Buentello vs. Gary Goodridge fight. Two more after the jump. SBN coverage of UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Overeem Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum The opening round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Fabricio Werdum was third in the world at the time, while Alistair Overeen was seventh. Josh Barnett (14th) met Brett Rogers (15th). Daniel Cormier (30th) met Jeff Monson (28th), and Valentijn Overeem (38,242nd) met Chad Griggs. Pride Grand Prix Finals 2000 Not all the guys in the openweight tournament were heavyweights which takes away some of its relevance, but it was still stacked with the top heavyweights of time like Mark Coleman (who ended up winning), Igor Vovchanchyn (beat Gary Goodridge and Kazushi Sakuraba to get to the finals, but lost to Coleman),and a matchup between Kazayuki Fujita vs. the guy whom many considered to be # 1 at the time, Mark Kerr. Ken Shamrock also returned from a four-year absence to face Alexander Otsuka (who honestly wasn't very good). So, those are my five. Can you come up with some other competitors. And are any of those (or any of these better than UFC 146?

Posted in: ufc, time, heavyweight, vs, card

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

One week from today, it will have been one year since the shocking news that Zuffa -- the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) -- purchased its biggest competitor in Strikeforce. The announcement was sudden and took most mixed martial arts (MMA) fans by total surprise. Much like when Zuffa purchased Pride Fighting Championships -- coincidentally around this time of year half a decade ago -- the back and forth between pundits and fans was of cross-promotional title unification bouts, mergers and even super cards. It became apparent, after being used around 78 times during the video, almost none of those hopes would come to fruition and the meme "business as usual" was etched into the MMA lexicon. It hasn't been "business as usual," per se. For example, Strikeforce is without a heavyweight, light heavyweight and welterweight champion after Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson and Nick Diaz all signed contracts to bring their talents to the Octagon. Aside from those deviations, the company Scott Coker founded as a kickboxing organization plugged along with the only huge difference being UFC pay-per-view commercials during the Showtime telecasts. The company did indeed stay on the premium cable channel, although the future of their relationship was murky. The contract was set to expire in early 2012 and many expected the promotion to move stations or be absorbed -- a la World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) -- into the UFC. Neither happened as an extension through the end of this year was announced last December. It seemed as if Showtime and Dana White -- a pair with no love lost in the past -- had found a way to play nice. Whoa, pump the breaks. I spoke too soon. It was long expected that this past Saturday's (Mar. 3) event, Strikeforce: 'Tate vs. Rousey', would be the first to have the Dana White touch to it. He was even set to miss the UFC on FX event -- held a world away in Australia -- to be in Columbus for the Strikeforce show, marking the first time in over a decade the foul-mouthed President wouldn't be sitting next to the Octagon. But things didn't quite turn out that way. According to an interview today at the UFC on Fox press conference hyping the May 5 event headlined by Nate Diaz and Jim Miller, White revealed he received a call a week before he was set to fly out to Ohio and was told his presence wasn't needed. "It's quite simple. We had four meetings ... and obviously there's some creative differences between me and the producer of the show. And this guy's not a bad guy. ... Creatively, we have some differences ... and we're always gonna. ... While he has that type of power, I guess I ... won't be in the mix." If this is the case and White's input on Strikeforce has been flat out refused, I can only wonder what is going through the mind of Showtime Sports head honcho Stephen Espinoza. Sure, White can often be obnoxious. Okay, that's putting it lightly. The UFC President can be a straight pain in the butt from time to time. He engages in Twitter flamewars with D-level MMA personalities, uses a four-letter word every 10 seconds and doesn't go to bed at night before he's said at least one negative thing about Fedor Emelianenko. But there's absolutely no one on the planet who has done his job -- running a fight promotion -- longer and better than he has. Coker only recently branched outside of southern California while the UFC has been breaking ground in the Middle East, Australia and will do so in Sweden next month. Bellator bigwig Bjorn Rebney has only be in the game a few years and all the power players in Japan are either in jail or in hiding. There's a wealth of knowledge White has which Showtime is squandering. Here, they have the man who has helped MMA become one of the fastest growing sports in the world and the man who partly owns the promotion on their own network and what do they say? Thanks, but no thanks. The decision is baffling and could potentially lead to Strikeforce's demise. Zuffa bought a new toy in Strikeforce but Showtime isn't letting them play with it. If White and company came into the deal thinking they would have some input only to instead get shut out, will there be any incentive to renew the contract once the time comes? No, there won't be. And that will lead to a mountain of uncertainty. Will Strikeforce go to a different network? Or will it close its doors and get absorbed into the UFC? Where would that leave fighters like Nate Marquardt, Paul Daley and the bevy of women fighters under Coker's employ? The small act of Showtime refusing White's help could have major ramifications.

Posted in: ufc, time, strikeforce, showtime, year

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Last year, a week before Jon Jones beat Mauricio Rua for the Light Heavyweight belt, the UFC had a press conference at Radio City Music Hall in my hometown of New York, NY. With MMA still not legal, I jumped at the opportunity to get in some free UFC stuff, even if it was just yakkin' back and forth. That press conference as just a fan was kind of what you'd expect, I think. The media asked some questions, the public got maybe half a dozen questions in, and then everyone booked out of there. Very few people stuck around long, Shogun and Jones stayed a bit, as did Dana for a brief time, but mostly everyone involved got in, got done and got out. Today was much, much different. For starters, thanks to much begging on my part, I was able to get a press pass to the event, and as such, couldn't really applaud or yell out wisecracks like many of the fans in attendance were. Quite frankly, that was a perfectly acceptable tradeoff, because at this press conference, everyone stuck around for hours and both us in the media as well as the fans in attendance got to interact with everyone for some time. I won't bore you with the details of what you can watch the video below the jump - if you truly wish to hear the sounds of my lovely baritone, I'm the guy who asks Dana and Alan Belcher where the winner of this stands in reference to the title and then later asks Barry about his grappling rematch with Cro Cop. The video starts at about 10 minutes in, btw. Some of the real juicy bits of news and notes came after the public eyes were on the fighters signing autographs and Dana rapped to us in the media scrum. Ariel Helwani beat a lot of us to the punch, but that's to be expected when you're dealing with him - he asks great questions and gets first crack, so the rest of us just had to wait for a mini-scrum to get our two cents answered. Credit to Dana, man, he sat around and with like, eight of us shoving mics at him, he answered mostly everything we asked with honesty and aplomb. Here are some of the highlights from our little Q&A. Part of the reason Dana White wants Frankie Edgar to drop down is because he takes a lot of damage. To quote Dana referencing the wars Frank has had at 155 and why he should fight guys his own size "When you get hit by a jab and your whole left side of your face doesn't swell up in the first punch thrown in the fight." I brought up Scott Smith as an example of someone who was in a lot of wars and it's taken a toll on him, and Dana countered right back with an even better example - Chuck Liddell - who he famously pushed into retirement because of all the KO's he was taking. He feels that's one of the nice things about being the only game in town, even if some people complain about it - he gets to be the final arbiter. He also referenced Joe Benavidez and how Joe mentioned that he feels much stronger at 125 now. Joe said that post-fight from the Australia card that he was hitting guys at 135 and maybe they'd wobble, but here at 125, they go down, so he's happy. One of the first things I did actually ask was an update on everyone's favorite neo-nazi pedophile, Brandon Saling. As it turns out, he lied to the commissions in New Jersey and Ohio on his application, and he's suspended now. He'll obviously never fight in the UFC or Strikeforce ever again, and there's a good chance he'll never fight in any state ever again. While I doubt he'll be gone forever - there are plenty of non-commission states as well as the fact that perhaps he gets his suspension down to say a year or whatever - he's certainly not going to be televised again, which I'm pretty OK about. MMA Fighting has a more in depth piece about this. The report about Dana dumping his involvement with Strikeforce was way, WAY overblown. What happened was Dana was having an off-the-record conversation with the Junkie reporter and just kind of venting a bit, but what got said was really just him bitching and getting some gripes off his chest. In reality the only problem is creative differences with the production staff. Dana explicitly stated that he likes the guy, the only issue is creative differences. For one of the very first times, White specifically stated that he's sorry for that getting out, because that wasn't what he wanted to say for public consumption at all. It made both him and Showtime look bad, when the only real issue is that Dana wants a few things done his way and Showtime's people wants it done their way. Dana isn't going to be hands off on all of SF, the only thing was creative differences, not something deep seated, that's a huge problem. The issues with Rampage are in part because he takes his losses hard and he doesn't take criticism very well. Rampage was upset about Dana stating that he wasn't sure that Jackson was taking things as serious as he could be. Quinton obviously took that poorly, but Dana also spoke with him for 90 minutes and while the conversation started out poorly, they ended it in a pretty good frame of mind. Long story short, he's not sure how Rampage feels, and they'll have to see how it goes. Much more after the jump including the UFC 144 Gate, Tim Sylvia, Rampage, and questions with Johny Hendricks and Josh Koscheck. UFC 144 might have done the largest gate - money wise - in Japan's history. He didn't have the exact numbers and didn't want to say it at the time and he just forgot about it in all the travel. Because he was here now in New York, he still didn't have the numbers, but he looked me straight in my doubting face and said he thinks that what they did was the biggest ever; beating out the three million that PRIDE had ever done. There will be more Fight For The Troops events and figuring out how to best promote that with the new Fox deal. I believe it was Mike Chiappetta who started out the question as follows Mike: "Tim Sylvia's been" Dana: "HELL NO" The interview with Rampage regarding TRT and Tito Ortiz may have been a bit shady, as the same reporter had a bad experience with Dana, and Dana called him a "weasel" multiple times. Dana feels that the reporter put words in White's mouth and he feels there's a chance that something could've happened with Rampage as well. Dana thinks that the east coast fans still haven't caught up to the west coast fans. As the most knowledgeable and awesome east coast fan around, I would respectfully disagree, but hey. The UFC did not apparently switch promotion departments or PR firms, despite my suspicions otherwise. I commented on the new Jon Jones ad that came out and how their style of advertising seemed to completely change starting with the awesome Find Your Rhythm promo that came out for the first Edgar/Maynard title fight, and how that was so different than what they used to have. Apparently that was all in-house, they just went with new ideas. There will be a four-minute video of that Jones ad coming out soon, too, which I am very much looking forward to. I ask Johny Hendricks how long he thought it was for Fitch to fall after the first punch, it felt like five seconds, when in reality it was like a second, because it was so slow in his mind at the time. Hendricks expects a decision in the Koscheck fight because they're both tough. They're going to gameplan later, they haven't done too much yet. He's going to be spending a lot of time with the Oklahoma State wrestlers just as they get done with nationals, so he's got a bunch of dudes who want to see how they can fare against a former champion wrestler, so they push him real hard. He weighs about 210 right now, diets to 195 and cuts the rest of the way down to 170. I asked him about the Alves situation, and he confirmed that's actually about right. He doesn't know the science of it, but he told me he goes to sleep that night at 195. It's dangerous and you have to be careful about it, but that is how it goes. Josh Koscheck told me that he thinks that Hendricks will stand at first but "after he gets cracked a couple of time, he's not going to want to stand, so I fell he's going to try to wrestle and I'll be ready."

Posted in: ufc, time, dana, fan, he

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

Is Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's time with the UFC coming to a close?

Posted in: ufc, time, rampage, jackson, quinton

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Octagon girl, aspiring artist, and now Playboy model – is there anything Brittney Palmer isn’t capable of? She’s as talented as she is beautiful and has been entertaining MMA fans since her days as a WEC ring girl. She began her career in entertainment as a Magician’s Assistant and Dance Captain for the Ultimate Variety Show in 2006. From 2007-2010 she was an Ensemble Dancer for X Burlesque in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hotel. Her big break came when she was hired in 2007 to work for the WEC and was moved over to the UFC when the two organizations merged. It wasn’t long afterwards that she discovered she had a legitimate talent for painting with one of her best portraits to date featuring none other than UFC President Dana White. Following in the footsteps of fellow Octagon girls Rachelle Leah and Arianny Celeste, Palmer recently showed off more of her “talents” in the March issue of Playboy magazine. Life has been good thus far for the 24-year old beauty, but it hasn’t come without a ton of hard work. To keep up a schedule like the one Palmer has an individual needs to remain focused and committed. There’s not much time for a social life especially now that her issue of Playboy has come out. The demands on her time have become even greater, but Palmer is enjoying every minute of it. From traveling all over the world meeting new and interesting people, Palmer is living the dream and she couldn’t be happier. “Everything has been amazing and the best thing is I truly am an MMA fan,” said Palmer in an exclusive interview with Five Ounces of Pain. “Being part of an organization as big as the UFC and part of the #1 growing sport in the world is something I am so thankful for. I am so grateful to be one of only three girls alongside Arianny and Chandella (Powell). It’s been a great journey and I’m just enjoying the ride. Working for the WEC was great and I am still working with the same people just on a larger scale. There are a lot more events, but being such a big fan that only adds to the experience.” Getting to sit cageside and witness some of the most historic moments in the sports history is something that Palmer can share with her grandchildren when the time comes. She also gets to know and develop relationships with many of the world’s best athletes while watching them make history. She entered the sport at the right time and it’s only going to get bigger and better over the next few years. “Getting to watch fighters like Jon Jones who is an amazing athlete, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, Urijah Faber, Dominck Cruz, and Clay Guida makes this job that much more enjoyable,” explained Palmer. “There are so many great fighters, there are too many to name, but they all have their own styles and that’s what makes it interesting to watch.” Palmer is not the typical art prodigy whose talent was recognized when she very young. In fact it wasn’t all that long that she discovered drawing wasn’t just something she enjoyed it was an opportunity to showcase a talent and share it will millions of fans. Posing in Playboy provides the type of platform that can really push someone into super stardom. Many women have gone on to have great careers in film and on television after posing in the periodical. However, while there are many positives that can come from being in the pages of one of the world’s most famous magazines there could also be some drawbacks as well. Family members can be embarrassed while strangers can be downright cruel and obnoxious. Palmer knew what posing in Playboy entailed and she seems to have no regrets what so ever, realizing the positives far outweighed the negatives. “It’s been so great and surreal,” said an excited Palmer. “I’m so happy and lucky to be in the situation I am in. This is the happiest I have ever been, my career is on such a hot streak right now. I am counting my blessings because I am so grateful for everything I have right now. Being an art student I am used to being around nude figures so I wasn’t hesitant when I was approached by Playboy. I wouldn’t say this was a dream I had as a little girl, but this is a golden opportunity. My friends and family have been so supportive, they know every decision I have made has helped my career and led me to a better place.” This coming May in Birmingham, England at the NEC Arena The MMA Show Live will join The Martial Arts Show for the first time. There will be over sixty fighters in attendance including Rashad Evans, Kenny Florian, Jake Shields, Brendan Schaub, Rory MacDonald, Stefan Struve, and none other than Ms. Palmer too. As such, lucky attendees will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the beauty live and in person. “I am going to be signing autographs for fans,” Palmer said. “I will be giving away some of my Playboy calendars. I am really looking forward to going over there. It’s just another opportunity that this sport has given me. I plan on being in the UFC for many years to come and riding this wave. I am cloud nine and getting to meet my fans makes me even more appreciative of all that I have been blessed with.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC/TRACY LEE

Posted in: time, ’t, palmer, fan, playboy

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Once again, the female fighters stole the show on a Strikeforce Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio. Now we sort through the aftermath for the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.Biggest Winner: Ronda RouseyTurns out she was ready for this level of competition after all. The outspoken Olympic medalist showed Tate that there’s more to this judo stuff than you can learn in just a couple months. Once the fight hit the floor, Rousey overpowered and outmaneuvered Tate with shocking ease. Even when Tate knew to look out for the armbar, she couldn’t stay out of it. That’s not to say there aren’t still some holes in Rousey’s game -- the way she seems to lead with her chin on the feet, for instance -- but anyone who can submit Tate that easily and that brutally is someone who’s going to give future challengers a lot of sleepless nights. She may have talked her way into this fight, but her performance proved she belongs. Now women’s MMA has the kind of brash champion it needs to shake things up. Up to this point, female fighters have tended to play it a little too nice outside the cage, possibly because they all felt themselves to be a part of the same struggle. Rousey just skipped to the front of the line by stepping on her predecessors’ backs, and now she might be hard to dislodge from that top spot. Things are getting interesting, in other words. Just in time, too. Biggest Loser: Miesha TateFirst of all, how is her arm not broken? How is that even possible? Rousey had her arm looking like Olive Oyl in the old Popeye cartoons by the time she tapped, and you’re telling me that the bones in a human arm can withstand that? This changes everything I thought I knew about the human body, and I'm not sure I like that. It’s got to be a bummer for Tate to go down to the same submission that Rousey used on every other opponent, so I can understand her reluctance to tap to it. Still, it’s one thing to hold on if you’re working for an escape or trying to ride out the round. Tate was doing neither during that final armbar. She refused to tap out of pure stubbornness, which is kind of cool, I guess, but also very risky when you need a working arm just to stay employed. You can’t question Tate’s toughness after that fight, but maybe you can question whether she was adequately prepared for Rousey’s judo throws. Even if her arm isn’t actually broken, my guess is she might still get some doctor-mandated time off to think about where things went wrong.Least Impressive in Victory: Josh ThomsonAt least he gave us an honest appraisal of his own lackluster performance. "It was s--t," he said in his post-fight interview. Yeah, that pretty much nails it. He did what he had to do to get the decision over KJ Noons, but that’s all. He made things slightly better for himself by owning up to the boring monotony of the whole thing, kind of like how obese comedians have learned to make fun of their own girth just to beat other people to the punch. Trouble is, you can only take that out that so many times before people start to wonder why you don’t do something about it. Thomson blamed his training, which he said he’d altered just so he could finally get through a camp without getting injured. Apparently it didn’t leave him with enough gas in the tank to do much more than hold Noons down. There has to be a happy medium between not training hard enough and training so hard you can’t get out of bed in the morning. Plenty of other fighters seem to find it. Why can’t Thomson?Most Surprising: Kazuo MisakiComing into this fight, I thought all Misaki had to offer was a head hard enough to take Paul Daley’s brain-scrambling punches. Turned out he had a lot more than that, and Daley had a lot less. Misaki earned that decision, and I think everyone but Daley (and one of the three judges) knew it. It just goes to show that sometimes you don’t need one spectacular attribute to win a fight. Sometimes toughness and technique is enough. Of course, it helps if your opponent tries to rely too much of a grappling game that just isn’t there.Best Argument in Favor of a ‘Showtime Extreme’ Subscription: Sarah Kaufman vs. Alexis DavisYou could point out that it doesn’t make a ton of sense for what was essentially the number one contender bout to be relegated to the prelims when the title fight itself was slotted for the main event. And you’d be right. Maybe Strikeforce thought fans would rebel at the thought of two women’s fights on the main card, but the truth is Kaufman and Davis put on a much better show than any of the men’s fights on Saturday night. You’re telling me viewers wouldn’t have preferred to see Kaufman and Davis slugging it out rather than Thomson and Noons hugging it out? The bright side is, at least Strikeforce has found a way to televise its prelims so fans didn’t have to miss that scrap entirely. Good thing, too. Otherwise it might have been really baffling to keep showing a lumped up Kaufman smiling from cageside before the Rousey-Tate fight.Most Depressing: Scott SmithMaybe it’s the years and the beatings catching up with him, but Smith looked like a man who was just showing up to get a paycheck. He appeared neither physically prepared nor psychologically motivated, and he tapped quickly to a guillotine choke that he didn’t even try to escape. Maybe that’s a little too harsh. Maybe he had, as fighters so often do, a litany of reasons/excuses for not being in top form on Saturday night. But if you’re not going to try any harder than that once you’re in the cage, does it even matter? Smith got by on his punching power and his ability to take a beating for years. Maybe he did it for too long, or learned too many of the wrong lessons in the process. All I know for sure is that this is the wrong line of work for someone who’s just going through the motions.Most Deserving of a Closer Look: Pat HealyHe’s been a background player for Strikeforce these last couple of years, but his win over Caros Fodor shows that he’s earned a bigger role. It’s his fourth consecutive victory in the promotion, and his second straight submission over a legitimate talent. Could it be that Healy has finally found his groove? It might be too early to tell, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him face tougher competition in some main card bouts in order to help us find out.Most Bizarrely Enjoyable: Strikeforce’s Broadcast TrioIt used to be cloying. Then it got kind of fun. Then it got almost too fun to be professional, but now Mauro Ranallo, Pat Miletich, and Frank Shamrock have found their sweet spot. They know each other well enough to make the broadcasts seem effortless at times, and they might have finally gotten comfortable enough with another to make it seem like we’re just eavesdropping on three knowledgeable analysts, each of whom brings something different to the table. For instance, when Ranallo went to great pains to pin down the Japanese name for a particular throw, Miletich chimed in right on cue with exactly what many viewers were likely thinking: In America, we call that a hip toss, Mauro. Ranallo has wisely toned down the puns and the scripted schtick, so when he does pull out terms like "pulverized proboscis" it’s like we’re all in on the joke. When it’s time for serious analysis, there’s still nobody better than Miletich at capturing the complex with simple descriptions that even the novice can understand. It took a while, and no shortage of missteps, but this team is rapidly becoming one of my favorites.

Posted in: fight, time, tate, thing, itrsquo

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

He would go on to become the Arturo Gatti of mixed martial arts (MMA), but at the time, Scott Smith was pretty much just scaring the hell out of traffic. It is early Oct. 2005, and the sounds are unmistakably those of a man well equipped for violence. Pop! Pop-pop-pop! Standing in the middle of a huge church lawn in Roseville, Calif., abutting a major street filled with evening traffic, trainer Dave Marinoble is taking Smith through a final, grueling workout before the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Light Heavyweight tournament. Smith bashes out a seemingly endless string of combinations on the mitts, till the point of exhaustion. Then, he turns and busts out a brutal wind sprint to the edge of the lawn and back. I wonder what the people in the idling vehicles must think as they see the shirtless Smith speeding toward them, some guy in flamed-up boxing gloves at a dead run, before he touches the sidewalk with his foot and speeds back to Marinoble for more tortuous pad work. "Good god. I hope he really isn't running at us. I pray that he turns around." For the motorists' sake, Smith did. "Hands of Steel" keeps blasting the mitts, then busting out more sprints. Each time he appears as though he's about to drop from exhaustion, he gets another surge of energy, and the mitts suffer audibly. You can hear the impacts from fifty yards away. He is hungry to make his mark in the tournament, as the opportunity is simply too big to leave any stone unturned. Entered as a dark horse into the WEC tournament, Smith wasn't as well known as the other three competitors. But he broke into the big time with a kind of high-octane violence that makes for instant appeal. Knocking out Tim McKenzie and late substitute Tait Fletcher, Smith fought tournament favorite Justin Levens after Levens was unable to meet him in the finals, scoring an impressive first-round stoppage after a lively back-and-forth battle. It was then that he began building his reputation as a guy who was most dangerous when the more he was hurt. That's how I want to remember Smith, a hungry, capable and eminently committed fighter who really did live and die by the sword that carried him to many a thrilling comeback victory. I don't want to have any more memories like those of Smith's recent fights, where it's obvious he's on the downside of his career and putting his health further at risk by competing. After losing in Saturday night's Strikeforce card to Lumumba Sayers via first-round submission, Smith's defeat was his fifth in his last six fights. A two-bout foray to Welterweight saw him terribly sapped making the 170-pound limit, as he absorbed a horrific knockout loss to Paul Daley followed by a listless decision loss to Tarec Saffiedine. Thrilling knockout wins over Pete Sell, Benji Radach and Cung Le put Smith in rare territory as one of the most dramatic comeback artists the game has ever known. Those three fights had a common theme: Smith in dire trouble, getting pounded, seemingly on the brink of disaster, only to roar back with the kind of comeback knockout that makes an indelible mark with fans. It doesn't matter that rematches with Le and Robbie Lawler, whom Smith had a technical draw with, were brutal one-sided defeats. There was always an element of sudden danger with Smith, and it made for great fights. It's cliche to call it the "Eye of the Tiger," a la Rocky III, but that sequence of Smith hitting the pads was what convinced me that he was destined for a bigger stage. There are some fighters who just exude a primordial vibe, that they will literally have to be destroyed to be beaten, and will wage one hell of a battle before being sufficiently broken. The problem is, the very source of will and commitment is what makes it incredibly hard for them to stop once they can't compete safely against given opposition. And with the long-term health risks of concussions now emerging as a huge concern for athletes in impact sports, it's as much about their personal health as it is doing what is "right" for the sport's image. Fast-forward to June 7, 2009. Along with several other MMA media, we are milling about in a Sacramento hotel after the WEC, where Mike Brown has defended his title in a five-round decision over Urijah Faber. A throng of fighters and assorted fight game handlers move through the lobby as video interviews are shot and everyone talks shop. Sitting in a chair is Smith, who, the night before, took a frightful beating from Nick Diaz in Strikeforce. The two-round bout was ended via rear-naked choke but that was merely academic, as Diaz landed seemingly endless waves of punches off Smith's head during the violent brawl. I say hello. Scotty, looking like he's just been pulled from a car wreck, has a torrent of welts and bruises on his skull. Low moans drift from his mouth as he seemingly fades in and out of consciousness. He's barely cognizant and doesn't recognize me, despite the fact that we've done several interviews and spoken on numerous occasions. He's one of the nicest fighters in the sport, an easy guy to talk to who is a refreshing interview with his blend of humility and candor. I'm starting to wonder who the hell took him down here and parked him in a chair, and this is a full day after the fight. Is this the norm, I wonder? Are fighters merely to be placed in there for our entertainment, and then, once they're no longer capable of supplying it, discarded as chattel? Who the hell took him down here when we should be seeing a doctor, or be given treatment for the obvious concussion he's sustained? What's as disturbing as his obviously dire physical situation is the fact that everyone in the room doesn't seem to notice. We make nonsensical small talk, with Scotty barely able to string together coherent sentences. It is too painful to endure for both of us, and I wonder if my years of covering boxing and then leaving it for the "safer" sport of MMA was just a well-crafted illusion to justify its own ends. Ashamedly, I, too adhere to the "code" and don't suggest to someone that maybe Scotty needs some help. I move along and talk to Brown instead, who is jazzed at beating Faber for the second time. Another fighter enjoying the view from the high side of the mountain. Ironically, Brown, who cemented his claim as the world's top featherweight on that night, would endure a rough patch immediately following the Faber rematch. Decimated by Jose Aldo in his next bout, he's been 3-3 since that night. Time at the top of the game is a fleeting thing. Since then, it didn't get any easier for Smith, whose slide in recent bouts is a stark reminder of what fighters face on the downside. At some point, over a long enough timeline, all of them face a crossroads; meanwhile, promotions don't do themselves any favors in letting them continue when they're unable to do so safely.

Posted in: fight, time, fighter, he, smith

Read the full article at MMA Mania

What a weekend! On Fri., March 2, 2012, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brought the thunder "down under" as UFC on FX 2 brought their brand of mixed martial arts (MMA) to the fans in Sydney, Australia. The very next night, Sat., March 3, 2012, Strikeforce kept things rolling as Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" traveled to Columbus, Ohio with an action-packed card of fights. The UFC side of things was marked by the excitement of the new division of "little guys" taking the Octagon, as the flyweights stole the show in Sydney. On the Strikeforce end, fans saw a new champion crowned in a fighter who will, perhaps, rule the roost of women's MMA for a long time to come. After the jump, we'll take a closer look at the big winners and lowly losers from this weekend: WINNERS: Ronda Rousey -- Yes, I'm starting with Rousey. Yes, I'm aware that there were some very good and deserving candidates from the UFC event. Yes, she's a female fighter. I don't care. Man or woman, her win was massive. Four times she's entered the cage. Four times she's brought an arm home with her. This time, it was no ordinary arm. Miesha Tate is a decorated combatant and athlete, in general. She's been in many wars and didn't come to her fight with Rousey looking to give up easily. Eventually, it didn't matter what Tate wanted, as "Rowdy" finally secured a very deep and nasty armbar that left "Takedown" with a badly broken arm. This lady is legit. UFC Flyweights -- I'm being general. I know. I'll get more specific in a minute. But, I just wanted to focus on how cool it is that the UFC now has 125-pounders. It's not a freak show. It's not a bunch of guys badly emaciating themselves to fight smaller competition because they couldn't hang at bantamweight. The four guys who fought on Friday night are all very good flyweights. Not only are they very good, but they belong at 125 pounds. That's key. I was impressed by what I saw and I can't wait to see more! Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall -- If you didn't like this fight, I question your MMA fan status. I'm not kidding either. For three rounds, fans were treated to big shots, well put together combinations, intricate ground maneuvering and just an out-an-out fantastic fight. Even though the scoring at the end left things to be desired, you can't fault the fighters (or even the UFC) for that. We'll get to see the continuation when these two gets back in the Octagon to finish this once and for all. I, for one, cannot wait. Joseph Benavidez -- For the entire first round, Benavidez was absolutely putting it on Yasuhiro Urushitani, a world class flyweight in his own right. As soon as the opening horn for round two sounded, Benavidez showed his finishing ability and killer instinct as he flew forward, caught his opponent with a big right hand on the button, securing himself a spot in the flyweight championship. He looked fantastic at 125-pounds. It will be very interesting to see who he will end up challenging for the belt, based on the results of "Johnson vs. McCall Part II." Martin Kampmann -- Wow. Talk about snatching victory out of the jaws of defeat! For two-plus rounds, Thiago Alves appeared to be way ahead on the scorecards by outstriking Kampmann at every turn. Kampmann seemed frustrated and unsure how to attack Alves. Then it happened. For no good reason, Alves went for the takedown. Maybe it was adrenaline. Maybe he just forgot that Kampmann is much better on the ground than he is. Either way, the quickness with which the "Hitman" choked him out said everything that needs to be said. The thing is: It doesn't really matter what happened in the first two rounds. Kampmann survived, waited for his opening and then took advantage of it to clinch the win. Great job. LOSERS: Miesha Tate -- For weeks, leading up to her championship bout with Rousey, we had to listen to Tate talk about how Rousey didn't deserve the title shot, how she wasn't experienced enough to face her and how one-sided their fight was going to be. She was right. It was one-sided, but not in her favor. The only real good thing she has going for her here is that there is such a serious lack of depth in the Strikeforce women's bantamweight division (and on the women's roster, in general) that it may not be all that long before she can get a rematch. The problem i that she is going to one-armed for a while and unable to train for a good deal of time. Tap sooner next time. Commissioner Craig Waller -- Due to Mr. Waller's math mistake, the Sydney fans were robbed of a sudden death round between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall. McCall may actually be the one who was hurt the most by this error, as he was putting a good pounding on "Mighty Mouse" in the third round. He may have been able to carry that momentum into the final frame and secure a finish. Who knows? We'll just have to wait until next time to find out. Thiago Alves -- Bro. You had this fight won. All you had to do was keep things standing, stay on the outside, keep landing your leg kick and following up with good combos. But you got cocky. Maybe it wasn't even that. Maybe you just smelled blood and responded to stimuli. Either way, you all but gave away the win by diving neck first into a guillotine. If someone told you it was Kampmann's birthday, they were lying. The Strikeforce announcing team -- Maybe if I rail about this often enough, someone will listen and do something about it. Probably not, but it makes me feel better. Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock are just the absolute worst. Pat Miletich does alright and I'm glad he was on the broadcast, but it wasn't enough (and never is enough) to overcome the axis of evil that is Ranallo and Shamrock. They're just the worst. I can't take it. If there was a radio broadcast, I'd mute the TV and go that route, but there isn't. The thing that excited me the most about the Zuffa takeover was that I felt sure that these guys would be the first ones to go. I was wrong and I just don't get what's taking them so long. Make the move, Zuffa. Scott Smith -- He's now lost four fights in a row. Even worse is how he's losing. He's getting finished and losing lopsided decisions. He also continues to show that if you take him down and have a decent ground game, you're going to be able to submit him. There's no progress or evolution. He gave fans some really fun fights and highlights. I'll grant you that. But those days are over. It's time for "Hands of Steel" to call it a day. Thanks for the memories, Scott. Paul Daley -- For someone who talks as much as this guy does, he sure doesn't back it up very often. The truth is that he's lucky to be fighting under the Zuffa banner at all after his egregious post fight antics in the UFC (versus Josh Koscheck) that led to him being dismissed by President Dana White. Daley was outstruck badly by Kazuo Misaki, who many fans had never even heard of before Saturday night. Don't be surprised if we don't see Daley around the Zuffa neighborhood for a lot longer. That's my list of big winners and losers from UFC on FX 2 and Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey." But we're just getting started. We're looking for you, the Maniacs, to keep the list going in the comment section. For full recaps of the UFC on FX 2 preliminary undercard and main card fights, click here and here. For detailed analysis of the Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" undercard and main card fights, click here and here. Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate full fight video highlights from last night's main event on Showtime here.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, tate, rousey

Read the full article at MMA Mania

The most anticipated female mixed martial arts (MMA) fight in years, perhaps ever took place last night (March 3, 2012) as Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate looked to defend her title against judo Olympian Ronda Rousey in the main event of Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" in Columbus, Ohio. Tate repeatedly proclaimed that she didn't feel Rousey had earned the shot, that others were more deserving of being her first title defense, that Rousey was only there because of her looks and her mouth. But look who's laughing now? In one of the more cringe-worthy finishes of 2012, Rousey took Tate's arm home with her to claim the championship belt as her own. So how did "Rowdy" Ronda pull it off? (literally) And what's next for both talented ladies?Follow me after the jump for our Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" post-fight review and analysis: Perhaps fueled by all the pre-fight trash talk, Tate came out swinging wildly, charging forward and throwing a flurry of lunging hooks. One cracked Rousey on the jaw, but the majority of them missed and they allowed Rousey to clinch and easily reverse a takedown attempt into a takedown where she immediately went to work with her elite judo ground skills. After slickly passing to side control, the Olympic bronze medalist latched onto Tate's arm and attempted to score her fifth straight first round armbar finish. It looked painful, but Tate turned into Rousey, forcing the challenger to transition to an omaplata which allowed Tate to get back to her feet. The champion, proving that she was not going to be overwhelmed early, clinched with Rousey and proceeded to drag her to the canvas, locking in both hooks and taking her back on the way down. Rousey remained calm despite the perilous situation, not panicking despite the threat of a rear naked choke and she escaped out the back door to return to her feet where she was able to take command in the clinch and score a trip takedown. Tate again showcased her own grappling ability by working her way back to her feet, but she once again got overzealous with her striking, overcommitting on some big hooks which took her off balance and Rousey capitalized with a beautiful hip toss which would eventually set up the finish to the fight. This time, Rousey would pass to mount and posture up, dropping nice short strikes, all targeting the left side of Tate's head. This was brilliant because the second Tate brought up her left hand to defend her head, Rousey snuck her own arm underneath and then once again transitioned to an armbar. Her knees weren't cinched together perfectly this time, but Rousey made up for it by using her knee to keep Tate's head in place and then torquing violently on Tate's arm, which led to one of the more gruesome-looking arm configurations we've ever seen and also forced a tap from the champion. It was competitive, it was action-packed and it lived up to all the pre-fight hype and billing. For Miesha Tate, first thing's first, she's going to need some time to heal. She played "tough-girl" for the cameras in her post-fight interview but she had that thousand yard stare and she likely suffered some pretty severe damage to her elbow at least. She held her own with Rousey, but her biggest mistake was letting Rousey get into her head which allowed her emotions to take over. In the stand-up, Tate was way too aggressive and this led to easy throws and trips by Rousey. She'll have to make sure to not let that happen the next time around. If her timetable for a return is not too severe, I'd love to see her step in against Alexis Davis, who put on an incredible performance in a losing effort to Sarah Kaufmann earlier in the evening. Other possibilities include former title challenger Liz Carmouche or top Brazilian prospect Amanda Nunes. For Ronda Rousey, this was an incredible performance. Other than a shaky minute where she had her back taken, she was nearly flawless in her execution of guard passing, takedowns and submission attempts. She is an absolute technician in the cage and she's got the athletic gifts to back it up. Rousey has the look, the talent and the charisma to be a superstar in women's MMA for quite some time. She will almost certainly be battling Sarah Kaufman next in her first title defense, as soon as Kaufman's superficial injuries heal and they want to set up a big championship fight. This likely won't have quite the buzz of Tate vs. Rousey, but now that Rousey is likely going to be a huge star in the division, there will be plenty of interest among casual MMA fans for all of her fights. If she can defeat Kaufman next, there's no telling how high Rousey's stardom in women's MMA can reach. So what did you think, Maniacs? Were you as impressed by Rousey's performance as most everyone else seems to be? Can she be the savior of women's MMA and help bring about a new era of female fighters? Sound off! For complete Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here, here and here.

Posted in: time, vs, tate, womens mma, rousey

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Scott Smith made his return to the middleweight division at tonight's (Sat., March 3, 2012) Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" event in Columbus, Ohio, against Lumumba Sayers in what amounted to a final chance before a trip to the firing squad. That's because Smith came in having lost three fights in a row and four of his last five. He could only live on the memory of his thrilling knockout win over Cung Le for so long, after all. Sayers, meanwhile, had finished every win of his career in the first round. Add another one. Sayers dominated the few minutes they were in the cage together, rocking Smith, slamming him and finally, submitting him with a guillotine to vanquish "Hands of Steel" to mixed martial arts (MMA) purgatory. Smith's brain got a reprieve from punishment after taking a few shots in the opening minute when Sayers scored a takedown and took his foes back. He got back to his feet but it wasn't long before Sayers was shooting in for another takedown. This time, Smith attempted to lock on a guillotine. So Sayers picked him up and dumped him backwards, slamming him to the mat. A short time later, he had a guillotine of his own locked in. Tap, tap, tap, time to find a new job. Probably. Remember, too, to check out MMAmania.com's ongoing live coverage of the "Tate vs. Rousey" main card action by clicking here.

Posted in: time, smith, guillotine, sayer, card action

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Thiago (Pitbull) Alves will be kicking himself for some time. Actually, he probably wishes he had just kept kicking.

Posted in: ufc, time, event, alve, pitbull

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

submitted by ciscoiv [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: time, fan, classic, ciscoiv

Read the full article at Reddit

Because Japan is 14 hours ahead of us civilized east coast folk, the fight between Roxanne Modafferi and Takayo Hashi on 'Saturday night' will actually take place in the wee early hours of Saturday morning. The weigh-ins have already taken place, and kakutoh-blog has all the pictures. From their entry on Roxy and Hashi via Google Translate: Since the first time in two years "Juerusu is in the first participation in a war, even to the game I'm glad terribly. In Japan, because you can play in Japan finally, I am happy too. Nde strong sense away with it overseas Yappari, calm comes from Japan but do not have a relationship strength is it is unknown. do not know. Roxanne is a strong feeling very, it is the players aggressive. but sometimes I practiced a few times, and I can be the game, since there are only a handful, there the game is there pound you want to fight cut percentage and games. of special rules, do you want to be when you can type not stick to the pound is struck, f*ckable at that time. tomorrow aiming to KO and win this one I want to end the game early. " Yeah, Google probably needs to work a little bit on that. Damnit, if only our usual Japanese translator wasn't busy preparing to kick some ass. Funny enough, the text above makes a whole lot more sense when it's read out loud to you: All of a sudden there are a whole bunch of things that sound really wise. Calm comes from Japan. Roxanne is a strong feeling! She practiced a few times and CAN be the game.

Posted in: time, game, japan, feeling, roxanne

Read the full article at Fightlinker

submitted by adamthinks [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: ufc, time, use, testosterone, testosterone use

Read the full article at Reddit

It’s Friday, the morning of the weigh-ins, and I thought I’d let you know about the day ahead leading into my fight with Caros Fodor tomorrow. The fighters are right downtown and there’s not much to offer here. It’s just office buildings, some State stuff. Most of the cafes and restaurants are just open for lunch or close at 5:00-6:00. So far it seems like everything’s shut down by 7:00. It’s a bit different to what I’m used to, that’s for sure. The fighters, like myself, on the undercard haven’t really been that involved with the media for the event so I’ve had a lot of downtime. I’ve walked a few circles around downtown now. It’s been a pretty easy going week outside of that. I went to the mall today. There’s a really nice and huge indoor/outdoor mall. I went down there by myself and walked around for about three hours and looked around, but I didn’t walk out with anything. It was one of the first times I went into a mall, tried things on, and decided “Eh, I’m not going to buy that.” Usually if I try something on, it’s as good as bought, but I was able to control myself this time around. I’ve gotta say I’m a little proud of myself for that! I mentioned in my last blog that I didn’t have that much weight to cut. I was about two pounds over last night once I finished a light workout, and I’ve got about five to go today which I can do in one cut – pretty dang easy. However, before I get to that cut, I’ve got a full day ahead of me. I’m up, so I’m going to have a light breakfast and then go for a walk. I tend to go for these walks now in the morning just because I’m used to getting up and walking my dog. My body’s used to it and I like “walking off my meal”. I don’t know if there’s any scientific proof of that working but it’s a mental thing for me if nothing else. After that, I’m going down to the Arnold Classic to sign for LastRoundNutrition.com with Matt Lindland for about an hour or so. After that, I’ll come back and do an Epsom salt bath with around six bottles of rubbing alcohol. I’ll have a pretty warm bath, and that’s how I’ll cut my weight. With only having fiveor six pounds to go, I’ll only sit in there for about 30-35 minutes, let my body finish sweating, and then jump on the scale to check my weight. If you’ve never done one of these types of baths before, it’s not that different overall to having a regular bath, but the smell of it really hits your nostrils and it’s a strange feeling at first. The first time I did it, I was thinking to myself “What the hell am I doing? Is this really going to work?” I was so nervous sitting in there wondering if I was losing weight or sweating. I guess it’s an old bodybuilder’s trick? It’s supposed to pull all the water out of your skin and not your organs. I learned it from Chael Sonnen. He’s the one that told me about it, and this fight will be the fourth time I do it. I absolutely swear by it now. You feel so much better than getting in the sauna and sweating it out and it makes you look a bit more shredded so that’s another added benefit of doing it, eh? After the bath, we’ll head over to the Arnold Classic to weigh-in there. We have to check in by 2:15 and then you’ll see me on the scale at about 5:00. Once that’s out of the way it’ll be time to rehydrate…and eat! I’m looking forward to that first meal. Lindland’s been coming back with a lot of tasty looking stuff from around the area and I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to eat after weigh-ins. I’m going to keep it pretty light. I love steak, but I can’t just eat a big chunk of meat, have it sit in my stomach and keep my body from absorbing anything else, so I’ll probably have just salmon and some light stuff like that. I’ll have some watery fruits like grapes and oranges and some simple sugars (like Fig Newtons). I’ll slowly eat from there. I can’t gorge myself after weigh-ins because my body’s just not used to it. I’m more of a snack-through-the-night type of guy instead of having a giant meal. So that’s what I’m going to do. Relax and snack throughout the night, then onto the fight with Fodor on Saturday! Before I go, I wanted to tell you a quick story about my nickname “Bam Bam.” I hate to say it, but “Bam Bam” comes from when I was in high school, and when I drank my friends would always say I had this alter-ego. My eyebrows would lower down and my friends would say stuff like “Oh no, here comes Bam Bam!” I’d be all neanderthal-like. I’d be clumsy and crashing into things, always grabbing my friends and wrestling them. Basically just turning into a caveman who knew a thing or two about grappling. After fight week, I’m headed to Chicago for a bit. I’m hoping to take in a Chicago Bulls game, and, of course, I’ll be eating lots, especially at Maxwell Street. When I was last there, it was really big for Polish food, but I think now it’s big on Mexican. I’m gonna definitely be traveling around trying all the different styles of food. I’ll check in again with you all next week about my travels in Chi-Town, but that’s all for now. Until next week, catch up with me on Twitter @BamBamHealy and make sure to watch my fight this weekend. ————————- Healy takes on Fodor tomorrow night at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. This fight will air on the prelim card, starting at 8:00 PM EST on Showtime Extreme. Superchannel will be picking it up in Canada before immediately airing the main card. Check your local listings for more information. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: fight, time, weight, stuff, bath

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

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

It's always interesting to see what Quinton Rampage Jackson is up to after a loss. One time he went on an energy drink fueled fast that resulted in a monster truck rampage and brief stint in a mental institution. How will he react to his loss to Ryan 'Unf unf' Bader and the negative fan reaction that followed? Fighters Only found out. By writing what is sure to be the biggest hit song by a UFC personality since Arianny: We made a big hit actually, people will be really surprised when I release this because I have been making music for like six or seven years but never released anything. Now I am finally comfortable to actually release something. I was depressed yesterday but then we made this hit last night and it immediately cheered me up because normally I make music just for a hobby, I never release it, its just for me to enjoy.But this song cheered me up in my hard times right now and I think my fans can get some enjoyment out of it. It cheered me up if they don’t like it I don’t give a fuck. I’m the king of doggy style. And talking about that knee injury, more importantly how he was prescribed testosterone to help with it: I almost pulled out but then I went to see the doctor and he told me to talk to an age-management doctor. So I went and talked to them and they tested me and said my testosterone was low; they prescribed me testosterone, to bring my testosterone levels back up to levels where I can be like… so that I am the same as young people, like when I was 25, and it would help build my knee up. I hurt my knee like a month ago and I only did three shots of testosterone but it put a lot of weight on me, a lot of muscle on me but it healed me knee up good enough to where I could fight.It was hard for me to train, it takes time to heal, I couldn’t do certain things, but this was my first time ever using testosterone. I took what the doctor prescribed to me and I went to the pharmacy… I gave myself small doses and that shit immediately changed me, that’s why I am saying now I am not going to retire. I am not gonna retire no time soon, its just unfortunate that I got this injury.I started hitting it up pretty good, I still gotta take care of my knee but I feel like a 25 year old again. My sex life changed, I was back to five times a night like when I was 25, straight up. I got stronger, lifting weights. I was never good at lifting weights but I was doing everything, pull ups and stuff, everything with my top half. I gained a lot of weight but I gained a lot of water as well, I never knew about testosterone putting weight on you like that. I had to cut weight [for the fight] and I cut 22 pounds out of the 30 I needed to cut, I just couldn’t make the rest. I couldn’t make the rest. ...I keep it real, I am not doing anything wrong. Its legal and I am not abusing it and I am not going over certain levels. From what I learned about it, when I got tested my levels my levels were really low and the doctor was telling me that athletes can burn testosterone.Sure enough I did it like a week or two and, I couldn’t train but… that’s why I did this song about doggy style! My doggy style was buck wild man I’m telling you. I was like a young man, back to lifting weights and stuff, running treadmill and I could run and run. Wow, so you're telling me that taking testosterone will magically give you the strength and energy you need to be better at MMA and doggy style? I am shocked and amazed. Why hasn't anyone else looked into this? And isn't it great that the rules and guidelines regarding performance enhancers are so clear about how to deal with fighters who take testosterone? The current setup is already so great at catching people who use actual steroids. I'm glad it also shines in this new area as well. Now if only there was something Rampage could take for focus and disciprine.

Posted in: time, ’t, weight, knee, testosterone

Read the full article at Fightlinker

Charles Barkley.That’s the first name that popped into my head as I sat on the phone with Ian McCall, the top-ranked flyweight in the sport, discussing the improbable journey that has brought him to the UFC, and his desire to be a role model.Nearly 20 years ago, Barkley famously argued against athletes being role models. His thoughts on the matter were turned into a Nike commercial, and became one of the top anecdotes from his illustrious NBA career.Unlike Barkley, McCall wants to be someone people look up to, someone who inspires them to chase their passion in life, and someone whose mistakes they can learn from and avoid.The 27-year-old known as “Uncle Creepy” is candid about his previous struggles with addiction, including the fact that he was clinically dead at one point not all that long ago as a result of an accidental overdose.“I’m prone to screw ups, just like everybody else,” he says with a laugh. “I’m sure I’ll screw up more in my future, but it’s not going to be like things I’ve done in my past. I have to — just like any other person — you have to live day-by-day. You constantly remind yourself not to do the things that you used to, especially me; I had a passion for doing naughty, naughty things.“I don’t mind having people see my life and know my life and be able to connect with me on a different level because that’s what it is — you have to show people, `I’m not perfect. This is my life; this is who I am.’ If you want a part of it — party on. Let’s have some fun, have a good time, come hang out. I want to be a fighter that the majority of the world loves. I would like to be a role model.”While he’ll always battle the demons, McCall’s focus has shifted from the self-destructive behaviors of his past to establishing a better life for his wife and daughter, and making the most of his abilities as a fighter.“As far as training, I just took it serious,” he says, explaining the changes he’s made in the gym that have helped transform him from a solid-but-unspectacular bantamweight in the WEC to one of the top flyweights in the world.“I just take it a lot more serious because this is what I want to do with my life. I see my friends who have great things out of other jobs — whatever jobs they may do — and I want to provide a good life for my family and everyone else.”The results of his newfound focus and determination in the gym started to show just over a year ago.On February 18, 2010, McCall made his debut with Tachi Palace Fights, the Lemoore, California-based outfit that had become the home of the best 125-pound talent in North America. That night, he squared off with Jussier da Silva, the Shooto South American champion in the 123-pound weight division, universally regarded as the top flyweight competitor on the planet. “Formiga” was undefeated at the time, and McCall was viewed as another opponent the talented Brazilian would beat up inside the cage.That’s not how things played out. McCall pulled off the upset, earning a unanimous decision victory over the previously unbeaten Brazilian.He collected another unanimous victory when he handed Dustin Ortiz the first loss of his career three months later. In August, McCall submitted Darrell Montague via rear naked choke in the third round to become Tachi Palace Fights flyweight champion, cementing his standing as the top 125-pound talent in the sport.Now McCall is set to make his UFC debut, squaring off with former bantamweight title challenger Demetrious Johnson in one of the two bouts that will determine who will fight to become the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champion. It’s a moment the charismatic and talkative McCall has trouble putting into words.“After everything that I’ve been through — that I put myself through — and as long as this career has lasted, now it’s serious, and it’s become a lot more serious with the UFC. It’s a dream come true, and something that I’m really looking forward to.”Joining McCall and Johnson in the four-man tournament to crown the inaugural 125-pound champion are Japanese standout Yasuhiro Urushitani and Joseph Benavidez, another former bantamweight title challenger making the drop down to flyweight for the first time.Like Johnson and Benavidez, McCall also has a loss to current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz on his record. He dropped a unanimous decision to “The Dominator” at WEC 38, seven months before he would beat Benavidez for the first time, and 13 months before Cruz defeated Brian Bowles for the title at WEC 47; he hasn’t lost since.Despite having collected four consecutive victories and establishing himself as the top flyweight in the sport, McCall enters his meeting with Johnson as a significant underdog. It’s a role he accepts without hesitation, happy to have the opportunity to step into the Octagon, and ready to prove the pundits wrong.“They have more buzz than me,” says McCall of Johnson and Benavidez, the latter of the two standing as the favorite to be crowned the first flyweight champion. “But I have that recognition of being #1 where I was. It’s an honor to be able to face someone like (Demetrious); he’s a great fighter.“It’s a good way… I wanted to jump right into it; I wanted to jump right into fighting the best, and I get the chance to.”Someone else might take offense to being the underdog, but not McCall; not after everything he’s been through. This is just another challenge, another obstacle standing in his way, and while it may take some time, McCall is intent on showing that he is the top flyweight in the sport and becoming the first UFC flyweight champion.“I’m ready to show the world. It’s my time, and I’m super-stoked about it. It’s something that I have to prove, and it’s going to take time for people to know who I am, but I’m not going anywhere.”

Posted in: time, champion, life, flyweight, mccall

Read the full article at UFC

Let's face it we all from time to time become become spoiled or lazy or despondant complaining people. Its easy to fall into that woe is me state of mind when we live in a society in constant search of instant gratification or the easier way to get somewhere or accomplish anything. We don't want to cook our own meals-we want to head to a drive thru and pick up our processed chemically manufactured food product in a bag and take it home to eat. We don't want to exercise to lose the weight we've gained by eating all of that fast food-we want to get liposuction and body contouring to give us an ass like a table or six pack abs. We just sit around and complain about how bad we've got it and how hard it is to accomplish anything rather than getting up and trying. That state of mind happens to every one of us from time to time. When it does, there needs to be some trigger that makes stories like this one about Tandi Schaeffer start to play in our brains to keep us inspired to keep going and stay positive. Tandi is a Mom that's been training and fighting MMA for 10 years, has an undefeated professional record and does it while taking care of her child with cerebral palsy. According to Tandi her son Ammon is her inspiration to keep going. He helps her to be strong and not complain. Tandi should be our inspiration to do the same. Grab a couple of tissues and check out Tandi's story from ksl.com in Utah. [Source] {iframe}http://www.ksl.com/video/we.php?v=19392397.mp4{/iframe}

Posted in: time, story, tandi, tandis story, food product

Read the full article at Middle Easy

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

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

On July 7, 2012, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight Urijah Faber is expected to face division champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 148 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The title bout will be the third time that the two men will meet in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition. The first meeting saw Faber emerge victorious via a first round guillotine submission. The second occurred when Cruz successfully defended his title against Faber at UFC 132 on July 2, 2011, in "Sin City" via unanimous decision after a five-round battle. It's no secret that the pair have never liked each other ... that much has always been clear. However, since the dust settled on their last match, the verbal jabs have been constantly flying back and forth. Tonight (Feb. 27, 2012), "The California Kid" appeared on HDNet's "Inside MMA" to address recent comments that "The Dominator" made about Faber and his level for understanding for the way Cruz fights: "I mean, come on. Let's be serious here. I don't understand the way he's fighting, so I'm frustrated and I'm saying bad stuff about it? The guy's a good fighter. He's good at what he does which is: scoring some points. He's not dangerous. He's not scary. I knocked him down three different times in three different rounds. He had 11 takedown attempts and basically got one and a half and that's about it. So, if the guy thinks I don't know how to beat him...I already did beat him!" Faber, visibly upset by comments that Cruz made during a recent interview, took things a step further. According to him, Cruz is lucky to still be alive: "He's alive right now because there's rules in MMA and I had to release his neck and let him breathe! You're welcome, Dominick Cruz, for giving you life and letting you live! Next time, I'm gonna do the same thing. I'm gonna let you live, but it's gonna be painful." When asked more about Cruz's style, Faber was critical about the way he fights, comparing the way he fights to competitors in a karate tournament: "That's what fighting's about, right? And that's how I approach the fight. Let's finish this fight! And he's doing 'point fighting.' This isn't a karate tournament. I mean, do you wanna take hits to the head away next?" At the end of the day, Urijah believes he's only getting better and not going anywhere, any time soon. He sees the key for him being his improved striking. It's that upper hand that he believes will earn him the belt, which he doesn't plans on keeping for a very long time: "Yeah, I think for me, the striking game is something I've been working on for eight years, and I've really been working with a great coach for about four years now. It takes a lot of time for you to get comfortable and for things to become instinctual and to find your groove, and it's really starting to happen for me now, so I'm excited about it. I've got a lot of years left. I feel young. I feel energetic, and I know I'm getting better. So, I can't wait to get this belt and hold it." So, is it sour grapes, or does Faber have some legitimate points? Do you agree with his commentary? Who are you picking in the trilogy between Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz? Let's hear it, Maniacs.

Posted in: time, cruz, faber, he, im

Read the full article at MMA Mania

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

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

Read the full article at MMA Convert

After a break including a huge trip to China I’m glad to be back at Five Ounces of Pain blogging, this time leading into my fight against Caros Fodor at this weekend’s Strikeforce event. Knowing Strikeforce is back for 2012 is a big weight off my shoulders due to the job security. By having Zuffa come in and take Strikeforce over, and seeing how they run an organization, it’s obvious they’re good at what they do and it’s such a well oiled machine. The difference in communication before/after is night and day. You wouldn’t hear anything from them for six months,and then they’d call you and say “You’re fighting in a month.” It was four of five different guys trying to run the show, whereas now, with Sean Shelby and Scott Coker, it’s pretty cut and dry. It’s hard to see Strikeforce going anywhere but up right now the way things are. Coming into the fight, I’m the lowest weight I’ve ever been at this point this close. I’m less than ten pounds over, maybe nine and some change. That’s really good for me and I’m thinking I’m only going to have to “cut” maybe 5-6 pounds before weigh-ins. That right there is a pretty exciting prospect. I’ve got things down pretty well now. This is my seventh fight at 155 so it just gets easier and easier. Last week, I really picked up my water intake, trying to drink two gallons of water a day. It really fills you up and keeps things moving through your body. Over the next week, I’m going to keep it similar to what I’ve been doing by eating clean. I eat six times a day with three bigger meals and three smaller meals. It keeps my body burning stuff. I’ve been using a nutritionist named Troy Sudar from LastRoundNutrition.com and he’s been great. I’ve also added some stuff from the Dolce Diet too because Mike has got some meal options that are really good. As this week progresses, I’ll just make my portions smaller and smaller. With the weigh-ins on Friday I’ll try and do a flush where I’ll try to drink five gallons of water. It just flushes you completely out and you’ll lose 4 -5 pounds. From there, you really cut back that last day and don’t eat a lot before weigh-ins..eat clean, like a lot of spinach and some really small meals. I try to make it so that I only do one weight cut overall. My fight camp has been great as well. My last fight against Maximo Blanco was on short notice and I had a full camp this time. I’m always in the gym and never stop training really, but with a full camp you really get good time to focus fully on your opponent (as opposed to focusing on just your skills.) With Fodor, I got to watch a lot of tapes to see what he does and try to put some good training or thoughts in my head every time I go to train and really tailor my style to do what I want to do. It’s just so nice to be able to focus on a guy for a full camp. After my fight with  Blanco, I went to China for six weeks to train some up and comers. Although I went out there to train those guys, I picked up a lot of stuff from them. San Shou is really not a style that many people are familiar with outside of Cung Le. It uses some really interesting kicks and is just a really slick style. I learned a lot from them and a lot of how they were training, so I was able to implement that into my training. I have a little bit of limitation because of my flexibility (or lack thereof lol) but it’s something I’ve been working on since China and I think I’m going to be able to mix it up quite well and keep Fodor guessing. My brother Ryan is preparing for a fight too. It really helps that we’re both training at the same time. We spar really well together and we’ve been doing a lot of stuff that I brought back from China. He was working a lot off the speed mitt style that Floyd Mayweather does and we’ve been able to mix that all together. We just always seem to be on the same page. We’re able to build with each other, and I think it’s extremely handly. When I head to Columbus he’s staying behind to train. It’s alright though. I’ve got Matt Lindland with me, and he’s my right hand man and someone I prefer having in my corner. I know Ryan would love to be there, but he doesn’t need the added stress of being at the show having to corner me not to mention it’s an awkward feeling to have to do that for your brother. Before I go, I’ve got to say a bit about my Portland Trail Blazers as we come out of the All-Star Break. They’re going to turn it up in the second half. Their problem is their inconsistency. Some nights they look great and the next night, they just don’t seem to put it together. I see them coming together this second half though. Nate MacMillan is a great coach, and he’s really trying to get that chemistry back going. Joel Przybilla is coming back and truly, I love the Vanilla Gorilla and the way he plays. He’s actually a big MMA guy too. He’s trained with Lindland a little bit, and trained with Duke Roufus too. I think they can finally make it out of the first round of the playoffs this year. Their guards are stepping up, and I see them putting things together now. We can’t keep doing this thing where we ride in the back and barely make it in and get put up against the #1 seed. I think a lot of that depends on how consistent they get their play going. But I’ve got faith. It’s Rip City all the way here! Let’s do this again soon, maybe from Columbus next week. In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter at @BamBamHealy. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE/5 OZ

Posted in: fight, time, training, thing, lot

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

The UFC and FX released the competitor list for the fifteenth season of the Ultimate Fighter. Coaches Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz will train 16 lightweights for the entire season before meeting for a rubber match this later this summer at UFC 148 on July 7th in Las Vegas. This will be the first time the Ultimate Fighter airs on FX and unlike previous season, this one will air live on Fridays. This season will also be extended from the normal six weeks of filming to a ridiculous thirteen weeks. Season fifteen kicks off on Friday, March 9 with two and a half hour live premiere at 9 PM ET/8 PM CT. Mountain and Pacific time will be delayed to 9 PM PT/10 PM MT. Following the premiere the series will settle into its normal time slot of 10 PM ET. Full cast after the jump... There will be 16 live fights on March 9. The competitors are:Akbarh Arreloa, Chula Vista, Calif.Al Iaquinta, Wantagh, N.Y.Ali Maclean, Belfast, North IrelandAndy Ogle, Tynemouth, EnglandAustin Lyons, Cordova, Tenn.Brendan Weafer, New York, N.Y.Chris Tickle, Bloomington, Ill.Cody Pfister, Amarillo, TexasCristiano Marcello, Curitiba, BrazilChase Hackett, Littleton, Colo.Chris Saunders, Long Beach, Calif.Dakota Cochrane, Omaha, Neb.Daron Cruickshank, Wayne, Mich.Drew Dober, Omaha, Neb.Erin Beach, San Diego, Calif.James Krause, Blue Springs, Mich.James Vick, Fort Worth, TexasJared Carlsten, Los Angeles, Calif.Jeff Smith, Mechanicsburg, Penn.Jeremy Larsen, Phoenix, Ariz.Joe Proctor, Pembroke, Mass.John Cofer, Hull, Ga.Johnavan Vistante, Pearl City, HawaiiJon Tuck, Hagtna, GuamJordan Rinaldi, Matthews, N.C.Justin Lawrence, Villa Ridge, Mo.Mark Glover, Liverpool, EnglandMichael Chiesa, Spokane Valley, Wash.Myles Jury, San Diego, Calif.Mike Rio, Miami, Fla.Sam Sicilia, Spokane Valley, Wash.Vinc Pichel, Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Posted in: time, fighter, season, pm, competitor list

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The coaches and the fighters are in place -- now a little more than a week remains until it’s officially time to get down to business.

Posted in: business, time, fighter, fx, week

Read the full article at Sherdog

There's a belief in the mixed martial arts (MMA) game that if it doesn't happen inside the Octagon, it's nothing to crow about. When a fighter experiences any measure of success in Japan, their accomplishments are often minimized due to what is perceived as a lower class of competition. It happened to Jorge Santiago who had not one but two Fight of the Year bouts against Kazuo Misaki in the Sengoku promotion. Still there were detractors who swore up and down once "Sandman" made it back to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he would be facing a higher caliber of fighter and be exposed. They were right. But for every Santiago, there's a Ben Henderson, an Anthony Pettis or a Carlos Condit. "The Natural Born Killer" was World Extreme Cagefighting's (WEC) last welterweight champion when it was decided the weight class would no longer be contested inside the blue cage. The New Mexico native transitioned over to the Octagon and two and a half years later, an interim title and a date with Georges St. Pierre proves his success in WEC was a result of skill, not a shallow talent pool. He's defeated every opponent the UFC has put in front of him ... except one. Martin Kampmann spoiled Condit's Octagon debut and is the only man to have beaten the interim champion in the past five years. The Dane takes on Thiago Alves in the main event of Friday's (Mar. 2) UFC on FX 2 main event. A win against the Brazilian could score another match with Condit with the stakes being much higher than they were the first time around. Let's take a look back at that bout, the main event of Fight Night 18 in Nashville, TN. Condit opens with some jabs and a high kick before clinching up and landing a blistering body punch to his opponent. Kampmann bullies the New Mexico native against the cage, wraps his arms around him before dropping Condit onto his back. From there, a tight guillotine attempt threatens to end the fight early but Condit remains calm and works his way out of it and back to his feet. Once there, "The Natural Born Killer" almost immediately drops the Dane onto his back, giving "Hitman" a taste of his own medicine. Proving his grappling chops are just as impressive as his striking, Kampmann is able to slide out from under his opponent, ending up on top and landing ground and pound. "Hitman" then attempts a heel hook but Condit is able to turn out of the submission attempt and again winds up on his feet. A huge punch from the top connects with Kampmann's face before the Dane begins to regain his vertical base. As he makes his way to his feet, he makes sure to avoid a knee from Condit by keeping one hand on the ground, rendering any knee thrown to the head illegal. But a split second after "Hitman's" hand is lifted from the canvas, a knee from Condit barrels its way to Kampmann's face and opens up a huge gash under one eye. A combination from the New Mexico native tags Kampmann in the head and on the body. He continues putting together punches, knees and kicks in impressive fashion until the end of the round, not allowing Kampmann any room to fully recover from the devastating knee landed just seconds earlier. Condit starts the second round as he finished the first, stringing together punches and kicks. Less than a minute in, however, Kampmann puts his opponent on the mat and begins to work him over with ground and pound. Condit remains in this defensive position until midway through the round when he is able to kick Kampmann off, create some distance and get back to his feet. On their feet, Condit lands a nice short elbow but it's answered with a huge hook that snaps the Greg Jackson fighter's head back. "The Natural Born Killer" responds with a front kick that finds its mark and follows it up with a stiff punch before dumping the Dane onto the mat. Kampmann quickly gets back to his feet but a hard elbow cracks him in the face. Undaunted, "Hitman" presses forward and sinks in a deep guillotine choke attempt. For the second time in the fight, Condit is forced to fight through the submission and for the second time, he succeeds. They scramble on the mat; the New Mexico native on top at first with Kampmann reversing position to end the round. Just like the previous round, Kampmann opens up the third and final stanza with a takedown. Hard ground and pound from "Hitman" begins to score points as Condit's head bounces off the mat. Two times Condit is momentarily able to get back to his feet but each time Kampmann immediately drags him back down to continue the beating he was already dishing out. "The Natural Born Killer" stays busy on the bottom, attempting submissions and trying to free himself, but the Dane keeps him horizontal nearly the entire time. A last second guillotine attempt from Condit serves as just about the only offense he saw in the last five minutes. The first judge scores the bout for Kampmann, the second for Condit. When the third judge's decision is read, a 29-28 nod to Kampmann, the Dane raises both arms up, lets out an elated "yes" and drops to his knees in joy. The Greg Jackson product walks away, shaking his head in disappointment. Condit wouldn't feel that way for long. Five straight wins inside the Octagon have given "The Natural Born Killer" the chance to unseat the most dominant welterweight champion of all time and by proxy, ensuring his place in the MMA history books. Kampmann's emotional state was also short-lived as a brutal knockout to Paul Daley five months later erased all the goodwill "Hitman" had earned at 170 pounds. His career continued a roller coaster ride for the next couple of years. Consecutive wins over Jacob Volkmann and Paulo Thiago acted as the highs while back to back losses to Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez served as the lows. After the particularly disappointing loss to "The Dream," Kampmann put himself back in the win column by taking out Rick Story. It looks like, at least for right now, his career is experiencing a high. Kampmann will look to ensure it continues against Alves. Will he?

Posted in: time, feet, condit, kampmann, dane

Read the full article at MMA Mania

While people undoubtedly have their own opinions on lightweight Benson Henderson’s championship win last night at UFC 144 against Frankie Edgar there are few who know how things went down better than the newly crowned divisional king himself. Henderson opened up about the fight shortly after making his way backstage where he pointed out both a positive and negative he encountered inside the Octagon while going at it with the tough-as-nails Edgar for twenty-five minutes. “From the second round on I stayed inside the blue circle because I kept slipping,” explained Henderson in an interview with the UFC. “Eventually I had to limit my gameplan, I had to stop doing what I wanted to do. I just stayed in the blue center and just let him go him around a little bit. My gameplan was more to cut him off. He’s very fast, he has quick lateral movement. I wanted to cut him off and do very well there but I kept freakin’ slipping. I fell like 4-5 times and they problem counted them as takedowns but it’s just because I freakin’ slipped.” As the fight progressed Henderson not only overcame with the adversity of a slippery surface but quickly recognized an advantage over Edgar he wasted little time in exploiting. “Around the third round my jab started landing and I saw him flinch from my jab,” said Henderson of his performance against Edgar. “I knew I kind of had him on my jab to where they’re gun-shy of the jab you own them. So at that moment when I saw him kind of flinch or pause or hesitate off my jab I realized, ‘I can land my jab all night long…I’m gonna use that, I’m gonna milk that bad boy…’” “Bendo” Believes His Ground Game is Second to None The 28-year old’s next opponent has yet to be determined though he will likely face Edgar a second straight time or be paired with surging 155er Anthony Pettis. Check out the entire interview below: PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, time, henderson, edgar, jab

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) entered the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on Sat., Feb. 25, 2012 and left with a new list of winners and losers, as UFC 144 separated the cream from the crop. The main event featured a monumental 155-pound championship showdown between Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and number one contender Ben Henderson, and the crowning of a new king. The co-main event saw two tough light heavyweights square off as Quinton Jackson (who missed weight by a significant margin) returned to Japan for the first time since he left PRIDE to square off against highly skilled wrestler Ryan Bader. The fight saw one top contender rise up the ladder, while another proved that he may have left his glory days behind him. After the jump we'll sort out the biggest of winners and lowliest of losers from UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson." WINNERS Ben Henderson -- The big winner of the event was obvious. "Smooth" put on an exhibition of athleticism, crisp striking and very solid takedown defense. The fight was close, but Henderson was just a little better than Edgar in every single regard. He deserved to win the fight. He deserves to be the champion. We may see this guy wearing the belt for a long time to come (if he stays at 155 pounds, that is). Beating up Edgar is something to brag about, but you won't hear the humble Henderson doing anything of the sort. Anthony Pettis -- Wow. "Showtime" started off the pay-per-view event off with a bang when he floored Joe Lauzon with a head kick KO that had the fans in Saitama cheering in approval. This kid is for real. Apparently, he doesn't need to run off cage walls to score big kicks to the head. That being said, I wouldn't mind seeing him do it again. Huge win for Pettis, who instantly put himself "in the mix." Hatsu Hioki -- When the UFC signed Hioki last year, a lot of fans (including myself) were very excited, based on the merits of his highlight reel, reign of terror that he conducted in Japan. Many predicted he'd be the man to either unseat Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo or at least give him the closest fight he'd ever seen. After a lackluster performance versus George Roop at UFC 137 on Oct. 29, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada, many questioned his status as the number two 145-pounder in the world. Tonight, he showed flashes of his past dominance by completing crushing Bart Palaszewski for three brutal rounds. He couldn't finish him, but I believe that is more of a testament to Palaszewski's toughness than it is of Hioki's inability to stop an opponent. Ryan Bader -- After losing two very embarrasing fights in a row, Bader has come back strong and won two big fights in a row. "Rampage" is easily the biggest name who has become a notch on his belt. Beating him in Japan is an even bigger feather in his cap. The victory puts him back where he was before he was annihilated by Jon Jones at UFC 126 on Feb. 5, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hopefully, he can maintain the momentum this time. Mark Hunt -- The former PRIDE legend proved at UFC 144 that you just cannot take him for granted. Many have tried to bury him, but he continues to knock the dirt off his coffin and he keeps putting on big fights. He has massive punching power, and if you make a mistake, he's going to end your night. Kongo made some big mistakes in how he approached Hunt and this fight, in general. But you have to credit the "Super Samoan" for handling his business. Tim Boetsch -- After basically taking a beating for two rounds, Boetsch had no choice but to come out and go for the finish in the final frame. That's exactly what he did, as he came flying forward and buried Yushin Okami under a barrage of big punches. The only real question is: What took him so long? It ended up being one of the better comebacks we've ever seen in the Octagon. Nicely done. Jake Shields -- It wasn't pretty, but he got it done. For almost three full rounds, Akiyama stuffed every takedown attempt with ease, but Shields never quit. He kept coming forward, throwing strikes (albeit, none of them damaging) and finally got the fight to his world in the third round. I'm not real interested in seeing him fight for a title anytime soon, but I have to tip my cap to him for his toughness. LOSERS Quinton Jackson -- I've always loved "Rampage." I love the howling. I love the powerbombs. I even love the inappropriateness. He's like a cartoon in real life and he was always fun. He was also one of the best and most dynamic fighters of his time. Sadly, that time is over. against Ryan Bader, Jackson couldn't defend the take down, couldn't keep up with him, in general, and just flat-out looked like a fighter from yesterday fighting a more current version of a mixed martial artist. It saddens me greatly to say it, but I think "Rampage" needs to call it a day. Joe Lauzon -- He got caught. It happens to the best of them. In his last fight, Lauzon looked great against Melvin Guillard, a superior striker, who got caught in Lauzon's web of a ground game. The problem at UFC 144 is that Lauzon's opponent, Pettis, has a very good ground game himself. Lauzon looked tentative from the get-go and the finish showed why that may have been the case. Lauzon is still relatively young and will have a chance to improve on this loss. It just hurts because it takes him down a couple of pegs. The lightweight division is too tough these days to lose a fight that way and still be knocking on the door of title contention. Frankie Edgar -- I don't like putting him on this list. Simply put, he fought like a warrior and has nothing to be ashamed of. But you can't look the past the fact that he was handily unseated. This was one of those "back to the drawing board" losses. If he wants to get his belt back from Henderson, he's going to have to work on a lot of things. Either that, or finally listen to the critics who have been saying he should be a featherweight for years now. Yushin Okami -- After the first two rounds, "Thunder" essentially had his fight with Tim Boetsch won. All he had to do was fight smart, stay on the outside and avoid damage. Okami seemed to underestimate Boetsch and perhaps got a little cocky. He paid a dear price for it and ended up in a puddle of embarrassment in front of his friends and family. Cheick Kongo -- I'm not a professional fighter. I'm also not a trainer or coach. I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night, but I know this: If you have an eight-inch reach advantage against a heavy-handed opponent who makes a living off getting inside and throwing punches, you should use said advantage. Instead of throwing kicks and keeping him at bay, Kongo played Mark Hunt's game and allowed him to get inside, land big strikes and put him down in record time. Poor showing for Kongo. Yoshihiro Akiyama -- His move from middleweight to welterweight was supposed to rejuvenate his career. It still might, but I personally didn't see anything that made me think the move was a big success. The problem is that he has to find somewhere that he fits in. Middleweight wasn't a great look for him. If he's gonna stay at 170-pounds, he'll need to step his game up big time. That's my list, but I'm curious to hear what yours looks like. Leave us a comment (or 144) detailing your big winners and lowly losers. Do it now! For complete UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" results, including blow-by-blow details of all the action, click here and here.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, henderson, lauzon

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Rundown of UFC 144 post-fight news and notes… — Anthony Pettis picked up a $65,000 Knockout of the Night bonus check for starching Joe Lauzon with a nasty head kick. Vaughn Lee earned Submission of the Night honors for finishing Kid Yamamoto with an armbar. And Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson were awarded Fight of the Night honors for their thrilling five-round main event. — Now that Ben Henderson is the proud owner of the UFC lightweight championship, everyone wants to know who he’ll fight next. There’s two clear options: a rematch with Frankie Edgar or a rematch with Anthony Pettis. Henderson says it doesn’t matter who they put in front of them because he plans to beat them all and one up Anderson Silva’s unprecedented title reign. “[Fighting Pettis or Edgar], it doesn’t really matter to me. I want to defend [my title] as many times as Anderson Silva defends his, plus one,” said Henderson. “Whoever it is, I’m OK with it. There is a long list of guys: Nate [Diaz], Jim [Miller], Frankie, Anthony. Let’s do every single one of them.” While you could argue that Edgar deserves an immediate rematch considering he had to give BJ Penn and Gray Maynard immediate rematches, it’s looking like it’s going to be Anthony Pettis. At the post-fight press conference, Dana White said that he “thinks” it will be Pettis, but later backtracked and said he doesn’t like to make those type of decisions immediately after an event. “I think he’s going to get it,” White said when asked if Pettis had earn a shot at the belt. “We’ll see what happens,” White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I hate to do this the night of the fights, and you guys know that, but you always ask me. “We’ll see what happens. I guess I’ll leave you guys in suspense.” As you can imagine, Edgar was less than thrilled when he showed up to the press conference and learned of the plans to give Pettis the next shot. He didn’t complain, but it was pretty clear that it irritated him. “I’m not trying to shoot anybody out of anything they deserve, but I had to do two immediate rematches, so what’s fair?” Edgar asked. Pettis, of course, was much more thrilled with the news than Edgar was. “I’m the last guy to beat him so it makes sense for us to have a rematch,” Pettis said. “I’m the last guy to beat him in the WEC, took his belt there, and it looks like I’m bound to do it again.” I don’t know how Henderson-Pettis 2 could possibly top the first one, but if even if it’s only half as good it’s still going to be a hell of a fight. — It seems like everybody thinks Frankie Edgar should move down to featherweight. Well, everyone except Frankie Edgar. He was asked about it a hundred times last night in various forms if that was something he would consider and each time his answer was the same. “It’s not something I’m thinking about now, to be honest with you,” he said in his typically understated style. Perhaps he’ll consider it after the dust settles, but last night he was understandably focused on the championship fight he just lost. That didn’t stop Dana White from offering his thoughts on the situation though. “I’ve been asking him to go to 145 for a long time,” White said. “I would love to see him move to 145. I think he’d a force to be reckoned with there, and I think he’ll be a great challenge for Jose Aldo.” Dana may want him to, but he later clarified that the decision will ultimately be up to Edgar. “At the end of the day, it’s his decision,” White said. “If you’ll look at what he’s accomplished, for me to come in – like before when I was telling him, he was a world champion and had beat B.J. Penn twice and everybody else in that division. His only loss ever was to Gray Maynard, which he avenged big time. “It’s going to be up to him, but I’d love to see him do it. A fight between him and Jose Aldo would be fun.” Edgar doesn’t seem too interested in it, but it would make sense. He said he literally only cuts like one pound to make 155. He’s obviously found ways to overcome the size deficit at lightweight, but he’s always going to be fighting with a handicap so to speak at 155. It would only make sense to cut down where he wouldn’t be smaller than his opponents. — The only thing epic about Rampage Jackson’s return to Japan was his walkout to the PRIDE music. Everything else was mostly forgettable. He badly missed weight, appeared out of shape and turned in one of the worst performance of his career (sans that epic slam in the second round). It made everyone, including Dana White, question if he really wants to do this anymore, however Rampage assured everyone at the post-fight press conference that he does and a knee injury was to blame for the terrible showing. “If I’m going to be critically honest, I’m not surprised that I lost the fight,” Jackson told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I almost didn’t make it to the fight, but I didn’t want to pull out for the Japanese fans,” Jackson said. “I injured my knee pretty bad, and my doctor told me not to fight. But it wasn’t real serious. I didn’t need surgery or nothing, but he told me it wasn’t a good idea to fight. I decided to fight anyway.” “I know I’m getting to the end of my career because I said I didn’t want to fight past 35,” Jackson said. “But honestly, before I hurt me knee, you guys should have seen the way that I was training. I’ve got really good sparring partners, and I’ve got this really good wrestler names Tyson Jeffries that kicks my butt, and in this camp, I was kicking his butt. I was taking him down and wrestling got real competitive. That’s how I hurt me knee because he’s one of the best wrestlers I know. “I was sparring really good, and I was looking like a superstar, then I hurt me knee. That made me think, ‘Oh, man, I’ve got a lot more time to fight.’ When I got hurt, it was just unfortunate, but now, I know what I can do if I come in 100 percent.” Was it just a fluke? Time will tell. — On the flip side, Ryan Bader scored what was easily the biggest win of his career. Bader called it his “favorite win” after the fight. “This is my favorite win of all time. Coming in winning the Ultimate Fighter, it’s really not in the UFC, you start over right when you get into the UFC. That is what I learned real quick. You know I had a couple of losses last year and I’m starting this year off right. Getting a win over Rampage, he’s up there, he just fought for the title, he’s top five in the division so I couldn’t ask for more. He got that good slam, you know , I knew he was waiting for something because he was a little to relaxed right there with his hands and he was just waiting for me to knee the head and he caught me, he’s a strong dude, so he picked me up and slammed me right on my head and I was out of it honestly for a little bit. But, I just recovered and that’s what it’s about, just staying in there and battling and that’s what happened.” Bader said his arm was fine after he awkwardly landed on it when Rampage slammed him on his head. The only thing that hurt was his head. He conceded that the fall rocked him quite a bit. — How about Tim Boetsch’s epic third round comeback against Yushin Okami? Dana White wishes more fighters would do that when they’re down two rounds to none in the third. “Everybody knows how much respect I have for Yushin Okami,” White said. “But I say it all the time. What I tweeted tonight, and what I told Tim backstage, was when a fighter is down two rounds to nothing, that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do in the third round. “I wish more guys would do that. When you’re down like that, what do you have to lose? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain to go out there and go balls to the wall and go after it and try and win, try to finish. That’s exactly what he did, and that’s what everybody should do when their down two rounds in a three-round fight. It was awesome.” It was pretty awesome. — Yoshihiro Akiyama has now lost four in a row in the UFC which makes him a prime candidate for release. Dana White said he would be talking to Lorenzo Fertitta and Joe Silva to make a decision on Akiyama’s future with the organization, but said he really likes Akiyama and how he fights, so don’t be too surprised if they keep him. — Dana White said he has a ton of respect for Mark Hunt for coming in at 37 years old and winning three straight in the UFC. Dana said they offered to pay Hunt to just go away when they inherited his contract from the PRIDE acquisition, but Hunt wanted to fight and earn his money, and for that Dana has nothing but respect for him. What’s crazy is Hunt is actually beginning to emerge as a possible contender. Dana says he’s “in the mix.” — A lot of people thought Takeya Mizugaki got robbed against Chris Cariaso. Fortunately for Mizugaki, one of those people was the person who signs his checks. Dana White confirmed that he awarded him his win bonus even though he technically lost. Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

Posted in: fight, time, petti, dana, edgar

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto is one of the most popular fighters in the history of Japanese mixed martial arts, but at UFC 144 he was beaten in his homeland by Vaughan Lee. It was a sensational fight that lasted just four minutes, 29 seconds: Yamamoto looked like the Kid of old at times, throwing hard power punches and moving around the Octagon quickly. But Lee did a great job of blocking most of Yamamoto's bombs, and once the fight went to the ground it was Lee's time to shine. Lee initially tried to submit Yamamoto with a triangle choke, but when he couldn't lock that up, he beautifully transitioned into an arm bar that forced Yamamoto to tap. More Coverage: UFC 144 Results | Lee vs. Yamamoto Live Blog "It's a dream come true," Lee said. "Being in the UFC is a dream come true. Fighting in Japan, fighting one of my favorite fighters of all time, Kid Yamamoto, a legend, I'm just the happiest person in the world right now." The win improves Lee's record to 12-7-1. Yamamoto falls to 18-7-1, and he has now lost five of his last six. Yamamoto is one of the all-time greats, but he may be just about done. "All I can say is I am disappointed," Yamamoto said. "I really, really wanted to win in Japan."

Posted in: ufc, time, kid, yamamoto, lee

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

The last time the UFC set up camp in Japan, lightweight champion Frankie Edgar was still five years away from making his MMA debut. Now, thanks to the organization’s decision to return to the Land of the Rising Sun with UFC 144, Edgar will not only have an opportunity to fight in one of the sport’s birthplaces but defend his title there as well. Set to unfold from Saitama Super Arena, UFC 144 features Edgar putting his gold up for grabs against polished pugilist Benson Henderson in the main event of a card including six other main card collisions. Other match-ups slated to take place include Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch, Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon, Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields, and Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader. The show starts at 7:30 PM EST with prelims on Facebook/FX before things fire up on PPV at 10:00 PM EST. As always, Five Ounces of Pain will be tuned in and relaying live results back to readers as they take place in real time. Read below for a full list of UFC 144 winners/losers as revealed thus far: Tiequan Zhang vs. Issei Tamura Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, time, vs, henderson, edgar

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

The UFC is headed back to Canada. This time, they're coming to Calgary.

Posted in: ufc, time, canada, time theyre, calgary

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Time and again, fans, fighters, and pundits alike have overlooked Joe Lauzon's boxing abilities. That's okay, just go ahead and overlook him, Lauzon will keep changing minds, one fight at a time.

Posted in: time, boxing, joe, lauzon, fans fighters

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Riding a 14-fight win streak into his highly anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut, which included dominant stints under the Elite XC and Strikeforce Banner, Jake Shields' time in the worlds preeminent mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, thus far, has been a rough one to say the least. After narrowly escaping his debut against Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 with a razor-thin split decision victory, Shields dropped his following two bouts to UFC Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and current top contender, Jake Ellenberger. Prior to entering his fight with Ellenberger, Shields suffered a personal tragedy, as his father suddenly passed away. A distraught and mourning Shields, showing great composure and fortitude, chose to not drop out of his headlining bought against Ellenberger. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) black-belt was eventually knocked out by "The Juggernaut" in the opening minute of the first round, the first time in 11 years that he had been finished in a fight. It may have been rough rolling in 2011 but the former multi-division champion is ready to get back on the hog and ride in 2012. Speaking to MMAWeekly.com, Shields discusses the hardships he went through the past 10 months, including the tough decision to fight two weeks after his fathers passing, as well as the current state of the UFC's 170-pound division. "No, I don't know, maybe it would have been better to pull out, but you never know how those things are going to go, and at the time I did what I had to do, and I did it. I can't look back and wish I hadn't have done it. Unfortunately, things didn't go my way. I got caught with a knee, that was unfortunate. That was a tough time for me between losing my dad and then that, I wasn't feeling too great after that. I feel a lot better. I'm ready to bounce back and have a good year in 2012." Shields also hopes to one day face the current UFC interim Welterweight Champion, Carlos Condit, to exact some revenge for his good friend and training partner, Nick Diaz, whom Condit defeated to earn the title at UFC 143: "I feel like welterweight is really shook up right now for title contention. It's up for grabs for anyone really. With (Jon) Fitch losing, (Josh) Koscheck's last fight not being the most spectacular; the title's up for grabs right now. He (Condit) was calling me out last year, so I would love to fight him. He has the belt now. I mean GSP's still the true champ, but if there's time to get a fight in, I would love to be the guy to go out there and put on a great win and jump in there. Especially, like I said I beat him before, he just had that controversial win over my teammate. It's someone I'd love to go back and get some payback for Nick." Condit and Shields originally squared off in 2006 in the finals of the Rumble on the Rock 9 Welterweight Tournament. Shields did enough to outwork "The Natural Born Killer" to earn a unanimous decision victory. Now, six months removed from his second consecutive loss, Jake looks to right his ship this weekend (Feb. 25, 2012) in Japan at UFC 144, as he takes on Yoshihiro Akiyama, who looks to end his own three-fight skid in his UFC middleweight debut. What do you say, Maniacs, will Shields return to his winning ways and spoil Akiyama's return to Japan in the process? Or will it be "Sexyama" that reverses his own fortunes this weekend? Opinions, please.

Posted in: ufc, fight, shield, time, condit

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Draws have never been a major issue in North American MMA. Sure, they happen from time to time but before Frankie / Gray 2 and Penn / Fitch they'd never really reared their ugly heads in the UFC. Now it sounds like the UFC wants to make sure they have all their bases covered. Check out what Demetrious Johnson says they've added into the contracts for the upcoming 4-man flyweight championship tournament: "I don't know if anybody has said anything about it, and this is the first time I'm mentioning it, is that we (McCall and himself) had to sign for a ‘sudden death' bout. If it goes to three rounds, and the judges can't decide who the winner is, then we'll do a fourth round." I've always loved sudden death rounds in K-1 ... they did them to the point of insanity where sometimes you'd have two or even three in a row to determine a winner. Epic moments were had, and fighters occasionally ragefaced as they were forced to fight another round of a match they thought they'd already won. But it certainly beats an anti-climactic draw, and now we have a tiny, tiny chance that we'll see sudden death in the UFC.Unfortunately, you probably shouldn't expect this to become as common as the five round main event. The UFC's flyweight tournament goes down in Australia, one of the international locations where the UFC takes care of a lot of it's own regulating. Stuffy athletic commissions in the US probably wouldn't be as open to the suggestion, even though it represents pure awesome for fans everywhere. Hopefully that will change someday. If judges are ever going to have the balls to score extremely close rounds 10-10, it'd be nice if we had a way to then deal with the inevitable draws that would follow.

Posted in: ufc, time, round, death, round ive

Read the full article at Fightlinker

I have Bellator head honcho Bjorn Rebney's Dad; The Winnebago Man on in the background, so I don't want to dive to deeply into quantum physics, but for the sake of this article I will briefly. There is an alternate universe where Pride still exists, this much we know is true. Quantum physics tells us that the multiverse is real and Genki Sudo is dancing impressively in every universe conceivable, all while the MMA fan base is enjoying some amazing fights with Pride rules. The guys over at THQ have decided to digitally recreate one of these many possible parallel universes in UFC 3. To be specific it's Pride era Rampage Jackson Vs. Ryan Bader in Pride. The fact that it's a past Rampage fighting current day Bader throws the alternate universe thing out the window....Unless a time traveler in this alternate dimension picked up Quinton in, let's say 2005 and then moved him forward in time to 2011 where Pride still exists and Ryan Bader is under contract with them. Of course this is all predicated on time travel being invented/perfected pre 2005. We can't go back in time, only forward. So thanks for the completely unrealistic but still fun to watch breakdown of how a young Rampage and current Ryan Bader fight would go down in Pride, THQ. We appreciate it. [Source]

Posted in: time, pride, universe, bader, quantum physics

Read the full article at Middle Easy

It says something about PRIDE's impact on the sport that there are still UFC vs. PRIDE debates after all this time. With the UFC set to return to Japan for the first time since UFC 29, UFC president Dana White has shared some of his thoughts on what it's going to be like at the event. He also touches on the idea that the UFC killed PRIDE. Via 5th Round: "[Fans might boo me after they] see my face on the screen? Oh, I see. You're saying I'm not very popular over here," White said in response to a local reporter who suggested the UFC's brash boss might not get the favorable reception he's grown accustomed to. "Listen, I can take some boos. I can handle it. I'm pretty thick skinned. "We didn't kill Pride. I've said this many times, Pride is the only other organization that I've ever respected. Pride was an organization here in Japan that did huge sell-out shows. There were tons of Pride fans in the United States. There are a lot of big stars, not just out of Japan, but worldwide that came from Pride. It's the only other organization that I have ever respected or given credit to." Of course, that last bit ignores stuff like when Dana said "Have you heard me say a bad word about Strikeforce? I wish them all the luck in the world. I have nothing bad to say about guys who are running the right promotion." before Strikeforce's debut on CBS. But, Dana is a promoter and promoters change narratives based on what is best for promotion at that time (and that's not a bad thing, before someone gets all upset). That being said, Dana is saying the right things about leaving PRIDE in the past. There have been constant questions about running a "PRIDE style show" somewhere in the future and Dana was very clear that they'll bring more UFC events to Japan, but there are no more PRIDE events. We'll get our first glimpse Saturday of just how well the modern UFC will do with the Japanese fans. SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson

Posted in: ufc, time, dana, pride, japan

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar’s underdog rise has been well-documented over the years, and rightfully so. But as his UFC 144 title defense against number one contender Benson Henderson approaches Saturday night at Saitama Super Arena in Japan, add this little tidbit to the growing legend of “The Answer,” the fact that when he began fighting professionally, the division he would eventually rule in the UFC wasn’t even part of the regular fighting rotation. So what was the eventual goal?Japan.“When I first started the sport, the UFC didn’t have the 155 pound division,” said Edgar, who turned pro in October 2005, which was smack dab in the middle of the lightweight division’s 2004-06 hiatus in the UFC. “I was a little guy, and at the time Japan had a lot of little guys, a lot of shows, and I thought that maybe that was where I would have to have my career.” Obviously that didn’t happen, but it is ironic that he now headlines for his sport’s biggest promotion in the country that he might have had to run to if he wanted to compete on the elite level of the sport. It’s just one of many twists and turns in the professional life of the 30-year old Edgar, who has remarkably kept his wits about him while still remaining the same kid from Toms River, New Jersey that he’s always been. In pro sports, that may be a bigger feat than beating BJ Penn twice.“My family keeps me grounded,” said Edgar, a married father of two sons. “I’m the same person I’ve been since Day One, and I think it has to do with being from Jersey and having the blue collar roots. And it’s just how I perceive myself. I know this can be taken from me at any time, so I gotta make sure I work hard at it, and I’m just trying to enjoy every moment.”That kind of attitude will get you two things: it will get you underestimated by peers who believe you can’t be humble and good at the same time, but more importantly, it will earn you respect from the people who matter: your family, friends, and the ones who actually pay to watch you fight. In Jersey, that type of respect means something, and it’s afforded only to a select few. One of the fight game’s most notable recipients of that level of no-nonsense respect was the late former boxing champ Arturo Gatti. Despite being a native of Montreal, the Garden State adopted Gatti (who lived in Jersey City) as one of its own and stuck with him through thick and thin. So when UFC President Dana White compared Edgar to Gatti after the lightweight champ turned in a stirring come from behind knockout win over longtime rival Gray Maynard at UFC 136 last October, it was high praise, and fitting in many respects.“It’s an honor to be compared to Gatti in the sense of toughness, putting on exciting fights and representing Jersey,” said Edgar. “I’ve been to a couple of Gatti fights myself and I was always a big fan of his, but I don’t want to be known as the guy that could take a punch because that means you’re getting hit too much. (Laughs) I’d rather be known as the guy that’s dominant and smart and finds ways to win. But again, if I get praised for being tough, that’s something I welcome too.”Gatti was one of boxing’s good guys, and his toughness and penchant for delivering exciting fights was legendary. At the same time, he lived as fast and hard outside the ropes as he fought inside them, likely shortening his career at the top. That’s the difference between “Thunder” and Edgar, and it’s why we may see “The Answer” on top of his sport for years to come. Then again, there are no easy nights in the 155-pound weight class, as Edgar has seen in his four championship fights thus far. In the first two, he went five rounds with Penn in decision wins at UFC 112 and UFC 118. In the next, he had a third consecutive five rounder, rebounding from an almost certain knockout defeat against the only man to ever beat him, Maynard, to earn a draw. And then last October, he again rose from the canvas against Maynard; this time though, his comeback ended in a fourth round knockout victory. That’s a lot of work for any champion, but Edgar’s not complaining. In fact, ask him about fighting someone named Henderson and not Maynard, and he smiles.“You know, it’s nice,” he said. “Having to think about Gray for such a long time, it’s kind of welcoming to prepare for someone different, physically and mentally.”Few, if anyone, would say that they welcome a fight with Henderson, the hard-charging former WEC champion, but that’s why Edgar wears the belt around his waist. And while “Smooth” produced his own Edgar-esque highlight reel in the WEC, the champ is only focusing on the recent past of his challenger.“We only try to look at recent fights because that’s the closest Ben we’re gonna see,” he said. “Obviously, we’re all gonna be different from fight to fight, but you can’t look too far back to see what kind of guy he is; you want to look at stuff more recent because that’s most likely what he’s gonna show up as, and you take it from there. All in all I don’t really try to fight a face or a name; I’m just fighting a style. He’s an opponent and that’s how I try to approach it.”That’s the smartest approach, because looking at the lineup of contenders waiting for him should he turn back Henderson could drive anyone crazy. So it’s one opponent, one style, and one fight at a time. That’s the mental game in a nutshell, and it’s one Edgar is in the process of mastering, especially the part about hoping for the best but expecting the worst.“Every fight I would love to get them out of there in 30 seconds and make it a nice, easy day,” he said, “but that just doesn’t seem how it works for me and I never prepare for that. I always prepare for the drag ‘em out wars because you gotta expect that. If you go in there expecting it to be a quick fight and it doesn’t happen, you can kinda get blindsided. I’m expecting a war, I know how tough he is, I know he brings a hellacious pace, and he wants it. This is the UFC title we’re talking about. No one’s gonna walk into this fight not wanting this badly, because I know how I was when I was a challenger, so I gotta approach it as a champion ready for a hungry kid.”  

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, ’t, edgar

Read the full article at UFC

How long has it been since the UFC held an event in Japan? Put it this way: the last time the Octagon was erected in the Land of the Rising Sun, Dana White had hair, Semaphore Entertainment Group [SEG] had ownership of the UFC, and Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz had something resembling a friendship. So says Ortiz, anyway. The former UFC light heavyweight champ told MMA Fighting this week that, back when he defended his title against Yuki Kondo at UFC 29 in Tokyo in December of 2000, "me and Liddell were teammates and friends...I thought. I mean, usually when you stay at someone’s house and train together for weeks you have a friendship there."Liddell, who opened the show in the UFC’s last trip to Japan, remembers those days a little differently. "I knew him, yeah. We knew each other," said Liddell. "But the thing with him is, we didn’t hang out. ...He still makes it sound like we were tight buddies, but he didn’t hang out with me. He didn’t call me to go out. He didn’t call to invite me to barbecues or invite me to a movie. He called when he needed something."This was a different time for MMA and for the UFC. The organization was owned and operated by SEG, which, according to UFC lightweight Dennis Hallman, meant that the "whole behind-the-scenes stuff was really amateurish."Take the pre-fight weigh-ins, for example. According to Hallman, who made his UFC debut against Matt Hughes in Tokyo at UFC 29, the irregularities began with the scale."We all made weight down in the locker room on a regular scale. When we wanted to check our weight on the official scale we asked this [SEG employee] named Paula, and she said, ‘Okay, it’s up in my room.’ Which was, you know, kind of weird."When Hallman, Ortiz, and some other fighters followed her up to her hotel room, they were surprised to see her present them with the very unofficial-looking device that would be used for the following day’s official weigh-ins."We go up there and it’s a freaking bathroom scale. Not only that, it’s all tweaked. We were all over [weight]. I was weighing about 175 [for a 170-pound bout]. Tito was weighing like 208 or something. It was a pretty big difference."Instead of heading back downstairs to cut more weight, Hallman and the boys had another idea."We went ahead and jumped on it a little bit so it would weigh normal," said Hallman. "After we jumped on it, it kind of had a thing where if you leaned forward you’d weigh really light and if you leaned back you’d weigh really heavy."This was information that Liddell, who wasn’t present for the impromptu recalibration session, only learned the day of the weigh-ins. Somewhat surprisingly, it was his opponent at UFC 29, Jeff Monson, who clued him in."Monson was really cool about it, actually," said Liddell. "He was the one who came and told me about [the scale]. He said someone jumped on it and broke it the night before. You could lean and change your weight about five kilos, which is like ten pounds. It was awfully nice of the guy to tell me and not keep that to himself." Liddell was 2-1 in two previous UFC bouts, and his tilt with Monson was slated to lead off the eight-fight card in the tiny Differ Ariake Arena that night. Walking out to the cage, Liddell said, he was met with a warm reception from the reported crowd of 1,400 and change. "But once we started fighting, they were totally quiet," he said.Liddell and Monson would go the full 15 minutes before the future UFC light heavyweight champ nabbed the unanimous decision. "I remember I kept kicking him in the leg, trying to get him to bring his hands down so I could kick him in the head, but he wouldn’t bring his hands down," Liddell said. "But I won the fight, even though I didn’t get to knock him out. He told me he went to the hospital like a week later to see if I broke his leg, because his leg was still hurting so bad."Elsewhere on the card, a 30-year-old UFC newcomer named Matt Lindland stepped in the cage against Japanese pro wrestler Yoji Anjo. Though the crowd was too polite to be outwardly against him, Lindland couldn’t help but get the sense that his opponent had more supporters in the house that night."There were a lot of Japanese pro wrestlers there, and a lot of Japanese pro wrestling fans. There were sumo guys there, too. It was definitely a different kind of event." Lindland got the same advice all the other fighters did about adapting to the time zone and the culinary differences between the U.S. and Japan, but as usual, he had his own way of doing things. "I slept when I was tired. I ate whatever they had. I just tried to blend into the culture as quick as I could." It also helped to have Hallman around, who was also from the Pacific Northwest and had been doing this MMA stuff much longer than Lindland. "Dennis had had a bunch of fights at that point," said Lindland. "He was a good veteran to hang out with. I just tried to follow his lead and do what he was doing."Lindland was fresh off his silver medal performance at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and wrestling still constituted almost the entirety of his MMA game. That’s why Anjo’s strategy in fight came as such as a surprise, he said."I thought this guy was going to try and box me, but the first thing he did was shoot in and try to get a takedown. I guess he fancied himself a wrestler, because he had a wrestling background, but all that required me to do was sprawl on him. Back then you could still knee to the head [of a grounded opponent]. I think that was the last [UFC] show where you could. So I just started kneeing him to the head and he took a really bad shot and tried to pull guard. I got the mount and finished him."Lindland was still baffled by Anjo’s approach after the fight. And the way he remembers it, he wasn’t the only one."I recall right after the fight, [UFC matchmaker] John Perretti just screaming at him, telling Yoji, ‘What were you thinking? You’re going to shoot on a guy whose only skill-set is wrestling?’ And yeah, it was a bad strategy on his part."Perretti had made himself unpopular with several fighters on the roster for exactly that type of behavior, according to Hallman, who remembers the SEG-era matchmaker as "real arrogant." But without Perretti, Hallman acknowledges, he may not have gotten a chance to notch his second straight victory over a future UFC Hall of Famer."[Perretti] was telling [trainer] Matt Hume how Matt Hughes would kick my ass if we fought again, so [Hume] set the fight up," Hallman said. "I think Perretti had a little bit of a crush on Matt Hughes. He really wanted that fight to happen."Two years earlier, Hallman had submitted Hughes with a guillotine choke in just 17 seconds at an Extreme Challenge event in Wisconsin. Going all the way to Japan to rematch him? Sure, Hallman thought. Why not?"I was 24 years old. MMA wasn’t that huge yet, and it didn’t seem like that big a deal. I didn’t think about how the time change would affect me or anything like that. I was just going over there to fight. I was just ignorant and excited."In an interview before the rematch, Hallman said, he made a prediction that turned out to be even more accurate than he expected."I said that if this guy picks me up and slams me, which Matt Hughes was really notorious for doing, I’m going to choke him or armbar him. I looked like a genius because he went out and picked me up and I armbarred him."This victory took just a shade longer, coming at 20 seconds of the first round.The card also included victories by the likes of then-lightweight champ Pat Miletich, Chris Lytle, and the late Evan Tanner, who stopped Lance Gibson with strikes in the first round. The main event, however, belonged to Ortiz, who had captured his UFC title at UFC 25 -- also in Tokyo -- after a unanimous decision over Wanderlei Silva six months earlier.Initially, fighting in Japan had seemed like a dietary nightmare to Ortiz, who wasn’t crazy about trying out exotic foods while he as cutting weight or putting it back on."What I was going to put in my body after the weigh-ins was a huge question. I wasn’t a big sushi fan at the time, but I figured I’d try it out. I needed carbs and I needed protein. At first I thought, thank God for the rice. But I really enjoyed it and it’s something I do before every one of my fights now. After I make the weight, I go eat sushi."After winning the title, Ortiz said, "‘I think I slept with my belt for the first three weeks." But when he came back to Japan to defend it, he was surprised to see that the size of the crowd and the venue had shrunk."When I won the world title, I think there was probably 3,500 people in the audience. When I defended my world title, I think there was probably more like 2,500 people in the audience. It was very, very small. The UFC was very small, just all around the world. PRIDE was overtaking Japan."All the same, he’d put in the work to defend the belt against Kondo, who by that point had around 40 pro fights to Ortiz’s seven. He even got some help in training from Liddell, but just how much depends on who you ask."I helped him spar one time for Yuki Kondo, I think," said Liddell. "He quit halfway through the sparring session because I was hitting him too much."Once the fight got underway, Ortiz said, "it was so quiet you could literally hear a pin drop." While some fighters found it disconcerting, Ortiz found it to be a nice change of pace from the blood-thirsty audiences back home."A lot of American fans are very aggressive. You hear them shouting, ‘Kick his ass!’ and ‘Eff that guy up!’ Just craziness. Fans in the United States show so much heart for us fighters, but they want to see us hurt each other. In Japan it’s more respect for the art. That’s a big thing for them, and I think that’s the biggest difference. In the United States, they don’t really care. They just want to see us knock each other out. In Japan they want to see the best fighter win and see great technique while they’re watching."Ortiz proved to be the better man that night. He submitted Kondo with a neck crank at 1:51 of round one, retaining the belt that he would hold for the next three years. Afterwards, as with most of the foreign fighters on the card, he headed to Tokyo’s Roppongi district to enjoy the local nightlife."There’s a lot of really fun clubs down there, and they’re open pretty much 24/7," Ortiz said. "They’re really dark so you can get lost in time. It’s a little like Vegas that way."Liddell was quick to point out that he and Ortiz did not party together after the fight, nor did he spend much time with many of the other Americans on the fight card."I’m a little different than Matt Hughes and some of those guys," he chuckled.Lindland headed out on the town to see what all the fuss was about, he said, but he’d done enough international traveling to know he should keep his celebrating to a minimum in a strange environment."I recall being out that night and seeing a lot of fighters in the clubs and the bars in Roppongi. But it can be a dangerous situation. You don’t want to go out there and drink too much. You never know what’s going to happen. Any time you go to a foreign country and you’re boozing too hard, it can be trouble."Maybe that’s why Hallman’s approach was the smartest. Instead of heading to the clubs, he said, he "went back to the hotel room, which was the size of a bathroom, and watched TV.""I was a good boy," he said. "Not like some of the other guys."None of them could have known at the time that it would the UFC’s last trip to Japan in more than a decade. Nor could they have known that when it did come back, it would do so at the cavernous Saitama Super Arena, while so many loyal fans watch on pay-per-view back home. These days the crowds and the purses are both significantly bigger everywhere the UFC goes, but that doesn’t mean yesterday’s fighters necessarily envy today’s, Liddell said."It’d be nice to be coming up right now when the sport is big, but I wouldn’t give up what I came through, my journey, for anything. I had a great career, a great time coming up when I did. Traveling around, fighting and promoting the sport with Dana and them, we had a good time."

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, liddell, hallman

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

After years of struggling with visa issues, Glover Teixeira is finally ready for his time in the Octagon.

Posted in: time, light, standout, teixeira, glover

Read the full article at Sherdog

When Quinton (Rampage) Jackson steps into the Octagon at UFC 144, it will be six years to the day since the last time he competed in Japan.

Posted in: ufc, time, rampage, jackson, japan

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

To anyone on the South East Asian mixed martial arts' (MMA) scene, Arnaud Lepont is a very familiar face. He has trained at countless camps throughout Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia before settling down at Muayfit in Kuala Lumpur at the start of the year. His record stands at 7-1 and he is currently preparing for the biggest fight of his career to date against Krzystof Hajtalowicz at DARE Championship 2/12 next month.The Polish fighter has a perfect 2-0 record and has submitted two well-respected opponents. The stakes are high because the winner will move into the semifinals of the DARE Welterweight Tournament and there is $120,000 in prize money on offer to the eventual winner. Hajtalowicz has been based in Thailand for several years, just like Lepont was, and fight fans there are well aware of his abilities which is why this is such an eagerly anticipated match up. During the years he spent in Thailand, Lepont trained at multiple camps and is a popular figure who is known for his highly aggressive fighting style. Whereas Hajtalowicz didn't submit Wiktor Svensson until the second round of a real war in his DARE debut, Lepont stopped Jian Kai Chee in the opening minute of their fight The charismatic French fighter took time out to answer questions about training and fighting in Asia and his forthcoming fight at DARE 2/12. Your fight with Hajtalowicz was originally scheduled to take place in January but was postponed. How frustrating was that for you? I have to be honest, it was really frustrating. You know, when DARE told me i would have to fight Cris for the first quarterfinal of the Million Dollar tournament I was pumped. I respect this guy, as a friend and as a fighter. I trained myself like I have never done before in my all life. I pushed my body and made a lot of sacrifices, especially with my family. It's like working for an examination and then when the times comes around you are not able to show the world how good you are. Winning or losing, I don't care...but I want to put on a show that nobody will ever forget. So yes, it was frustrating. I though that I have done all this for nothing you know... THE GAME vs KAI - DARE MMA - Bangkok, Thailand (via Darechampionship) You've been preparing for this fight for over three months now, is having such a long training camp a bad thing or a good thing? I think it's a bad thing because it's tough to keep the focus on the fight. Especially with all injuries that you can get during training. I have never been in a fight at 100%. You always have to go through pain and injuries. For this fight in January I was in really good shape for the first time ever but then I had to start all over again. It's like doing all twice. And this time I already have couple of injuries…but my mind and my will are unbreakable…It will be a tough time for my opponent. If you win you will be in the semifinals of the welterweight tournament, how much of an incentive for you is that? I take a fight at a time. I am not really focus about winning the tournament. If i can do it, for sure I will do my best but now, I am just focused on winning the next battle. You have moved from Vietnam to Thailand to Malaysia in the last few years. How has training in so many different places helped you to improve as a martial artist?I think to be better, you have to open your mind to others. It didn't go down so well when i was in Thailand because there is so many "Wars" between the different camps there, but thanks to all of them, I feel that I am way better as mixed martial artist. Teaching and learning fighting skills is not really legal in Vietnam , so it was difficult to improve myself. Moving to Thailand helped me a lot. Striking techniques there, are the best in the world. How would you describe your style of fighting? I think I am a well rounded fighter. I don't focus in only one part of fighting, I want to be good everywhere. My main goal is to be able to always find a way of winning the fight. Once, a close friend told my opponent that I was a opportunist, that I would even make a finger lock to win the fight. Lol. How often do you train and who do you train with? I train twice a day, six days a week in cardio, Muay Thai, grappling and MMA. I have couple of good sparring partners at Muayfit in Malaysia who push me like Eric "The Natural" Kelly, Allamurad Karayev and Samir Mrabet. Will Chope and Mark Striegl will join the team next week....You are never better than your sparring and training…so I need guys with good level. I want to thanks the man behind the team Paul Teo who is the owner of the Muayfit gym. Even if he don’t like publicity and is maybe the most humble guy I met in my life, I really want to show my respect because thanks to him I have the chance be part of a team of pro fighters. How much has Asian MMA changed since you have been here? A lot! When I was still in France it was all about Pride FC but since I am in Asia I have heard about all this amazing shows like Road FC, Legend FC, Martial Combat, Dare FC and Dream and now there is ONE FC which is like the UFC in Asia. Asia is the hometown of martial arts and you really feel the passion of people there. I am nobody here and I meet already people in Malaysia that ask me for a picture. It’s crazy. The two big places for MMA in the next two years are Malaysia and India. Believe me. Do you dream of fighting in the UFC one day ? Yes, for sure I am dreaming about a shot at UFC, like every fighter does. If I win my next two fights…I think it would be possible. But that's not my main goal right now. After this fight in Dare, win or lose, I want a shot at ONE FC. I want to fight in this show. I was there for One FC 2 in Jakarta and I was amazed by this event, and I would love to compete at ONE FC 4 in Kuala Lumpur so I can put on a show for my hometown crowd. Fighting for ONE FC in front of 10,000 people in the city I call home would be a dream come true.I saw you cornered a couple of team mates at the recent One FC event, how did you enjoy that? Damn, it was great. The show was amazing. I was really proud of my guys. Raymond Tiew did a good job and put on a good show for the fans. I hope he will recover fast from his injury because he is a young kid with lot of heart who is not scared to step in the cage for a good brawl. I respect that. Give him couple of months, let him work his ground and he will be really dangerous. I think Peter Davis was a little bit overcome by the occasion and having to get down to 155 lbs took a lot out of him. I know he is way better that what he showed at ONE FC 2, believe me. He has sick striking, he was just a little shy that day. Don't judge him by that performance. If you sparred with him everyday like me you would know how dangerous his stand up is. DARE Championship do things a little bit differently, how does it compare to other shows you have fought on in the past? Dare is a live experience. You cannot feel what Dare FC is if you are not in the crowd and watch it live. I have fought around the world, thank God, and I really love the Dare experience. Jussi, the promoter, is smart, really smart. He put in his show a whole new factor that we never seen before it almost feels like a video game. I hope eventually they move to a bigger venue because with the quality of his show, you can draw way more people to watch it live, especially in Thailand! You have been living in Asia for a long time now, do people in France still follow your career? That’s what I am the more surprise about. You know, in France, MMA is still not really legal. Fighters have to go out of the country to fight. It’s tough to practice a sport and have to go out of your country to compete. I bow down to all pro French fighters that work during the day, train at night and go fight in another country during weekend. So, yes, people still follow my career. That’s why I keep doing daily a video blog in French on my facebook page. They follow me so I try to keep them updated, to respect them. It’s always a pleasure to get some mails from French fans. For me, they are the most important. Do you have any predictions for your fight with Krzystof Hajtalowicz? No, I have not because anything can happen in an MMA fight. Even if we pump up the fight, I have a lot of respect for Cris's skills. And personally, he is a nice guy. I just hope we gonna put a hell of a fight for the crowd. Anything can happen. I am not afraid to go on the ground with him cause I bet he will try to put me on my back. He will try. We both know that this fight will not go to decision... Do you see your future as a welterweight or would you rather compete at 155? Are you reading my mind? Yes, the fight with Cris will be my last fight as a welterweight. Next time, Dare or ONE FC, I will fight at 155. I am done with the 170 division. I am usually walking at 78kg now, and i am really small for a welterweight. It's a whole new world for me and new fight opportunity! I will be in the same division as the main event fighters from the last ONE FC and I can't wait to test myself. Imagine me against Felipe Enomoto, would be a crazy war. DARE 2/12 is scheduled to take place at 4:30 pm local time at the Insomnia Night Club in Bangkok, Thailand. It will be available on pay per view for USD $9.99. For more information visit: www.darefightsports.com.

Posted in: fight, time, fighter, fc, thailand

Read the full article at MMA Mania

It's (almost) time! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will return to the "Land of the Rising Sun" for the first time in more than a decade when the world's largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion stages an event at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, this upcoming Saturday (Feb. 25, 2012). Much has changed since that time, particularly with Zuffa's purchase of Pride FC back in 2007, which served as Japan's leading source of combat sports for so many years. The good news is that the UFC will return with one of its biggest stars from back in the heyday, Quinton Jackson, who takes on Ryan Bader in the co main event. And one of its most recognizable carry overs, former Pride FC lightweight champion Takanori Gomi, will also be back in action against Eiji Mitsuoka on the under card. It's clear that the UFC marketing machine is approaching this particular event differently, with its event posters, viral videos and now shadow-casting Octagon. Impressed? To check out the latest UFC 144 fight card, which is headlined by a championship match between Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson, click here. Be sure to also check out our complete UFC 144 event archive right here.

Posted in: ufc, time, event, japan, pride fc

Read the full article at MMA Mania

The UFC returns to Japan this weekend with UFC 144: “Stay Up Extremely Late”, and the event marks the first time the Octagon has been officially erected in the country since UFC 29 back in 2000 (and I say “officially” because you can bet the Yakuza put up an Octagon in their downtown Tokyo office to lop dudes’ heads off in).  Of course, we all know that for the longest time the MMA scene in the Land of the Rising Sun was big – bigger than what was taking place here in the States, bigger than anything going on anywhere else in the world.  And sure, the late PRIDE Fighting Championships gets the credit for packing thousands upon thousands into stadiums, but the truth is PRIDE was never always the only thing going in Japan.  There was Shooto, which was where the little guys battled it out (think: the WEC’s well-respected grandfather).  There was Smackgirl, where the ladies fought (duh).  There was RINGS, which was what you’d get if a bunch of pro-wrestlers tried to break into the MMA business.  There was Vale Tudo Japan, which was to PRIDE what the Neanderthal is to modern man.  And there was Pancrase. What the heck was Pancrase, you ask?  Good question. When the UFC was bold and new and making its first mark on pay-per-view, and heroes like Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn were Octagon stars, Pancrase was some sort of unknown quantity to burgeoning MMA fans, alluded to and spoken of with respect by commentators and fighters alike during UFC broadcasts.  We were told Shamrock had been a “King of Pancrase”, which was the Pancrase organization’s equivalent to champ and somehow served to qualify him as a kind of badass, and later, that same label was used to pump up the resumes (and legends) of Bas Rutten and Frank Shamrock.  But no one really had a firm grasp on what it meant to be a King.  Did it make a fighter on par with the UFC’s best?  Could a King defeat a UFC champ?   Sadly, Pancrase’s incursion into the US pay-per-view market back then didn’t do the organization any favors.  At the time, UFC events came about three to five times a year, and fans like myself were starving for the kind of action we’d witnessed in the Octagon.  What we got instead when we tuned into Pancrase was… laughable.  Fighters wore humungous boots, whacked each other with open-handed slaps, and grabbed onto the ropes of the ring whenever caught in a submission (grabbing the ropes was a “get out of jail free” card).  Maybe that sort of thing was cool to watch for the Japanese market, but those of us watching here in the States had to be restrained from putting our shoes through our television screens.  Add to that the rumor that Pancrase had the occasional worked (i.e., outcome predetermined) fight, and man, that was all she wrote. Thankfully, just as the UFC evolved to adopt the Unified Rules, so too did Pancrase evolve, shedding the lame boots, open-handed slaps and rope grabbing for “real” MMA-style competitions.  And though becoming a King of Pancrase never really came to mean as much as winning a UFC or PRIDE belt, a number of respected MMA studs earned themselves that moniker.  There was Sanae Kikuta, whose ace grappling enabled him to snag an Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling Championship, and Nate Marquardt, who went on to fight for the UFC belt, plus beasts like Josh Barnett, Ricardo Almeida and Yuki Kondo.  In terms of just plain old competitors, Pancrase had even seen the likes of Chael Sonnen, Paul Daley and Evan Tanner get into the ring. Pancrase is still alive and kicking and churning out shows today, which, given the lifespan of the average MMA promotion, certainly means the organization can be considered a successful one.  They’re not the monstrosities of pageantry and pomp that you’d see if you went to a DREAM event, or what you’d see if you took a time machine back to when PRIDE was ruling the world.  No, in many ways, Pancrase is the Japanese equivalent to something like King of the Cage – a survivor and solid producer of mixed martial arts.  But who knows, maybe that’s the secret to its success.  

Posted in: ufc, mma, time, pancrase, king

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Middleweight Mark Munoz made his debut under the Zuffa banner more than three years ago as a member of WEC’s roster, improving his record to 4-0 with an opening round knockout of Chuck Grigsby. However, Munoz didn’t escape the bout unscathed, as his elbow flared up shortly thereafter. Fast-forward to January 2012 and a bout against Chael Sonnen on FOX with top contendership on the line. With less than two weeks to go Munoz aggravated the same elbow he’d originally hurt in mid-2008, a nagging injury he’d simply gritted his teeth through during the preceding period. Unfortunately, this time around things were different and Munoz had to withdraw from the enormous opportunity he’d been given. Munoz recently discussed the injury as a guest on MMAWeekly Radio where he detailed the procedure and revealed an unfortunate setback keeping him on the sidelines a month or two longer than originally expected. “I’ve been dealing with this injury for quite some time, since my first WEC fight, and I continue to injure it with each fight and in training too, so there’s just been some complications and some bone spurs that have developed throughout that time,” began Munoz before going into his recent surgery to correct the problem. “They shaved off the bone spurs that were still along my elbow and then the chips that were all inside my joints they vacuumed out. It was pretty nasty. They took out about 24 pieces and about five of them were half to an inch in diameter. It was pretty nasty what they pulled out.” In terms of a timetable for a return to the ring, Munoz said he still can’t put any pressure on the joint and is at the mercy of the healing process for now. “The doctors are saying four to six weeks before I can put any stress on it,” said Munoz. “They said that before they had the surgery that it would be May when I came back, after they had the surgery they’re saying late June, July. That’s what they’re saying now. It puts me on the shelf a little longer.” The 34-year old “Filipino Wrecking Machine” is currently on a four-fight winning streak with his last fight coming in November when he earned a TKO stoppage over Chris Leben. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC/FAIRTEX

Posted in: time, elbow, surgery, munoz, bone spurs

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Ben Henderson isn’t sure how many times he’s seen the same highlight clip replayed over and over. "Hundreds and thousands," he estimates, and that doesn’t even count all the time spent talking about it in interviews. It was just a few seconds of his life lifted from a rare losing effort inside the cage, and a part of him knows that he’ll never fully escape it."I’m still not over it. I won’t lie to you," Henderson said. "I still get teary-eyed thinking about it. It affects me deeply to this day. It will affect me for the rest of my fighting career, for a long, long time. I’m very upset about it still. I can put it behind me, but am I totally over it, never think about it? No."Even if he wanted to forget, the sport wouldn’t let him. The clip of Anthony Pettis launching himself off the cage and into a jumping kick that floored Henderson quickly found its way onto ESPN and into MMA lore. It also changed both men’s lives, though not in the ways they might have expected as they stood in the cage that night in Glendale, Ariz., waiting for the judges’ scores to be read aloud. Pettis claimed the victory, the fame, and the promise of a UFC title shot that night, though it ultimately came at a price. Henderson ended up sitting at the post-fight press conference, visibly struggling to suppress the tears that came up in waves whenever he thought about what had just happened."It was heart-wrenching," he said. "I was sad, and I’m still sad. It was heart-breaking. ...Every time I’m out there, I give you guys everything. I open up my heart and soul. I hold nothing back. To come up short, and to come up short in that manner, that hurt. But I’ll never let that happen again."That same night, Henderson said, he promised himself that he would not be defined by this one loss, this one kick. He would use it to make himself better, so that when people looked back on his career it would be little more than a footnote. After all, he told himself, didn’t Georges St. Pierre have to see clips of himself getting TKO’d by Matt Serra over and over again? Didn’t it only make him stronger in the end?"It’s the same thing for me. I’ve had to see that kick hundreds and thousands of times. I have to talk about it over and over and over. But I’m using it. I’m using it to make myself better."And he has. Even former foes like Pettis -- who will be forced to watch from the UFC 144 undercard this weekend as Henderson gets a crack at UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in Tokyo -- can admit that."After our fight, he changed as a fighter," Pettis said. "He’s hungry. You can see it on his face, he’s ready to win this fight."Henderson will tell you now that, despite the heartbreak of the moment, in the long run the loss was "absolutely beneficial to my career." He didn’t overreact the way some fighters do after a painful defeat, dumping all their coaches and making cosmetic changes in an attempt to fix a problem they haven’t even truly diagnosed yet."But I think what I did change was my approach during the fight," he said. "I think against Pettis, the biggest thing I took away was that I was not aggressive enough. I didn’t have enough ring control. I think I did fine in the fight, landed more strikes, all that. But the problem was, I think I was backing up too much."If anything, the loss made him more aggressive. While he still insists he hates decisions -- "absolutely hate them" -- he resolved to make any fight that does go to the distance into an easy call for the judges and the fans."I can’t leave any doubt. There’s going to be no doubt in anyone’s mind after they watch one of my fights as to who won the fight."That seems problematic against Edgar, a champion who’s never been finished in his MMA career, and who has yet to lose a five-round fight. His indefatigable style and his ability to bounce back from even the most punishing blows make him seem nearly impossible to put him away, at least to some. Henderson, not surprisingly, doesn’t quite see it that way."If you make a mistake, you leave your neck out there for half a second too long, you leave your arm out there, you give me your knee, I will end the fight. If you leave your chin out there? Man, let me touch your chin. I will end the fight. It’s just a matter of a guy making a small mistake and giving me the opportunity."As for Pettis, the man who gave him this renewed sense of purpose and this extra drive, it’s nice for Henderson to know that his former nemesis is picking to win this one. And sure, he knows there might be some ulterior motives involved. Pettis could well be hoping that a Henderson win would make a rematch more likely, this time with a bigger title on the line, and Henderson doesn’t necessarily disagree with the notion."Maybe my second or third title defense, I could see fighting him again. I’d have no problem with that."After all, Pettis did stick him in that interminable highlight reel hell. It sure would be nice to return the favor. Sooner or later, Henderson said, he feels certain he’ll get the chance."I will say this: before I retire, before I leave this earth, I will see Anthony Pettis again in the cage."It just won’t be this weekend, when Pettis will have to content himself with watching on a monitor backstage while Henderson steps in the Octagon for the title shot he’s had to earn the hard way.

Posted in: fight, time, anthony pettis, petti, henderson

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

15-2 lightweight Benson Henderson has yet to step into the Octagon with champion Frankie Edgar yet he’s already seen their fight play out countless times in his mind. Not only is visualization a part of his training but he also has a great deal of respect for Edgar, understanding how much concentration is needed on the talented title-holder to find the answer to “The Answer.” Edgar is coming off of two brutal fights against Gray Maynard where, in both bouts, he was nearly finished in the first round only to show unbelievable resiliency in coming back to earn a Draw in the first go-round and a knockout victory in the second. By watching those wars Henderson has taken away a great deal of understanding about his upcoming opponent, a fact he revealed in an exclusive conversation with Five Ounces of Pain. “The first thing I took away is that he does make mistakes and can be hurt,” stated Henderson matter-of-factly. “He got hurt very badly in both fights in the first round. He does leave openings and make mistakes. He has holes and there are opportunities where you can go after him and throw him off of his game. You also have to take away the fact that he has a huge heart, a very good chin, and a never say die attitude. That’s not something that should ever be discounted.” With all the publicity surrounding his success in the UFC and his upcoming bout with Edgar, Henderson also has something else to be thankful for. Along with his coach he is now the proud owner of the only gym he has ever trained at, the MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona. “It’s about 98-99% done, John Crouch and I purchased the gym from the old owners,” said an excited and proud Henderson. “We are not going anywhere; this is where I am going to be at for the duration of my career. In a few years time we plan on opening other affiliates around the country. This is home for me and we hope to offer opportunities to some young fighters in the area looking to make their way in the sport. “I’ve got the same guys training with me that I had in the beginning,” the 28-year old continued. “For this fight I am bringing in UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz to lend us a hand. He’s a bit quicker and faster than I am. He can emulate Frankie and help me deal with the speed and footwork Edgar possesses. Other than that it’s all the same guys, a bunch of hungry guys trying to make a name for themselves.” Being so confident in his abilities, Henderson uses visualization as a core component of his training. He puts himself in different scenarios, concentrating on how he can go about getting out of them. The technique also allows him to see himself with his hand raised when the fight is over and done with. “Visualization is a big part of the mental aspect of my game,” offered Henderson. “I tend to use this three or four times a week. I will get in the cage and shadowbox all the while I am thinking about what I am going to do against my opponent. As the fight gets closer I will get into more specifics and imagine the walkout to the cage, hearing the crowd and the music. “I will visualize my opponent making his way out to the cage and the Herb Dean or whoever the referee maybe giving us our instructions,” said Henderson, elaborating on what goes into the process. “I can actually hear ‘Big’ John (McCarthy) asking. ‘Are you ready? Are you ready? Let’s get it on!’ I will see how my opponent will react and how I counter his counters. The one thing I visualize is at the end of the fight and that is having my arm raised as the winner.” The former WEC champion also envisions a fight similar to that in the minds of many others as far as a back-and-forth battle likely to earn Fight of the Night honors. “This fight is going to be good,” explained Henderson. “It’ll be like two cats trapped inside of a bag. He’s a pretty aggressive fighter who moves a lot, but he remains very active and goes after it. He’s not a guy who will get on the bike and not engage. He moves around a lot, but comes to fight each and every time. We both have aggressive natures so you can expect us to get after it and put on a great fight.” Henderson is a very confident fighter, but throughout the conversation let it be known he truly understands how important the people around him are to his success and how much they have helped him grow as both a human being and a fighter. He spoke very highly of his training partners and his coaches at the MMA Lab, showing that as incredibly skilled as he is he is also equally humble. Catch Henderson vs. Edgar this Saturday night as part of a seven-fight PPV card including Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields and Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: fight, time, henderson, edgar, mma lab

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

submitted by red1392 [link] [comment]

Posted in: ufc, time, japanese

Read the full article at Reddit

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, while still rehabbing from a shoulder injury that he suffered weeks before his title fight with Yushin Okami at UFC 134 on Aug. 27, 2011, talked to ESPN radio (710 LA) about many hot topics that have been surrounding him lately. Chief among them, of course, being his highly anticipated rematch with the man who came within seconds of defeating him at UFC 117 almost two years ago, his arch rival Chael Sonnen, which is scheduled to take place in June of this year in Brazil. Speaking frankly, "The Spider" explains why he has such a problem with his avowed enemy, namely the fact that he doesn't respect the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). But he also explains why he performed the way he did in the first fight. You've heard it before, I'm sure, but it's worth hearing again. And it provides an interesting insight into how different the rematch is likely to be. Check it out: "Chael has good wrestling. The first fight, I broke my ribs, I fought with broken ribs. But that's okay, I finished the fight and I win. But this time I am ready. I am training hard, this is a different fight. My opinion for Chael is that this guy does not respect nothing. This time in this sport is very important. The people watching the UFC, the people that watch Chael Sonnen talking, they are like 'What? What is this sport? I don't like this sport. This guy doesn't respect nothing.' I understand sometimes you need to promote the fight but, I don't know. Chael talks about my people in Brazil, about my wife, about the older fighters. It's his problem, it's no good, it's no good promotion, this is a sport. I love my sport. I love it and I respect the older people and the older fighters of the sport. This is a great time for the sport. But Chael maybe does not understand this, his problem is he talks too much. It is no good." With his sights set firmly on Sonnen, Silva has little time to worry about much else, though he also told ESPN he thinks a fight against Georges St. Pierre is something that needs to occur at some point. Never mind that for now, though. What's important is taking care of Sonnen and doing so in his home country of Brazil. And if he's healthy this time out, it could change the entire complexion of the fight. Anyone think this one makes it into the championship rounds like last time? Or will the Brazilian be motivated to finish the fight quick and finally be rid of the bothersome flying buzzing around his belt? Opinions, please.

Posted in: fight, time, sport, chael sonnen, chael

Read the full article at MMA Mania

The first time Rashad Evans marched into Atlanta, he was a sizable underdog trying to make a legacy for himself. Next time he does, he'll again be a sizable underdog, this time trying to seal a legacy as a two-time UFC light-heavyweight champion.Nearly a year after the long-simmering grudge between Evans and Jones began, there's finally an end game, UFC 145 in April. But until then, expect salvos to be fired and returned. A full two months before the two meet in the cage, they met at a spot overlooking downtown Atlanta, with Evans reasserting his belief that his previous work with Jones would give him the advantage in their matchup, and the champion admitting that the broken friendship and personal feelings would play a motivational role in his training. "I think that my opponent will be in my head this fight," he said. "And I want him in my head because I realize when people are in my head, it brings out the best in me, and that’s what I’m prepared to show."The 24-year-old has seen his star rise over the last year following a brilliant stretch that saw him win four times in 2011, including three finishes over former UFC champions. But it was a question of whether Jones could finish Evans within one round that led to the most animated exchange between the two fighters. It started innocently enough from Jones."I’m going to be cliche and say I’m going to go out there with great intentions and train really hard and just have fun," he said. "I realize when I have fun great things happen. Magical things happen."But as he finished his thought, Evans interjected, saying "What do you really think, though?""You remember what I told you," Jones said."I remember what you told me, but I remember you didn’t mean it," Evans said.Some rowdy fans in the crowd yelled out, asking Evans what Jones said, and Evans mimicked Jones nervously saying, "Rashad, I’m going to be the first one to finish you in the first round…," stuttering his way throughout the less-than-flattering imitation.That brought laughs from the audience, and even got a chuckle from UFC president Dana White. Jones portrayed the hint of a smile, but wasn't quite so amused."I remember being here and Rampage was doing the same thing, so …," Jones said, letting his words trail off and throwing his hands up, letting the memory of his fourth-round submission win over Jackson finish his thought.The easy rapport the two shared mostly replaced by acrimony, the two did share a couple of lighter moments throughout. But most of the time, it was a case of one answering a question, and the other rebutting the answer as though they were debating.Jones smiled throughout the 30-minute press conference, although the two didn't look each other in the eye during a post-even staredown photo opportunity or share a handshake at its conclusion. Evans was clearly the crowd favorite of the two, with one fan routinely yelling out support to the point where Evans adopted him as his "hype man."That's been par for the course for Jones, who has watched his popularity rating increase right alongside his list of detractors, one of MMA's most beloved and hated at the same time. That's a typical symptom of the overnight superstar, and that's certainly what Jones has become, winning the title in what is traditionally MMA's most competitive division within three years of taking up the sport. But even with all the proclamations about Jones as MMA's present and future, Evans wouldn't give in, anointing himself a "spoiler" on April 21."There’s been so many people like him that’s been ‘the one,’" he said. "But that’s the secret: there is no ‘one.’ Anybody can lose any given day, and he’s going to find that out."The back and forth about who knows more about the other from their days training together has been discussed ad nauseam, and will continue to be rehashed for another two months until they're finally standing across the cage from each other. Then we'll get our answer.But for now, we're left with the same thing we've had for the last year, loaded words going back and forth, just setting the stage for what's to come. As for what might be afterward, well, the two opened a window on that when a fan innocently asked if the two would be able share a smile or handshake after going five hard rounds in April.It was as if they didn't even hear the question."This fight won't go five rounds," Evans said."Mark his words," Jones said. And so it goes, a blood feud in need of a conclusion, a money rivalry to end in the place where for Evans, it all really began.

Posted in: ufc, time, jone, year, evan

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

On the evening before he would appear at UFC 143 as a cornerman for Josh Koscheck, Dave Camarillo appeared on the radio show I host alongside MMA Mania's Brian Hemminger and Gerry Rodriguez. We were expecting a quick promo appearance for his new Victory Belt book, Submit Everyone: The Classified Field Manual For Becoming A Submission-focused Fighter, but Dave spent a full hour with us answering questions with aplomb about his approach to grappling and teaching. Part One of An Hour With Dave Camarillo Part Two of An Hour with Dave Camarillo Ben Thapa: Have you ever heard of the OODA loop? Dave Camarillo : I have not. BT: It's a concept developed by John Boyd, who is perhaps the father of modern jet airplane dogfighting in the American military. It's Observe, Orient, Decide, Act - that's the loop - and it helps pilots do better in dogfights. He said that there are two ways you can get a better OODA loop than your opponent - to go faster and faster or to do something unexpected. Do you have a preference between the two for getting wins and better control over your opponent? DC: I like them equally. I taught myself that speed, fast twitch muscles and so on, is important, but that high rate of speed is partially genetic and it has to be developed. I call it "genetic potential". I have the genetic potential that gives me a high rate of speed. In my career - I hope this doesn't sound cocky, but here goes - I've never trained with someone faster than me. I'm sure there's lightweights faster than me, but people my size, I've always been faster. I've always had the ability to maneuver quicker than my opponents, which can be a surprise but it doesn't always work, especially if they slow you down. Which brings the other concept, which is actually in my book and I call Creating Chaos. It's doing something that is so crazy that it's unexpected. I think this is the key to Anderson Silva. Nobody can judge what he's going to do and nobody is comfortable with he's going to do next because he creates so much chaos. If you can do that, good things happen. I was training with a student and nothing was happening, so I did a flying armlock. The guy just couldn't understand that he was on top and then I was standing on him and he was on the defensive. I am fast and I can get into a position before you are ready for it and the speed can be bit much for people to handle, but the unexpectedness is also really important. My high degree of fast twitch muscles allowed me to do something and I have the genetic potential to do that. However, creating chaos can be universal and everyone can do that. That uncertainty becomes a weapon that people can use. I use both in my career and I believe both are important. Hit the jump for the rest of Part Three If you want to check out the book Dave is talking about, it's the newest Victory Belt publication, Submit Everyone: Classified Field Manual for Becoming a Submissions Focused Fighter. BT: How do you train a fighter to get faster by the way? Is that something you have to develop and fail again and again to do or is it something that's always present from the beginning? DC: First off, you need to do the opposite. I teach every concept slow. If you don't go slow at first, you're doing it wrong. I think you can see personalities emerge from people grappling as they enter the academy or if they're doing this for the first time, and if you see someone do it quick, they're tightening up because they're afraid of being attacked and that's a natural fear thing. If I want to train someone to be fast, I start them slow. I start them in one position and then they memorize 1, 2, 3 and then move on to another and memorize that. They have to get 1, 2, 3 right. That creates a thread. If you see wrestlers that flow really good, or jiu jitsu guys that flow really good or Muay Thai guys that flow really good, it's because they have good threads. You have the concept of a thread and you develop that slow. If you memorize something, you can do it faster and add speed. Then you add a little bit more and a little bit more. Once you have that thread concept down, you can do it, you can mix it up, share it, you can train it more and so on. The thread gets them to shorten the distance between A and B if that makes sense. It's the most efficient route and that most efficient route comes from flowing. Flowing properly, freely. My understanding is that my opponent is a statue and I'm going to move around them, not through them. You're not driving into their power, you're not overpowering them because that might not be natural for you; you're moving around them from one position to the next to the next until you submit them. That's the best way to create speed - or a better way to say it - better efficiency. BT: Last question - was Jon Fitch that good at resisting the guillotine in the beginning when he showed up at your academy or did he develop that over time? It's been driving me nuts. DC: [laughs] Of course, he developed over time. I remember the first day I rolled with him at AKA, he had just gotten there and he was there a couple months before I was. And I was like "Oooh, big strong wrestler, here we go." And we put on the gi to roll. I remember submitting him a bunch of times. I mean obviously, he didn't really understand jiu jitsu at the time so it was easy for me. But what happened was that the first year, I submitted him X number of times - a high number. The second year, it was half of that. The third year, it was 5 to 10% of the first year if that makes sense and so you know, back then, I had more time, I was younger, I was training hard, I was in shape and I was high level. He got a lot better in comparison to me, he would take one on one lessons and we spent hours and hours grappling. When you're exposed to so many submissions, you build a tolerance for it. If you work with your hands, you build a tolerance for that hard work. It's the same thing with grappling. If I submit you a hundred times, your situational awareness is going to improve, your experience will get better, you'll feel it coming quicker and you're going to develop tolerance. The time we spent together working let him spend so much time living inside the submissions that he could spend his time working his way out of it instead of powering out of it. That's why I like the gi, it forces you to be technical with your escapes as you can't power out of it with the slickness and strength of no gi. Fitch spent a lot of time in the gi with me and he got comfortable with working within the submissions. It was a ton of one on one and watching the process while I worked with others for him. That's what built that resistance. Brian Hemminger: I have a couple last questions for UFC 143. I know you said you would corner Koscheck for the rest of his career. Are you still on for UFC 143 and Koscheck's fight against Mike Pierce? DC: Yeah, I'm waking up tomorrow morning and getting over there to Las Vegas to corner him. BH: I had a question about corner strategy, as I spent a lot of time listening to people like Frankie Edgar's corners and Greg Jackson giving advice and ideas and things to work on and change to their fighters. What type of cornerman are you when you are in there giving advice to your fighter when in between rounds? DC: Ok, well, I'll give you an example from Cain Velasquez versus Ben Rothwell. I said something like "I want his shoulders flat." To me, it's a simple command coming from what I saw in the first round. Of course, I'm saying this before the fight during the camp. I had told him before that I wanted aggressive footwork, I wanted him in and out, don't hang out in the pocket and little things like that are very important, especially in the first round, because that's when you have the most power. We were analyzing the fight the whole time in camp and the next camp had a similar pattern as we took the fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Rothwell and Nogueira are not very athletic. No disrespect to them, but they are just not very athletic. I was jumping up and down because we were like "We got this fight." because Cain is super-athletic. He is super-quick, he can change direction, he can get up and down and so on faster than anyone else in the heavyweight division. When I look at Nogueira and Rothwell, I'm like "We got this." Both guys are slower, they have power in their hands and they're heavy guys, so that can be problematic, but if you put them down, they have to get all that weight up. And as they're not athletic, it's difficult for them. I told him get those shoulders flat like it's a wrestling game. Simple, clear cut, get their shoulders flat. And what happened? Cain kept coming and that guy exhausted himself throwing punches. I look for athleticism, I look for people's strengths and I try to avoid them. The first round tells me a lot, because you don't really know what's going on until your fighter had five minutes in there. BH: A question from the chat room that's kind of related, but really not even close to what we're talking about now: Have you perfected your banner rolling technique and what happens to those things after the hanging? DC: [laughs] Well, that's good. Banner rolling technique. [laughs] When we get up there, not having it upside down is our main thing. And we gotta roll it up a certain way too. It's actually a really good question. It looks embarrassing if we drop it or if it's upside down and we have to fumble around to fix it to get the fighter right. What happens to them? I've kept a few. I don't know. Maybe I'll put them on ebay or something. But uh, yeah we kinda just discard it, as most of the time, we're excited and we're like "Ok, fight's over. Let's get outta here!" That was a great question, because when you're fighting, that banner stuff kind of makes it real. I appreciate that. BH: Yeah, that was Ben. He's got a wealth of crazy questions like that. Again, we're super-appreciative of you spending the last fifty minutes plus with us here and you've been amazing. Alright, thanks Dave. This has been an incredible interview and Ben is basically crying tears of joy right now. Best of luck to you cornering Josh Koscheck tomorrow. Before I let you go, do you have any last words for people interested in your book Submit Everyone? DC: The book Submit Everyone is on Amazon or you can come to my academy and pick up a copy. I think martial arts gives you a key to everything. If you're out in my area, I'll show you everything I'm talking about in it. If you don't live where I live, get the book and get to some martial arts academy and train. I appreciate this. Oh right, if you want to follow me on Twitter, it's @DaveCamarillo. End of Part Three As an extra bonus, here is Dave's brother, Dan Camarillo, grappling with Genki Sudo in the finals of a BJJ tournament way back in 1998. Part One of An Hour With Dave Camarillo Part Two of An Hour with Dave Camarillo For those interested in finding out more about Colonel John Boyd, who created an organized theory of agile warfare that led to the creation of better fighter planes and military doctrine, I strongly recommend Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by Robert Coram. It is one of the finest biographies I have ever read and the concepts within are of immense value to those who participate in combat sports, as well as the military or business. The audio of the interview can be found at roughly the one hour mark of the Verbal Submission's 72nd episode, which features interviews with Diego Sanchez and Sheldon Westcott as well.

Posted in: time, hour, fighter, dave, that

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The UFC on Fuel TV 1 main card going down tonight (Wed., Feb. 15, 2012) in Omaha, Nebraska, featured a bantamweight battle between Ultimate Fighter (TUF) contestant T.J. Dillashaw and Walel Watson. Dillashaw came oh so close to winning TUF 14 before running into John Dodson, who handed him his first defeat. Tonight was his chance to win for the first time under the Zuffa banner. Watson, meanwhile, is 1-1 in his short UFC career but always brings the heat. Except for when he's being stifled by a far superior grappler. Indeed, Dillashaw opened the fight with a superman punch he was using simply to get Watson to the mat where he would dominant for 4:17 of the opening round. There wasn't much difference in the final two and by the time all was said and done, "The Viper" had earned a dominant unanimous decision victory by scores of 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26. It was that bad, Maniacs. Dillashaw wasted little time throwing a superman punch designed to give him room enough to grab Watson up and not let go. Knowing your own strength is key but knowing where your opponent is most dangerous is perhaps even more vital to success. Hence the early lay-n-pray game plan from T.J. Of course, lay-n-pray can quickly turn into something far more effective, like a rear-naked choke submission, which is what Dillashaw did. Unfortunately (for him, at least), he wasn't able to finish the fight with it. Not the first time. Not the second time a short while later. Watson showed some sick submission defense in the first round. He lost the first five minutes in as decisive a fashion as possible but he didn't get finished. Small victories and all that. It's no surprise, though, that the second round featured a whole lot of the same action we saw in the first. Dillashaw was aggressive without being reckless, simply overwhelming his opponent with a mix of top control, solid positioning and unrelenting punches. It was a beating. Like the biggest brother stomping on the littlest brother until dad shows up to stop the insanity. Except the dad never showed up for this one. It went to the third and Watson showed signs of life by threatening briefly with a guillotine. Fat lot of good it did him, as he ended up on his back with Dillashaw in side control. He got back to his feet, mind you, but Dillashaw was even winning the standing exchanges. They battled it out some more on the ground before the final horn sounded. The UFC's stats showed that Dillashaw landed 172 strikes to just 12 from Watson. That's the kind of fight this was, folks. Remember, too, to check out MMAmania.com's ongoing coverage of the UFC on FUEL TV 1 main card action, which is rolling right along, by clicking here.

Posted in: ufc, time, watson, dillashaw, superman punch

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Trainers and coaches make for the best interviews in combat sports. They have no personal battle to cut weight, usually have far less interviews to get bored and irritated with and the nature of their job makes communication skills a higher priority and more practiced than for a fighter. Add in the generally high level of analytic ability and the love of technique and we have walking encyclopedias ready to give mini-lectures on almost any topic in their realm of experience. Besides being a two time Victory Belt grappling manual author, Dave Camarillo is one of the best of this generation of MMA trainers and grappling coaches and his students have been wildly successful at the highest levels of combat sports. On the evening before he would appear at UFC 143 as a cornerman for Josh Koscheck, Dave Camarillo appeared on the radio show I host alongside MMA Mania's Brian Hemminger and Gerry Rodriguez. We were expecting a quick promo appearance for his new Victory Belt book, Submit Everyone: The Classified Field Manual For Becoming A Submission-focused Fighter, but Dave spent a full hour with us answering questions with aplomb about his approach to grappling and teaching. In the first post in this three-parter, we saw Dan and Dave Camarillo face off as purple belts in a friendly, but high-spirited competition. Now I give you the definitive rematch: Part One of An Hour with Dave Camarillo The audio of the interview can be found at roughly the one hour mark of the Verbal Submission's 72nd episode, which features interviews with Diego Sanchez and Sheldon Westcott as well. Hit the jump for the second of three parts. Brian sends it over to Ben Thapa BT: Hi Dave, I wanted to ask about one of your earlier matches that's up on YouTube - specifically, the match with a six year old named Kyle. BT: It's one of my favorite matches. How long were you working with Kyle before he was ready to make that demonstration? DC: Kyle is one of my students, yes. This was early in his career. I'll be honest. He at first was super shy and didn't want to be doing this, he didn't want to come in and we encouraged him over time. Now you can't get him off the mats. We kinda just went at it and he adapted, learned his positions. We worked on the basic positioning and he's now excited about it. Also, when you're excited, the body takes over, the techniques take over and we got a great match out of it. BT: Now, Kyle is one of many students amongst your academy. You directly teach at two schools and have at least five schools associated with you. Is that right? DC: Yes, there are the two main schools in Pleasanton and San Jose, California and I have more than five schools both within California and outside California. BT: Who are the youngsters that are worth watching as we have some big tournaments coming up soon? Who should we be paying attention to from your schools? DC: I've got a lot of good guys. We've got guys from One World, it's one of the affiliates, Bukki, Kyle Lehane, those guys are really good. My black belt who's the main instructor in San Jose, Matt Darcy, he's gonna be competing here soon in the San Francisco tournament, he's phenomenal. Very good instructor as well. We got a lotta good guys, lotta young guys. I don't wanna mention too many names so the competition has someone to look out for but I've got a kid, he's 18 years old, good wrestling, good jiu-jitsu, good guard, the guy's getting good everywhere and he doesn't miss practice and that's the key to anything. Anyone who is that dedicated is gonna be good. We've got some guys in the woodwork that are coming out and winning tournaments. BT: Alright, I ask that question because you're probably more famous for students who have come to you a bit later in their lives after having had wrestling careers or fighting careers like Fitch, Koscheck and Swick. I was wondering - not necessarily that one is better than another - but is there a difference between teaching these guys and teaching these grapplers that you're building from the ground up? DC: I've been teaching for a long time, but it's true that my academies are kind of new and more famous for the MMA guys. My Pleasanton school is only two years old. There are schools out there that have been around for 15 or 20 years now and it takes a long time to establish a place where the competition level training is really high. In the two years we've been doing this, the response has been amazing. These kids are so malleable and learning even faster. It's definitely an adjustment [from teaching MMA mostly to teaching mostly at these schools]. In the end, the most important things in my life are my wife, my family and my students. I'm a passionate instructor and I'm putting everything into these kids, training them from 3 years old and up about armlocks, trips and wrestling and that's why I have so much energy for this. BT: You mentioned that it takes time to build a high level competition school. Why does it take so much time to build a high level gym? Isn't it as simple as whipping these kids into great shape? DC: Mmmm, no. If you look at 1995 - I've been in jiu jitsu since 1997 - the level of a blue belt back then is much lower than it is now and the reason is that there's been so much experience learned, the technique is tighter, there's more bodies and there's more people coming out with jiu jitsu systems. There's all kinds of reasons why the level has jumped. It takes time to have 30 blue belts, 20 purple belts, 10 brown belts and 10 black belts at each school. That takes time. It takes seven to ten years to get a black belt. My school is only two years old. My white belts are the best white belts I've ever seen in my career. I'm not saying that I have the best white belts out there, but the level is higher now. The constant drilling and training has an effect. I'm very analytical when training and the message that I'm putting out there is slowly being instilled in them. I'm grappling all the time. That's not enough. It's getting experienced people around me that can question what I do and why I do it that makes things better. My black belt instructor, Matt Darcy, is constantly coming up with all kinds of things and getting people excited. If you put all that together, you'll see a higher level and a quicker learning atmosphere, which leads into the competition level. BT: Interesting that you say this as you came from a different background. I don't mean your judo background, but that when you started your jiu jitsu career, you came up amongst a Golden Generation of sorts over at Ralph Gracie's with Kurt Osiander, Luke Stewart, B.J. Penn and the others. I'm wondering if that was a fluke or can that happen in the right situation again and again where a ton of people all turn out to be fantastic grapplers? A photo of a few of the famous grapplers from Ralph's via Darren Uyenoyama's blog at darrenbcu.files.wordpress.com DC: I see what you're saying. I gotta give props to Ralph Gracie. There's a lotta good teams out there, but he had the best team out there. It's so hard to have the best team. You have Checkmat, Alliance and all the other teams and so on. Back then, I would say that we were the best team in the United States. We had so much talent and it was a combination of two things. It was not a fluke, but how do you find B.J. Penn and everyone else out there? I'm not trying to be cocky, but I got my blue belt in like ten practices and my judo really carried me in my competitions. B.J. was so good, he is one of the best armlock guys I've ever seen, as is my brother. We had Cameron Earle, Mikyo Riggs, Luke is incredible and Kurt Osiander too. How do you have that many people at one time? I don't quite know. We were all out there smashing each other and learning on those crazy nights. But the second thing is Ralph Gracie. He was one of the toughest, best coaches you could have. He was hard on us. He pushed us and he was hardcore and it was the perfect environment coming from a judo background, it fit for me and I pushed myself. I couldn't have been happier at the time and it made sense. Those practices were battles. We'd go to other gyms and we'd smash them. That was a fact, and I remember blue belts tapping black belts as we were mixing judo with the Ralph Gracie go-go-go mentality and it was crazy. You know, going back to my book, that's what I'm trying to bring back, the finish everyone mentality and aggressiveness. BT: You've mentioned the judo and your brother's comparable skill also. Where did the interest in the military and the systematic approach develop? Did it start back then or is that a more recent development? DC: You know, in judo, I was always an aggressive kid. I didn't have great technique. It took me several trips to Japan and living there to develop proper technique and more effective judo. My father was a great instructor, but I was a scrappy kid already. When you have a 19 year old scrappy kid who's been in a million battles in Japan getting thrown a million times and getting back up. When I came to Ralph Gracie's, he noticed that and combining the two approaches, I ended up being a crazy, angry submissions guy. It was a combination of the two and I'm a better submission grappler because of it. BT: What changed from the hungry, high-flying submissions kid to the man presenting this book? DC: Yeah, I have to laugh. It took me time. I had to mature. I had to be a better person. I had to check my ego. I had to realize that not everybody in my schools or that I'm teaching has that background. Not everybody has a father that pushes them that far. I didn't realize that not everyone had that. I was teaching like this or like that and it wasn't clicking. You gotta learn these things and that takes time. It took me years to mature and at the same time that high flying approach was there for a while and I always will have that, but I had to grow up and develop a better approach. BT: You've mentioned again and again that it takes time to change, to mature and to push these kids get good. I'm wondering how much time does it take? All these five, six, seven year olds at your schools, are they going to be high level BJJ or MMA guys in ten years? Or will that take more or less time? DC: I have some kids that have been training with us for a long time and are orange belts. They're going to be way better than me. That's the bottom line. They're in the right place for the philosophy and the physicality of grappling. They're phenomenal. They do wrestling and the local judo tournaments. One of my instructors, Dave Williams, helps me coordinate and coach these kids. He's training them and I'm training them and they're competing in multiple sports and winning. That's the process that you want. You don't want just a wrestler or just a judoka. You want kids competing in all these sports and they're going to be monsters. They're getting to be really driven and it's amazing to see the kids come up. BT: Your father pushed you and your whole family was supportive and established a great support system. Collectively they motivated you and your brother to do better and better. Is there something that jiu jitsu here need to change in order to be less of the soccer-mom/rambling around mentality or is that a good atmosphere for developing talented grapplers? DC: I think there is a spectrum. You can push kids too much or not enough. My opinion is that for the most part, we as a society is getting lazier in pushing the kids and letting them do whatever they want, which isn't good. A lot of is the parents. I'm speaking from my experience living in a home where my father is an instructor. That's a rare privilege and that's the environment I grew up in. That's the house I grew up in. That's sort of a life crapshoot right there and not a decision that I made, but my parents were tough and they pushed us. My brother and I grew up competing against each other and learning from my family. My father was hardcore and tough on us. I responded well to that and it worked for me. At times, I did want a normal household, but a normal household generally speaking doesn't make martial artists that are confident and that can prepare themselves and can deal with any situation and can become champions. It doesn't push kids into competition well. The competitions are what gives kids confidence and the drive to improve. That's what my father pushed for and that's what we did. There was fighting, but every family goes through that. I call my dad and tell him "I love you" and I can't thank him enough for what he did and the environment. Not every family has that and that's where I come in. I have to encourage these kids in the right ways and a good instructor has been through it all and a good instructor knows which kids to put pressure on and which kids to back off on. I'm the kind of instructor that wants kids to reach their full potential and put a smile on their face at the same time and that's the tough balance there that I'm navigating. BT: In grappling, there's an interesting goal of being a champion. In MMA, we've recently had Ronda Rousey make a big splash after being in the judo competitive scene for years and being unable to make a full time living there; on the flip side, we have the rare few like John Danaher, who have never competed or won championships, but can make a living. Where do you fall in the debate between competing versus not competing and what do you think of Danaher himself? DC: Like I've said before, I think Danaher is the best jiu jitsu instructor on the planet. He's been on the scene at Renzo Gracie's in New York and he's been exposed to a great group of black belts from various places that are like a family and traveled all over and shared techniques. He's in an amazing place to grow and grapple and on top of that he's extremely intelligent. I consider him one of my mentors, even if I only see him twice a year, it's always great because I value everything that comes from him. I think when you become an instructor, you have be a different person. A good instructor doesn't mean having big titles or spend all his time fighting. If you're fighting all the time, you're probably not a good instructor because you're spending all your time fighting and vice versa. Danaher is the best instructor because he doesn't have to compete. He spends all his time analyzing and he doesn't have to compete. I don't think you need to be a high level competitor to have a good gym. You need to make sure you have a strong, smart message and to get it out. That and being a passionate instructor is more important. End of Part 2 Part One of An Hour with Dave Camarillo Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for Part Three, which dig into Dave's philosophy of teaching, discussions of speed versus tactics, the key to Anderson Silva's success and the mentality he brings as a cornerman to the fighters he trains.

Posted in: time, belt, kid, im, instructor

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

It looks like fans who buy next week’s UFC 144 pay-per-view are going to get a little more bang for their buck. UFC officials revealed on a conference call earlier today that UFC 144′s run time has been extended an additional hour beyond the typical three and will feature seven main card bouts instead of five. The main card line-up will now consist of: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ryan Bader Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis The start time will remain the same at 10pm ET/7pm PT however, so it’s going to be an especially late night for the East Coast. The UFC didn’t give any reasons for the change nor indicate if a 4-hour run time would become the norm.

Posted in: ufc, time, hour, vs, card

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Since the conclusion of first season of The Ultimate Fighter, every subsequent live UFC event has featured his fight with Stephen Bonnar on the Jumbo-Tron at arenas around the world while Baba O’Riley pumps the crowd up for the main card. I usually take this opportunity to run to the nearest concession stand as fast as possible and juggle my nachos and fountain soda back to my seat. Sometimes I make it back in time to watch the end of the montage, other times I spill my soda over my nachos and I’m forced to eat the soggiest plate of processed cheese & tortillas I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. It’s an unfortunate reality of every MMA fan, and if you haven’t experienced it yet, I tip my sombrero to you. Unfortunately, Forrest is back in the hot seat with some more controversial tweets, this time about kids with Cancer. Forrest Griffin’s past rape jokes on Twitter were misunderstood. In fact, most of his jokes are misunderstood. While he may not be able to verbalize or tweet (twat?) his exact thoughts in 140 characters or less, people are quick to assume he’s an insensitive person who should be banned from the UFC and twitter alike. We like Forrest Griffin. We like watching his fights, reading his books, and we really like that he spends a whole lot of time with sick kids and donates money to local rape crisis & child hunger organizations in Las Vegas, despite his inability to effectively communicate on Twitter. Thanks to FightLinker for the find. While he tries to explain what he meant in follow-up tweets, it appears that the twittersphere has resumed being critical of his choice of words and it has prompted all sorts of replies like these… …to which Forrest responded like this: While I can’t defend what someone else puts out on Twitter, I can say that I admire Forrest for his body of work inside the Octagon and amongst his community. Dana White does too. Perhaps a second look at his tweets make the whole miscommunication a bit clearer, or maybe they infuriated you further, but regardless of how you feel about his tweeting (twatting?), you have to admit that the man does more with his discretionary income than most other UFC fighters, and he does it on his own accord. If more professional athletes were like him, kids with serious illnesses would strive that much harder to push through their ailments and live fulfilling lives. We hope Forrest continues doing what he’s doing regardless of his inability to effectively joke about it on twitter.

Posted in: time, kid, twitter, tweet, forrest

Read the full article at Middle Easy

MMA Fighting reports that next week’s UFC 144 will be four hours and include seven fights. In addition, the prelim bouts will be shown on FX starting at 5pm PT/8pm ET. The show will mark the first time Zuffa will hold a card in Japan. The four hour card begins at 7pm PT/10pm ET which means that east coast viewers will have to stay up extra late for the card. Not sure if this will impact buys at all especially when you are talking about receiving an extra hour of fights. Payout Perspective: The additional hour and fight will be a bonus for those purchasing the PPV. More for your money? It should accommodate the 5 round championship fight between Edgar and Henderson without concern of running out of time. It will be interesting to see what happens if there are a lot of short fights on the card. How will the UFC compensate for it? We’ve seen in the past when fights run short, the UFC shows fights earlier on in the evening. But, with four hours, there could be a lot of filler time. I am interested to see how the UFC produces this show and if there will be anything different considering its the company’s first visit to Japan.  

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, hour, card

Read the full article at MMA Payout

This article already has a plot hole. In a sense, this article and 2011's 'In Time' may be separated at birth since that film is plagued with gargantuan plot holes. Why didn't Justin Timberlake and Sylvia Weiss fill up their arms with time after they stole one million years from her dad with the knowledge they were about to die in less than an hour? I also find it incredibly hard to believe that Justin Timberlake's mother would get on a bus with only 30 minutes and expect to live long enough to yank some of her son's time. One would think anyone so experienced with time would prepare in advance, let alone have accumulated more than enough time in their life to prevent this from happening. That movie could have been far cooler than what it was -- but with that said, I could watch Justin Timberlake in another sci-fiction movie and not be annoyed. The plot hole in this article is you actually don't need to listen to an incredibly annoying laugh to watch this video of Jon Bones Jones choking a comedian. You could mute the sound on your computer and still watch this video. In fact, I suggest you do that -- unless you have an obsession with punishing your ear drums. Check out this video of Bobby Kelly feeling the wrath of Jon Jones on Opie and Anthony this morning. Oh, and Howard Stern rules. Props to Synthsis for the find.

Posted in: time, video, plot hole, scifiction movie, sylvia weiss

Read the full article at Middle Easy

A couple weeks before his pro debut in June of 2002, Diego Sanchez went to a party with his cousin. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea, he can admit now, but so what? He was 20 years old and had energy to spare. And it’s not like he was there to get crazy. Sure, he had one or two drinks, but nothing that would hinder a 20-year-old’s ability to show up at Greg Jackson’s Albuquerque-based fight gym in the morning. Everything was fine. Right up until the cops showed up."We weren’t drunk or anything, but we were underage and we’d had a couple of drinks, so we ran out the back door," Sanchez says. "We were jumping fences, just trying to get away."Like a bad dream, Sanchez just happened to jump into a backyard with three large Rottweilers in it. The dogs immediately took off after Sanchez, who knew only that he needed to jump the next fence as soon as possible. "What I didn’t realize was, the next fence that I jumped was like a 20-foot drop down to the ground. I felt like I was falling forever. I landed with my legs locked out. I had those Nike shoes with the air pockets, and when I landed one of the air pockets popped. That’s how hard I landed."He didn’t get picked up by the cops that night, but by morning Sanchez had a deep bruise on his heel. He could barely walk or put any weight on that foot, and he certainly couldn’t run. Still, he knew that staying home from the gym was not an option."Back in the old school days at Greg Jackson’s, there was no not coming to practice if you were hurt," he says. "You went to practice no matter what. If your arm was hurt, we’d tie your arm to your body and you’d go with one arm. That’s just the way we did it. It was, take some ibuprofen and let’s train."Even though he was limited in what he could do, Sanchez managed to finish up the last couple weeks of his training camp and nurse his heel almost back to full health. What he didn’t do, however, was come clean with his coach about how he’d injured it. For obvious reasons, he didn’t want to tell Jackson that he’d been running first from the cops, and then from three Rottweilers after having some drinks at a party just before his first professional fight. Instead, he claimed that he’d fallen off a ladder while at work at the Doubletree hotel. It was a harmless lie, he reasoned, and one that kept the peace well enough to justify itself.By the time fight night rolled around, the sore heel was the least of Sanchez’s concerns. He and some friends had made the seven-hour drive up to Denver for an event dubbed Ring of Fire 5: Predators. By the time they showed up at the Radisson North Graystone Castle, where the fights were being held, the nerves were starting to take their toll on Sanchez. He’d wrestled competitively and trained for around ten months in MMA, but he’d never done anything quite like this."I was extremely nervous," he says. "The only way I could think to get past the nervousness was to get crazy. I was extremely pumped up, like this is World War III. I was headbutting the wall before I went out there."His opponent that night was a guy named Michael Johnson (not the same Michael Johnson who currently fights in the UFC), and he was also making his pro debut. They knew almost nothing about one another except for a vague idea of what gym the other trained out of, though it quickly became apparent that Johnson knew a little more about striking than Sanchez did."Right away, he hit me with a straight right hand. Just, boom! I’d been in street fights, and we did sparring, but we were mainly grapplers. My punches were more like uppercuts and hooks and overhands. I’d never really learned the straight right. This guy hit me with the cleanest straight right. Bang, right on the button, right on my nose. So flush that it cut my nose right on the bridge."Sanchez recovered and managed a takedown, but Johnson reversed him and got in some good ground-and-pound before Sanchez regained top position. According to records on the internet, this is about where the fight ended, in the first round. But the way Sanchez remembers it, they scrapped back and forth in that opening frame, with his opponent likely getting the better of it, and then the round came to an end.It was a good thing, too. Bloodied and sucking wind, Sanchez needed the break. Both the ringside doctor and his coach came in to check on the state of his nose, but Jackson assured the doctor that his fighter was fine and the man left convinced."After he’s gone Greg looks at me and says, ‘He got you with a good one, huh?’ We laughed, and then I remember saying to him, ‘Greg, am I sure this is what I want to do for a living?’"It was a joke that had the sting of truth to it at that very moment. There he was, bleeding from his nose and with welts already swelling up about his face, trying to get enough of the thin Denver air to go out there and get some more punishment. Who did this? Who thought this was a good idea?"At the same time I was like, well, I can’t let this guy kick my ass," Sanchez says.In the second round they went at it some more, and again Sanchez got the takedown. This time he made the most of it, taking his opponent’s back and sinking in the rear-naked choke for the submission finish. He left the Radisson that night with a perfect 1-0 record as a professional."I remember I got paid $600 for that fight, and I went straight to the hospital. My bill was $486.24. I still remember it exactly. My friends drove up to see me fight, and they were all broke. I was the only one who had gas money, so I had to put gas in the car. I had maybe $40 by the time I got home."Okay, so maybe it wasn’t terribly profitable, but it was, in Sanchez’s words, "a life-changer." After that first fight he felt certain he’d found his passion in life."I knew it. I loved it. I loved the feeling. It was such a rush, and it made it so much better that the guy had gotten some good shots on me. He hurt me and I had to come back. It was tough, and it made it that much more rewarding for me. ...Now it’s ten years later, and I’m still doing it, still loving it. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else."Eventually, he even came clean to Jackson about how he’d injured his heel. It just took some time."It was about three years later, and I was already in the UFC. But I said, ‘Greg, I have to get something off my conscience,’" Sanchez says. "He just laughed. He probably knew all along. You can’t fool Greg." For past installments of the 'My First Fight' series on MMAFighting.com, including trips down memory lane with Rashad Evans, Mark Coleman, and more, click here.

Posted in: fight, time, right, sanchez, hersquod

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Forgive Stefan Struve, but all he wants to do is continue growing. While that seems strange for a man that stands 6’11 tall, the tallest fighter in the UFC, Struve knows he is still developing every time he steps inside the Octagon. At 23 years old (he turns 24 on Saturday), Struve has nearly as many career wins, 22, as he does years walking the Earth. Yet when talking with Struve, he still feels there is a long way to go until he reaches his potential. That potential was first flashed in the UFC at UFC 95 in February 2009, just days after his 21st birthday, where Struve lost to future heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. While Struve acknowledges he was overwhelmed at the time, he was back in the cage just four months later, defeating Denis Stojnic at UFC 99. Now he is set to hit the double-digit landmark, entering the Octagon for the tenth time in his career. But even with that, Struve maintains the objective is the same as it was three years ago. “I’ve learned so much, but I still have a lot of growing to do,” Struve said when speaking with MMAFrenzy.com. “I’ve come a long way during my career, but there are things I still need to learn. I still need to use my size better, which I did not do in my losses to dos Santos and Roy Nelson. But I feel I have been improving a lot, and I will get even better now that I have a new striking coach.” On Wednesday, those improvements will be put to the test against Dave Herman at UFC on Fuel TV 1 in Omaha, Nebraska. Coincidentally, “Skyscraper” takes on a fighter known as “Pee-Wee”. But even with the opposing nicknames, Struve feels the pair puts together a terrific matchup. “Dave and I are both known to deliver exciting fights,” said Struve. “He had a great fight in his UFC debut against [John-Olav] Einemo back in June, but I feel I am better on the ground and standing up against him.” “I’ve noticed that he is a brawler that backs up a lot while he fights. I look forward to fighting that kind of style, especially because it will be quite different to my last opponent, Pat Barry, who moved forward throughout our fight.” In that fight, a second round submission win over Pat Barry, Struve was able to battle through the striking of the kickboxer. However, Struve was fighting with a twelve inch height advantage, something he will not experience against the 6’5 Herman. But Struve feels he will be fighting with a different advantage this time – experience. “I am probably the best guy he’s ever fought,” Struve said. “He doesn’t have a lot of notable guys on his record, and his last win was over a guy [Einemo] that hadn’t fought in five years. I am a big step up in competition for him.” Struve feels he too will be taking a big step on his own in the near future – cutting weight. Weighing in at 240 pounds in his UFC debut in February 2009, now Struve is nearing the 265 pound weight limit every time he steps on the scale. He has continually built muscle mass in the three years since. While he admits he is not quite at the point of having to cut weight, he knows the time is nearing. “Right now, my weight comes off naturally during training camp,” Struve explained. “But I would say I will have to start cutting weight in about a year. Pretty soon I’ll have to cut weight to make the weight limit. But for now, it is still right around that limit during my camps.” Add that to the list of challenges that Struve has had to go through due to his height and size. Even though he never trains with guys that stare back at eye level, Struve feels he has been able to accommodate his style for his body. “My size takes nothing away from my wins,” said Struve. “My striking is different than guys that are my size or close to my size. Plus I have a better ground game than almost anyone at my size. And I am always developing.” Even as he continues to develop, it is obvious that the “Skyscraper” still feels he is only scraping the surface of his potential.

Posted in: ufc, time, year, weight, struve

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

OMAHA, Neb. - There will be a page in Diego Sanchez's life story that's marked by a long, black smudge. This is the time from late 2009 to early 2011 where whatever internal rudder he had in place was thrown so out of whack that he returned to God with more fiery dedication than ever. The time he became addicted to drugs and women and the lifestyle of a famous fighter. Sanchez is clean now, and he talks about his next opponent, Jake Ellenberger, as the kind of guy who will bring out his best.

Posted in: time, diego, sanchez, omaha neb, fighter sanchez

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

Bob Sapp may be a lot of things -- film actor, pro wrestler, walking caricature -- but he’s not a fighter. Maybe at one point he was. Back when he competed in Japan’s PRIDE organization or took his lumps in K-1, perhaps. Back when he used to at least try to win. These days he’s hardly even bothering to fake it, and it’s getting more transparent all the time.To call what Sapp does fighting would be to insult all the serious fighters who actually put the time and effort in to give fans their money’s worth. Sapp doesn’t do that. Instead, he puts on a sorry little sham that, for a few seconds at a time and from a great distance, occasionally resembles fighting. He does just enough to get paid, then he collects his check and goes home. That’s what he did against Rolles Gracie at ONE FC this past weekend. That’s what he’ll probably do against James Thompson in March. That’s all he does. The only reason he even needs to wear gloves is to keep from hurting his hand when he taps out.It’s pathetic, but it’s dependable. You know what you’re getting when you sign Sapp to fight at your event, which is why we shouldn’t blame Sapp for debasing the sport -- we should blame the people who keep paying him to do it. Let’s not kid ourselves here. You think ONE FC signed Sapp because it thought he might come over to Indonesia and actually fight? Not a chance. It signed him because he has a name, because he can put a few butts in seats, and because he’s not above sacrificing dignity for cheap promotional ploys. He even provides a little bit of entertainment...before the referee gives the signal to fight.What he doesn’t do is put serious effort into fighting or training. As he told me when I interviewed him last summer:"My schedule fills up so ridiculously hard that you see me fighting and I take a loss or you see me fighting and I look terrible, but you have to go back and if you could see the schedule that I'm on you'd say, this is crazy. There's nobody who should be fighting on this kind of schedule."In other words, he’s too busy getting paid for his sheer quantity of work to worry about the quality. The way he sees it, people are paying to see Bob Sapp. They’re not necessarily paying to see him try hard, or at least they aren’t paying enough. They certainly aren’t paying enough for him to risk injury, which is why he quits as soon as he starts to feel like it’s getting too rough.Just look at his fight with Gracie. Sapp attempted one knee strike, did a bit of flailing off his back, and then tapped out almost as soon as a punch got through his defenses. Was he rocked? Dazed? Reeling from the power of the short strike and rendered unable to intelligently defend himself? Nah. He was mostly just inconvenienced. He was briefly reminded that a guy could actually get hurt in there if he wasn’t careful, and so he decided to call it a night. What else did you expect?This is nothing new for Sapp. He’s lost seven of his last eight MMA bouts, with none of them going out of the first round. Typically he’ll come on just strong enough to make a good first impression, but as soon as he eats a hard shot he crumples up like a soda can and waits for it to be over. If the referee isn’t quick enough to see his surrender for what it is, he’s not ashamed to tap out and remove all doubt. In the last few years of his MMA career, Sapp has spent more time in the fetal position than he has in anything resembling a fighting position. He’s also done it without apology or remorse for how little effort he’s putting in, explaining that he’s only there to get paid. Again, it’s hard to get too mad at Sapp for that. Even if he trained really hard and put his heart and soul into every fight, it’s not like he’d be UFC heavyweight champion. It’s doubtful whether he could even make the 265-pound limit without a tapeworm or an amputation. This way, he not only gets paid, but he can fight multiple times a year on short notice, since it’s not as if he needs time to train. If you can talk yourself into believing that things like wins and losses don’t matter, and if you’ve long since abandoned the idea of trying to be taken seriously as an athlete, Sapp’s position makes a certain degree of sense. He’s not quite good enough to do this for real, but he looks the part well enough to do it for pay. At least, that’s how some promoters see it, and they’re the ones who are disrespecting the sport by continuing to buy into that line of reasoning.At this point, putting Sapp on a fight card is almost tantamount to fight-fixing. Maybe it’s not guaranteed that he’ll lose (especially against an opponent as hapless as James Thompson), but you know he’s not going to try his hardest. You know that all it would take is one decent punch to convince him to fold up and quit, which is antithetical to everything that makes real MMA so compelling.Fans love this sport in part because of what fighters put into it, and what they put on the line in order to do it. You might have to wonder whether NBA players are giving it their all during a regular season game, but you don’t have to wonder the same thing in MMA. If a fighter slacks off, he might get his jaw broken. That tends to make people take each contest a little more seriously.Sapp isn’t one of those people, partly because he’s figured out a way to get paid without risking very much or trying very hard. It’s a clever little hustle, but it’s not what this sport is about. In fact, it makes a mockery of this sport every time he’s paid to do it, and if he’s shown us anything it’s that he’ll keep at it as long as there's a paycheck in it.So please, MMA promoters of the world. Make it easy on him. Stop paying him for these half-hearted efforts in non-fights. Let him find some other way to pay his bills. Sapp’s done enough pretending in movies and in pro wrestling. His unconvincing portrayal of a fighter has no place in MMA.

Posted in: hersquo, sapp, itrsquo, mma, time

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

This should go without saying, but you should never mess with Matt Brown’s chewing tobacco.  You probably shouldn’t pour too much milk over his cereal either.  In fact, just leave Matt Brown alone to avoid getting seriously injured in the event you ever have to be in his vicinity while he’s preparing for a fight.  I’m sure that outside of training camp, he’s the kind of guy who’d make an outstanding companion on a fishing trip, perhaps he’d make a righteous wingman at the local watering hole, but that’s not the context in which we know Matt Brown, so we’ll continue to insist you remain cautious around him at all times. While most of you are still giddy about Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson’s headkick knockout of the night over Daniel Stittgen at UFC 143, Matt Brown remains unimpressed with the quality of his opponent and suggests that Wonderboy hasn't fought anyone noteworthy to even merit being in the UFC in this interview with MMAWeekly.com: “Name me one guy that he fought. I can tell you the guys I train with [have fought] Saenchai, Malaipet, and Joe Schilling; guys that are well known in the kickboxing/Muay Thai world, on a world level… I’m not too concerned with this guy’s kickboxing. I can go 100-0 beating a bunch of idiots, but that’s not my style.” He then goes on to say the only thing I agree with, about how Muay Thai beats Karate 9 times out of 10, but that’s really going to depend on how many youtube clips you base your observation on.  If you extrapolate the results, I’m willing to bet Muay Thai beats most other standing combat discipline 9.5 times out of 10 because many of them don’t train full contact.  Sort of an unfair comparison, but until we start seeing deadly Tae-Bo videos, Matt Brown’s statistics are all we have. [Source]

Posted in: time, guy, matt, ’m, thai

Read the full article at Middle Easy

With less than a week left until his 24th birthday, UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve has seen more and accomplished more than most fighters do by the time they retire. Struve began his career at the age of 17 in Holland and since then has fought a total of 27 times with the last nine of those bouts occurring inside the Octagon. To think that he hasn’t even approached his physical peak should strike fear in the hearts of heavyweights everywhere. Standing 6’11” tall with extremely long limbs has allowed the “Skyscraper” to acquire a very good submission background and gives him a huge advantage when the fight stays on the feet because he more often than not has a longer reach than his opponents. At 22-5 overall, Struve has had his share of growing pains since signing with the UFC. He was rudely introduced to the organization by future heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos at UFC 95 losing via TKO in just 54 seconds. He would rebound nicely at UFC 99 against Denis Stojnic, winning by submission mid-way through the second round. All told he is 6-3 in the UFC and has taken home three bonus checks in his nine Octagon appearances. This Wednesday in Nebraska he will square off against Dave Herman in the co-main event slot on UFC on Fuel 1. Herman is a tough opponent for anyone, but Struve is ready to celebrate his birthday early with a win. He is also hoping to enhance that victory with another bonus check. He has been putting long hours at the gym in preparation for this bout. He expects all of the hard work to shine through come fight time. “I am preparing for my last training session here in Holland and then I’ll fly to Nebraska,” Struve said in an exclusive conversation with Fighters.com. “All I need is one or two days to get used to the time difference and after that I’ll feel fine. My trainer Bob Schreiber and I have been together since I am 14 so the comfort level is there. We have really pushed the pace of this camp and I am surrounded by great coaches and sparring partners. I am ready for this fight.” Struve has been in his share of big fights thus far in the UFC. He is no stranger to fighting at or near the top of the main card. This time his bout will on the first official card of the UFC on Fuel, but to Struve it’s not where or when he fights, but who is across the cage from him and what they bring to the table. “This fight is no different for me than my other fights on the main card,” offered Struve. “This is my fourthco-main event slot and it’s become normal for me to fight on these cards. I’m only 23 and this will be my 32nd professional fight and I take each one as a learning experience. Herman is talented and I know I need to keep him away and stay out of the clinch although I am not frightened because of my length. He has solid power, but if I keep out of his range the fight will go my way.” With a few more quality wins Struve could find himself getting close to a title shot. With the influx of heavyweights from Strikeforce and the quality fighters who have been with the organization for some time there is ample opportunity for Struve to prove his worthiness as a true title contender. He realizes who are the top dogs and has no qualms about where he stands in the division as of now. “I see myself in the Top 10 or just outside of it,” explained a confident Struve. “I also see myself as one of the more promising fighters in the division and I plan on showing that against Herman and in the years to come. Right now Junior dos Santos is the top heavyweight followed by Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum, and Frank Mir. Even a guy like Roy Nelson who may not look like it, but he’s made out of steel. There are so many good fights out there for me and I look forward to what the future brings.” With a career filled with so many bright spots and a future that has endless limitations Struve can enjoy looking back on some of his best moments as well as looking towards the future. It’s amazing what he has accomplished at such a young age. Struve plans on making this birthday a special one and in order to accomplish that he needs to use his God given abilities along with all of the hard work he has put in. “Every win is a great achievement for me,” Struve continued. “My last win against Pat Barry was great; I got the Submission of the Night bonus so that made it even more special, especially coming off a tough loss. I’m proud of all of my victories; my win against Stojnic was memorable because of the huge cut on my face. People still talk about that. I have had a lot of great moments and I plan on making many more. Everything that ends a fight is a good memory for me whether it is by submission or knockout, as long as I get my hand raised.” A Closer Look at Struve’s Win Over Barry Struve would like to thank all of his coaches, training partners and everyone else who has supported him throughout his MMA career. He would also like to thank Boost Mobile who has been his sponsor for his past few fights. For more information on Struve you can follow him on Twitter @stefanstruve. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, struve, i plan

Read the full article at Fighters.com

With less than a week left until his 24th birthday, UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve has seen more and accomplished more than most fighters do by the time they retire. Struve began his career at the age of 17 inHolland and since that time he has fought a total of 27 times with the last 9 of those bouts occurring inside the Octagon.   To think that he hasn’t even approached his physical peak should strike fear in the hearts of heavyweights everywhere. Standing 6’11” tall with extremely long limbs has allowed Struve to acquire a very good submission background and gives him a huge advantage when the fight stays on the feet because he more often than not has a longer reach than his opponents.   At 22-5 overall, Struve has had his share of growing pains since signing with the UFC. He was rudely introduced to the organization by future heavyweight champion Junior dosSantosat UFC 95 losing via TKO in just 54 seconds. He would rebound nicely at UFC 99 against Denis Stojnic as he won by submission mid-way through the second round. All told he is 6-3 in the UFC and has taken home three bonuses checks in his 9 fights.   This Wednesday inNebraskahe will square off against Dave Herman in the co-main event slot on UFC on Fuel TV 1. Herman is a tough opponent for anyone, but Struve is ready to celebrate his birthday early with a win. He is also hoping to enhance that victory with another bonus check. He has been putting long hours at the gym in preparation for this bout. He expects all of the hard work to shine through come fight time.   “I am preparing for my last training session here inHollandand then I’ll fly toNebraska,” Struve said. “All I need is one or two days to get used to the time difference and after that I’ll feel fine. My trainer Bob Schreiber and I have been together since I am 14 so the comfort level is there. We have really pushed the pace of this camp and I am surrounded by great coaches and sparring partners. I am ready for this fight.”   Struve has been in his share of big fights thus far in the UFC. He is no stranger to fighting at or near the top of the main card. This time his bout will on the first official card of the UFC on Fuel, but to Struve it’s not where or when he fights, but who is across the cage from him and what they bring to the table.   “This fight is no different for me than my other fights on the main card,” offered Struve. “This is my 4th co-main event slot and it’s become normal for me to fight on these cards. I’m only 23 and this will be my 32nd professional fight and I take each one as a learning experience. Herman is talented and I know I need to keep him away and stay out of the clinch although I am not frightened because of my length. He has solid power, but if I keep out of his range the fight will go my way.”   With a few more quality wins Struve could find himself getting close to a title shot. With the influx of heavyweights from Strikeforce and the quality fighters who have been with the organization for some time there is ample opportunity for Struve to prove his worthiness as a true title contender. He realizes who are the top dogs and has no qualms about where he stands in the division as of now.   “I see myself in the top 10 or just outside of it,” said a confident Struve. “I also see myself as one of the more promising fighters in the division and I plan on showing that against Herman and in the years to come. Right now Junior dosSantosis the top heavyweight followed by Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum and Frank Mir. Even a guy like Roy Nelson who may not look like it, but he’s made out of steel. There are so many good fights out there for me and I look forward to what the future brings.”   With a career filled with so many bright spots and a future that has endless limitations Struve can enjoy looking back on some of his best moments as well as looking towards the future. It’s amazing what he has accomplished at such a young age. Struve plans on making this birthday a special one and in order to accomplish that he needs to use his God given abilities along with all of the hard work he has put in.   “Every win is a great achievement for me,” Struve told Fighters.com. “My last win against Pat Barry was great; I got the Submission of the Night bonus so that made it even more special, especially coming off a tough loss. I’m proud of all of my victories; my win against Stojnic was memorable because of the huge cut on my face. People still talk about that. I have had a lot of great moments and I plan on making many more. Everything that ends a fight is a good memory for me whether it is by submission or knockout, as long as I get my hand raised.”   Struve would like to thank all of his coaches, training partners and everyone else who has supported him throughout his MMA career. He would also like to thank Boost Mobile who has been his sponsor for his past few fights. For more information on Struve you can follow him on Twitter @stefanstruve. Tweet

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, heavyweight, struve

Read the full article at Fighters.com

England’s Phil De Fries is a man unafraid of poking at the status quo. Before his UFC debut last November against Rob Broughton, it was important to point out that he was a heavyweight submission specialist hailing from a country that primarily produces standup fighters among the big men. This time around, as he travels to Omaha, Nebraska for his Wednesday meeting with fellow unbeaten Stipe Miocic, De Fries’ curveball is the fact that in a world that can often be filled with mean mugs and fierce stares, he’s not afraid of smiling and poking a little fun at himself, his nickname “S11” being a prime example.“I love my B movies and my friends always joke about it, so I thought I’d put that on,” said De Fries of the moniker inspired by the title creature of the horror film Sharktopus. “You’re just a normal person. Everyone’s silly at heart and I always like to vent my silliness on Facebook and see what people think.”It’s a refreshing change of pace, but while De Fries is quick with a laugh, when it comes to his day job, he’s all business, and his 8-0, 1 NC record reflects that. No win was more important than his three round unanimous decision victory over Broughton at UFC 138 though. Admitting in a pre-fight interview that his opponent was “the number one UK heavyweight for years,” De Fries took that leap into the Octagon with both feet, not only winning the bout, but doing it by going the distance for the first time in a career that began in April of 2009.“I was nervous, but the full experience of the UFC just gets you really psyched, so I was up for it, and it was a really good experience,” said De Fries, who sat on his stool after round two knowing that he was going into virgin territory, both as a third round first timer and as a fighter who needed a big finish to break open an even fight.“I knew I went down in the second round, so I thought I’ve gotta put it on the line here and go out and win,” he said. He did, taking a 29-28 nod on all cards. De Fries was impressed by Broughton’s toughness.“He’s very, very good at submission defense,” the Sunderland native said of his foe. “I was going for a lot of chokes, sinking D’arces in, and I was trying to tie arms off, but he was very, very good at being very negative and trying to stop my game a bit, but he was really good. He was surprisingly good on the ground. When he turned into that kimura, I didn’t really expect it from him. It was a tough, tough fight.”And one that added to the 25-year old’s win total and his confidence.“It’s definitely a good confidence boost, plus I took the most punishment I’ve even taken in a fight as well, so it was kind of encouraging to myself about my own heart,” he said. “I definitely proved something to myself about my fitness, and I’m going to be much more confident in this one.”Miocic is coming off a solid Octagon debut as well, decisioning tough Joey Beltran at UFC 136. Wednesday’s bout is a nice one stylistically, because while Miocic may have the edge in the standup and wrestling, he yields to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt De Fries when it comes to submissions, as “S11” has earned tap out wins in seven of his eight victories. That’s not even counting the high stakes involved with this being a televised main card matchup between two undefeated heavyweight prospects.“There’s always the pressure, but the UFC is really good at getting guys psyched for the fight, so I’m sure it will be an awesome fight,” said De Fries. “Stipe’s an excellent fighter, a brilliant boxer, and he was an NCAA Division I wrestler as well, but we’ll see what happens.”Supplementing his work at The Fight Pit at home in Sunderland with a couple weeks training with London Shootfighters, De Fries is ready for his second shot in the UFC as well as his first fight in the United States.“It’s my first time away from home, hopefully I won’t be getting booed, but I don’t think I will,” said De Fries, who got used to the States while training with the Alliance team in San Diego for the Broughton fight. “The fans are quite nice. At least I hope so.”He laughs, not a surprise coming from the 6-foot-5, 250 pounder. But this is a business trip, so the next array of jokes will have to wait for Thursday morning. And that’s fine with him.“Being in the UFC is one thing, staying there is something else, isn’t it?” he asks. “I did spend a lot of time traveling to different camps and things, and I know there’s a lot of improving to do, but I’m constantly learning and taking it one step at a time, and I’ll take any fight they give me.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, i ’m, fry

Read the full article at UFC

Light heavyweight star Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has never shied away expressing his desire to hang up his trademark chain and call it a career by the time he’s 35. However, had he defeated divisional king Jon Jones in September it turns out the 33-year old would have seriously considered speeding up his plan, retiring with the belt rather than making any real attempt at defending it. Jackson’s admission came in a recent interview with Fighters Only where he said, “If I had won that Jon Jones fight and if the Japan show wasn’t next, then there would have been a very good chance I would have retired already. It would have been a great time to bow out,” adding he would have ducked out after putting the gold up for grabs in Japan at UFC 144. Jackson has professed his love for the Land of the Rising Sun numerous times before, lobbying hard to fight on the show and entertain some of his most loyal fans at the historic show. Without the title in tow, the former UFC/PRIDE champ will use the next eighteen months of his life to attempt to earn one final crack at the strap. “I still want to retire as champion. I want to hold the belt once more,” Jackson revealed. The next step in that process will come in two weeks when he rumbles with Ryan Bader at the very event that could have marked his last had things played out differently (UFC 144). Jackson had won back-to-back bouts entering the title-fight with Jones and holds an overall record of 32-9 including past victories over Lyoto Machida, Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell, and Dan Henderson. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, time, jone, jackson, ufcpride champ

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

There's been a quiet battle going on behind the scenes between the UFC and fighter management. The UFC wants to hold onto the power to make whatever fights they want and not have to pay out the nose for them. Managers are more about watching out for their fighter's long term careers and trying to milk a promotion for every penny they can. So it should be no surprise that there's a decent amount of butting heads going on. Or rather the UFC headbutting the sh*t out of managers.You won't read much about this story because the last reporter who covered it got called a c*nt by Dana White in a video blog and was excommunicated from the UFC media circle. Since then, White has been pretty vocal about how most MMA management sucks and actively encourages fighters to minimize the role agents play in their lives. You may remember Alistair Overeem severing ties with Golden Glory after a conversation with Lorenzo Fertitta. You may not remember several of the other times stuff like that has gone on. And now here's Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua explaining why he left his long time manager: "There are some different people helping me with this part right now; I’m still thinking. The UFC has made it clear that we don’t need a manager; all negotiations are conducted by the athletes themselves. A manager today is not like in the Pride days. At that time, they had much more weight. I am in favor of a manager, that’s not the reason that I separated from Eduardo. I want to work with people nearby: Eduardo works in Sao Paulo and I’m in Curitiba. But, this is not the only reason. There are others, like I said." This is one of those times where I am both impressed and terrified at the UFC's ability to get their way. Not only are they succeeding at curtailing the power of agents, but they've got their own fighters leading the charge. I'm all for some checks and balances to keep fighters from ducking opponents or demanding insane-o money for fights, but this is just another situation where the UFC has so much power you end up having to just hope they won't be evil with it. Considering their track record, that's not always the safest bet.

Posted in: ufc, time, fighter, i ’m, manager

Read the full article at Fightlinker

Former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz, who quickly established himself as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 170-pound number one contender upon his Octagon return in 2011, tested positive for marijuana following his UFC 143 loss to Carlos Condit back on Feb. 4 in Las Vegas. For Diaz, the infraction marked the second time he's been popped for the green stuff in Nevada, having flunked his exam after strangling Takanori Gomi at PRIDE 33 nearly five years ago. And let's not overlook the drug test he bailed on prior to his planned fight against Jay Hieron in California. While Diaz has the right to appeal, he's expected to face a steep monetary fine, as well as a lengthy suspension that could last as long as one year. Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer explains the next steps for Diaz (via SiriusXM Fight Club) after the jump. "Mr. Diaz will receive the complaint. The complaints have been mailed to him. He'll receive the complaint by mail and he'll have 20 days upon receipt to file an answer. With the complaint, those are just allegations at this time. There's been no finding against him. He'll have ample opportunity to respond to the complaint and then we'd put it on for a hearing at a time that works for him as well as the Attorney General's office probably April based on past disciplinary complaints and at that time, there'll be a hearing before the full commission and then they make a decision at that time and if they found the athlete guilty, they'd then impose whatever discipline they felt was appropriate." UFC President Dana White released a statement in the wake of the commission's findings, expressing his "disappointment" in the Stockton slugger's inability to play by the rules. Diaz is not expected to be released based on this transgression, as ZUFFA chief Lorenzo Fertitta told Twitter followers he would be accepted back into the promotion after serving his time. Anyone agree with that decision? For more on the fallout from UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" and the ensuing drug test fiasco click here, here and here. MMAmania.com's Brian Hemminger contributed to this report.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, time, commission, complaint

Read the full article at MMA Mania

As suspected, Nick Diaz's UFC 143 drug test came back positive for 'marijuana metabolites.' NSAC head Keith Kizer made the announcement last night, and it sounds like Nick is in line for a year long suspension and a hefty fine. This isn't the first time he's tested positive after a fight - his THC levels were so high after the Gomi PRIDE fight that commissioners determined he was actually straight up stoned in the ring. That incident saw Nick benched for 6 months and fined 20% of his $15,000 purse - or $3000 to yous that can't math so good. Worse still, they overturned his totally sweet gogoplata submission win and ruled the fight a no contest. This time the worst punishment - other than the loss of a big money Condit rematch and the eventual GSP scrap - will probably be the financial hit. 20% of $200,000 is $40,000, and there is a good chance the fine will be higher because this is Nick's second identical offense in Nevada.The NSAC pulled the curtain back a little on their weed policy when Nick tested positive in 2007 and showed how a positive test comes to be. While a positive THC test is technically anything above 15, the NSAC doesn't do anything unless the test number is above 50. When he fought Gomi, Nick tested positive with a whopping 175. I'm looking forward to hearing what kinda numbers he posted this time. That'll tell us whether he just didn't get off the reefer in time or if he was smoking that sticky icky like a fiend right up to the fight. That would have been something for the Primetime specials, wouldn't it?

Posted in: fight, time, nick, test, nsac

Read the full article at Fightlinker

After testing positive for marijuana, UFC welterweight Nick Diaz will have plenty of time to ponder his future, which may be what he wanted.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, time, lefko, reflection

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

I'm sure you've heard the news by now. The UFC's resident anti-hero Nick Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites today, and is about to face a long suspension. This will be Nick's second weed suspension by the NSAC, and he has now screwed up both of his scheduled UFC appearances in one way or another. In addition, he also blew his chances at a rematch with Carlos Condit, a bout that was all but official before this positive test surfaced. Precedent states that he will not be released from the promotion. But it's high time Dana White set a new precedent and kicked Stockton's finest to the curb. Before you start screaming "it's just weed, man!", let's get one thing out of the way. It doesn't matter that it's "just weed". NSAC rules say it's an illegal substance. Whether you agree with that or not is completely irrelevant. The bottom line is that it IS illegal, and unless it was a false positive for some reason, Diaz, of his own free will, ingested something in a certain time frame that he knew might lead to a positive test. The fault (again, if it's not a false positive) falls entirely upon one person - Nick Diaz. Apologize and make excuses for him all you want. Nothing changes that simple fact. After Diaz skipped two press conferences and was removed from his UFC welterweight title bout with Georges St. Pierre before UFC 137, he was given the stiff sentence of instead competing in the co-main event against B.J. Penn. This time he will actually be severely punished. He will lose a large portion of his UFC 143 purse, and a purse from the Condit rematch. He will also be out for a year, based on NSAC precedent for repeat offenders. Luckily for Nick, UFC president Dana White who is notoriously soft on people that pop for illegal substances. He has stated multiple times that a long suspension, which robs the fighter of the opportunity to make a living, is punishment enough. I suspect that will be the case here as well. But, Mr. White, this situation is different, and you should treat this differently. As I have stated before, Diaz, a guy who flaunts his ability to beat marijuana tests to the media yet still gets busted, has been enabled for his entire career. He has been allowed to do as he pleases, with little to no repercussions. His coaches cover for him at every opportunity. His fans, even when faced with a mountain of evidence in regards to his guilt, still protect his "good" name and ignore his transgressions. . On top of all this, his promoters/bosses have frequently let him skate because he's a commodity they hope to squeeze future revenue out of. Where does it end? Where's the line in the sand? If Dana White has any sense, he will cut ties with Diaz once and for all. White loves to say that MMA will become the biggest sport in the world one day. He's not going to get there any time soon by continually enabling fighters that can't follow simple rules, fighters that actually flaunt their ability to get around those rules beforehand. Unfortunately, the anti-hero has sunk his hooks into the hearts of fans with money in their wallet, and the mighty dollar rules all when it comes to the UFC. You'll see Nick Diaz in the octagon in 2013. And people will still care. And that's pathetic. SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit

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

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The rumors were true. Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit II isn’t going to happen because Nick Diaz has tested positive for marijuana at UFC 143. The NSAC’s Keith Kizer revealed the news today. “All results received thus far have been negative, except Mr. Diaz (who) tested positive for marijuana metabolites,” Kizer said in a statement. “A complaint for disciplinary action against Mr. Diaz has been filed.” Not exactly shocking news for anybody who’s at all familiar with Diaz. Everyone knows he smokes weed and actually, it’s perfectly legal for him to do so in his home state of California where he has a medical marijuana card. The problem is the state of Nevada tests for it and while Nick has bragged in the past about how easy it is to beat a marijuana test, he still managed to test positive for it for the second time in his career. And it couldn’t come at a worse possible time. He’s at the height of his popularity and was days away from being handed a rare second chance at beating Carlos Condit and moving on to a big money fight with Georges St. Pierre. Instead, he’ll likely have to pay some kind of fine and serve some kind of suspension. I won’t deny that the rule itself is pretty dumb, but the bottom line is Nick should have known better, especially after getting busted for the same thing back in 2007 for his epic fight against Takanori Gomi at PRIDE 33. The situation sucks, but at least Condit won the fight. Imagine how screwed up the welterweight title picture would be if he hadn’t. Here’s Joe Rogan sharing a funny story about the first time Nick got popped for pot.

Posted in: diaz, time, nick, marijuana, mr diaz

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Nick Diaz fights in Las Vegas, does his usual schtick enlarging his fame among his diehard fans and leaving the rest of the MMA world slightly confused, but intrigued. Then the drug-test results come back, and suddenly he has a real problem that won’t go away. Not without a suspension and a fine, in all likelihood.For the second time in his professional career, Diaz has been busted for marijuana use by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The first was back in 2007, when his spectacular submission win over Takanori Gomi at PRIDE 33 was changed to a no contest after Diaz turned in a urine sample with THC levels that would make Willie Nelson blush. Fast forward five years, and it’s the same story, only this time in the UFC, and at a time when he can least afford it. If you were surprised to learn that Diaz has a bit of a thing for weed, I have some news about Ernest Hemingway and booze that may shock you. If, like most of us, you already knew that Diaz liked a puff from time to time and just assumed he’d gotten better at fooling the drug tests, the news is probably more of a vague disappointment than anything else. It’s not that he uses one of the most harmless drugs (and least performance-enhancing ones) on the banned substances list -- it’s that he got caught for it. Of all the questionable things Diaz does -- from slapping and taunting opponents to making the lives of the UFC PR staff miserable -- smoking weed is actually probably the most defensible. After all, he lives in California, where medical marijuana is legal. His trainer, Cesar Gracie, has publicly stated in the past that Diaz has a prescription for it, and if anyone could make the case for needing a little something to soothe his general anxiety, it’s Diaz. My point is, most people in the MMA world probably don’t care that he smokes weed. It’s not giving him an unfair advantage over his opponents, and it isn’t jeopardizing his health. I suppose you could argue that it makes him a poor role model for kids, but no more than fighters who like to knock back a few too many adult beverages at the after-parties, and certainly not more than those who abuse use steroids or other performance-enhancers (not to mention, Nick Diaz is your kid’s role model? If so, you’ve got bigger issues coming your way real soon). But if some fighters can get permission to up their testosterone levels before a fight, why can’t Diaz use something that helps him relax and enjoy Reno 911 re-runs? The answer is: because the athletic commission says he can’t. Right or wrong, those are the rules, and Diaz knew it. The UFC might have been content to look the other way as long as he passed his drug tests, but the moment he fails to hold up his end of the bargain is the moment he has a problem.Rematch with Carlos Condit? It’s a non-issue now. And can you imagine if the decision had gone his way, and if the organization was left waiting out a Georges St-Pierre injury and a Diaz drug suspension before it could make the fight that fans desperately wanted to see?At the same time, it’s sad and a little bizarre that the least harmful thing Diaz does to himself is among the most harmful to his career. As much as he loves to complain about wholly imagined injustices, this one is sort of real. If a guy can get permission for testosterone, why can’t he get it for marijuana? If he smokes it legally a week before his fight, why does it matter whether it shows up in a urinalysis? And yet, it does matter, at least to the NSAC. Diaz knows it is, as do his coaches, who have at least some responsibility to try and look out for the guy. They learned this lesson once already, so it’s hard to feel too much sympathy for them the second time around. It’s also difficult to feel too angry or betrayed. This isn’t an attempt to cheat, it’s just a failure to get away with something that none of us really cared he was doing anyway. It’s an oversight. It’s a screw-up that lends itself to the existing narrative of immaturity and irresponsibility in unfortunate ways, and at perhaps the most unfortunate time. If Diaz thought MMA wasn’t worth the trouble when he lost a close decision, what’s he going to think now that the NSAC is likely to fine and suspend him? What if one of the most interesting and entertaining fighters in the sport is run into an early retirement by his own inability to deal with adversity, combined with an antiquated rule regarding a misunderstood substance?It will be a shame, certainly. It also be frustratingly pointless. More than anything, it’s just dumb. Diaz didn’t break this rule as an act of civil disobedience. He simply messed up his own system somewhere along the line. That, or he found a brand new way to sabotage himself. Either way, he’ll have plenty of time to think about it now. So will his employers at the UFC.

Posted in: diaz, time, way, drug, itrsquo

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

I ask you this: if Frankie Edgar has his car towed, then how will he get to Japan for UFC 144? Frankie is trying to focus on defending his lightweight title for a third time (two defenses, one time retained against Gray) and if he defeats Ben Henderson February 25th in the Saitama Super Arena then he will tie BJ Penn for the most successful title defenses in UFC lightweight history. I hope you're happy Akira Corrassani. This isn't a time to be playing intricate pranks involving the towing of his transportation for our enjoyment. Or is it? {iframe}http://d.yimg.com/nl/yahoo sports/site/player.html# browseCarouselUI=hide&vid=28163981&startScreenCarouselUI=hide&shareUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Fblindsided%2Fblindsided-ufc-champ-frankie-edgar-s-tow-truck-adventure-28163981.html&repeat=0{/iframe} [Source]

Posted in: bj penn, time, frankie edgar, title defenses, akira corrassani

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate recently called Ronda Rousey, who will challenge "Takedown" for her 135-pound title on March 3 in Columbus, Ohio, a "one trick pony." She said this, of course, because Rousey has finished all of her opponents inside the first minute of the first round via judo throw into an armbar. Like clockwork. But Rousey asserts that Tate is only saying that because she has no footage to study and it simply shows her lack of knowledge: "I think it's funny that she says that because it's really because she has no footage to study of me. She doens't know anything that I do. She's only seen one of my tricks. And what she doens't realize is with a lot of those matches I did a different takedown, almost every single time, I did a different entry into the armbar a different time, and I did it from a different position every single time. So it might look like one trick to somebody else but there's a lot of knowledge and training that goes into being able to (do that). If you only see the finish, then you're not seeing the whole thing. I think that her saying that kind of speaks to what she doesn't know." So yes, Rousey is ripping arms off left and right but she's doing it in a completely new and beautiful way each and every time. And Tate's lack of acknowledging as much shows she's uninformed on such things, right? Either way, all this catty talking will come to an end in less than a month when the two meet in the Strikeforce cage to settle their differences. Anyone think "Rowdy" will add another limb to her already large collection?

Posted in: time, tate, rousey, she, trick

Read the full article at MMA Mania

If there’s one thing practically every mixed martial arts writer can say, it’s that there’s no such thing as a bad Diego Sanchez interview. When The Ultimate Fighter season one winner and former world title challenger gets rolling (and it usually doesn’t take much), it’s best to just set up your recorder and let him roll, because you’re about to get enough quotes to last you for a week’s full of stories. With his UFC on FUEL main event against Jake Ellenberger approaching a week from today, here’s a sampling of memorable musings from “The Dream.”THE GOALS HAVE NEVER CHANGED (2005)“I’m not here to be the fifth best or the second best in the world.  I’m here to be the best in the world, hands down.  If I set my expectations lower than that, I wouldn’t be a champion.  NEVER PERSONAL (2005) “It’s business when I go in there.  I look at this as my career, as my life.  I’ve got my mom and my dad – my dad who works construction – and I want to have money for them to retire.  I want to end all the hard work and I want to be there for stuff like that.  I think about the reasons why I’m fighting and stuff like that.  So a little thing like that - trying to distract me by getting me mad – that’s not gonna throw me off my goal.” THE ART OF WAR (2005) “This is my art.  It’s my body, my mind, and my spirit, and when I go into the ring I look at it as war. I look at it like he’s trying to take my job from me, trying to take the money I’ve put on the table for food, and basically trying to take my life away.  So when I go in there, I go in there with the mentality that once they lock that door, I’m going in there and fighting for my life.  And when you’re fighting for your life, what else do you got?”   ORIGINS (2005)  “I wasn’t looking for the fight, it found me, and that’s basically the way fighting found me. I hadn’t been in a lot of fights in my life and I got tested in the street fight one time, fighting a big, strong, tough athlete who had strong endurance – he was a football player and he outweighed me by like 70 pounds, and I was able to overcome those odds. And I had wrestled, but I didn’t know jiu-jitsu – it was all heart. And when I overcame that guy, I started to think that maybe I am meant for this.”  DESTINY (2005) “I always loved the UFC, I always wanted to be a UFC fighter, but did I think it was gonna happen? I didn’t know. But after that happened, I started to realize. Then it was just one fight after another, building momentum, my confidence grew and I continued to trust in God and believe that maybe this was why I was put on the TV show and why everything is just the way it is. I believe its destiny.” ABU DHABI (2005)“I took that tournament on two weeks notice, I wasn’t training, and I cut 23 pounds in a week. I was so weak from my match with Jake Shields, a match that I lost, and then I was able to stick with Marcelo (Garcia) a day later in the absolute division and I was stronger because I had a day to recover. We were 0-0 with 30 seconds left and I was getting desperate and I went for a sloppy move with the best grappler in the world and he caught me with the counter move and I was submitted for the first time in competition. But what I had done to my body, I killed myself. I never wanted to quit so bad in my life. I was mentally weak in that sauna, and I felt myself wanting to quit. It taught me a big lesson. After that happened, you will never see Diego Sanchez cutting weight like that again for a mixed martial arts fight. Because if I had been in a mixed martial arts fight, I probably would have been beaten, because my insides were gone. I felt my organs hurting and I never want to feel that in a fight. I did a lot of things wrong to get things right.” CONFIDENCE MAN (2005)“If I’m not confident, then I’m gonna start to have doubts and start to think about the bad things that can happen to me in the cage – like getting knocked out or submitted or cut. If I think about those things, it’s gonna be on my mind and it’s gonna bring me down. I stay positive, I stay focused, and I think about what I have to do to beat my opponent.” FIGHT LIKE IT’S YOUR LAST (2005) “You never know when it’s gonna be your last fight, and I fight every fight like that.  When I’m in there, I will fight with every ounce of blood I have in me, with all my spirit, heart, and mind. And I’ve heard fighters say this, but truly, he’s gonna have to kill me to beat me because I’m not gonna quit, I’m not gonna break.” THE “0” (2006)“In my mind all the TUF guys are gonna lose and I’m gonna be the only undefeated fighter and I’m still gonna be the only guy that went through the show, finished everybody, and I’m gonna be ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ They’re gonna say, ‘that guy Diego Sanchez, he was ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ through all the seasons.’ They’re gonna say that he was the only guy that dominated it, came out after it, stayed undefeated, won the belt, and got out of his contract undefeated.”JUST BELIEVE (2006)“Really all it is is a mental state, a way of thinking, and it’s a way of believing in yourself. I believe in myself, and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be doing this. Anyone can do anything if they believe and I’m trying to get that message across. Everybody wants to hate and everybody wants to doubt, and there are people out there who want to see me lose just to see me lose, and they think I’m cocky, but I believe in myself. If you want to hate me because of that, go ahead. If I didn’t believe, there would be times in fights where I’d be like, ‘okay, I can quit, I’m tired,’ but I feel I’ve got a lot a heart, and though people say every dog has its day and everybody has his time to lose, maybe that’s true but I’m trying my best to take fights smart and fight smart and do my best to keep my record undefeated. When I started this game a long time ago, I told myself I’m gonna be smart about it. I’m not just gonna go in there and be (former UFC contender) Robbie Lawler and say “ARRRGGGGGH, I’m gonna brawl and try to knock your head off and try to be the most exciting fighter in MMA history.” That’s not my gameplan. My gameplan is to be smart, and that means there may be some boring fights, but other fights are gonna be damn exciting, and I’m always gonna push the pace and do what I can to win.”THE FIRST LOSS (2007)“It was a slow process, but ever since I won the Ultimate Fighter TV show in 2005, even though I had good fights and great wins, slowly, the fame was changing me. And I had to look back, analyze everything and ask myself who I was. I wasn’t that same tiger when I went into the ring with Josh Koscheck that I was whenever I started getting into this game. I was going through the motions and I wasn’t focused. I wasn’t being myself. I just need to be me and not think about anything else. I have to be that same hungry, King of The Cage fighter that was at the bottom of the barrel, that comes from Albuquerque, New Mexico, raised in poverty. That’s the Diego Sanchez that I need to be.”A CHANGE OF SCENERY (2007)“I’ve been doing the same thing for a long time. I’ve been raised in Albuquerque my whole life and I was ready for a change. I had been wanting to go out to California. Every time I’d come out to San Diego, for a month or two months to do conditioning camps with Rob Garcia, I’d always be like ‘man, it’s so nice out here. I wish I could run the beach everyday or work on my boxing more.’ But there wasn’t a ground guy out there for me, and of course there was my loyalty to Greg Jackson. I had the Jackson Gaidojutsu team, New Mexico was my home state, and I knew everybody over there, but things happen and it was the right time. Saulo Ribeiro and Xande Ribeiro moved to San Diego and opened up a school, and those guys are, in my opinion, the two best ground guys in the world. I’ve rolled with Marcelo Garcia and some of the best guys, and there ain’t nothing like a Saulo Ribeiro or an Alexander Ribeiro.”THE MOVE TO LIGHTWEIGHT (2009)“Fighting at 170 has always been good for me, but I walk around at a little chubby 180, and by the time I’m in great shape and ripped, I’m 172, 173, and not really cutting weight. So where this sport is going, everybody’s cutting weight. When I fought Jon Fitch, he had at least 20 pounds on me, and there was a very big size advantage. So after getting injured before the Thiago Alves fight, I just had to make a decision. I thought about all the options at 170, and what would be the best choice for me, and then I thought that if I dropped to ’55, I’m going to be bigger, stronger, able to focus more on technique and not on how to get bigger. Strength training was a big part of my training at 170, trying to get bigger. Now at 155, I get to work more on maintaining strength, which is a totally different task. I made the decision, and if there’s ever a time for me to do it, it’s gonna be now, while I’m still in my 20’s. When I get into my 30’s it’s gonna be a lot harder.”THE FIRST TITLE SHOT (2009)“I’m one to always put high expectations on every fight, so there’s no added pressure on me. For me, I feel like there’s always the same amount of pressure on every fight because every fight’s just as important. But this fight is something special to me. For the first time in my career, I’m fighting for a world title, and more important, against my opponent, BJ Penn. The guy’s probably been the most dominant lightweight in UFC history and I’ve been waiting for this fight with BJ Penn for a long time because all along I knew that fighting BJ Penn was going to bring out the best Diego Sanchez, and Diego Sanchez fighting BJ Penn is going to bring out the best in him. So that night we’re both gonna be pushed to see who has more heart and who is the better fighter – and that’s what it’s gonna come down to because I feel we match up well in all areas of the game.”GOING HOME TO ABQ (2010)“I loved San Diego and I still do. I was living really nice out there, real comfortable, but I just felt in my heart that I had to get back to my roots. I asked myself, ‘what got me there, what got me in the UFC, what got me to The Ultimate Fighter, what got me through The Ultimate Fighter, and what got me to the top of the UFC 170-pound division?’ It was just that hard working energy of Albuquerque and having my mom and my dad, and having that love around me all the time.”GETTING HUNGRY AGAIN (2010)“I felt very humbled in the BJ Penn fight and in the two months after the fight when I couldn’t train and I was just out and about and doing my thing because I had this big cut on my head, that’s when I felt very humbled. It’s not about the Hollywood lifestyle. It’s really nice to get all these fans and all these people who love you because of what you do in the Octagon, but I had to look back to before all of that when I was just another kid wanting to climb to the top. I don’t need to have the most expensive this or the nicest that. I don’t have to drink bottled water; I can drink some of this Albuquerque tap water and get just as rough and rugged and mean. And I honestly feel like my skills have improved.”ON ALBUQUERQUE (2010)“Before Albuquerque was known to the world, I grew up watching Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero boxing and I was a little fighter. I got into street fights, and it’s just a mentality. I call it the ‘Burque. It’s short for Albuquerque but it’s just a mentality, that ‘let’s get it’ mentality, and that separates me from a lot of the other fighters. I could never go into a fight and be thinking ‘okay, I’m gonna circle right, circle left, throw three leg kicks, see how he counters, and then I’m gonna set my takedown up.’ The mentality that I fight with is that I look at two pitbulls and before the fight, those two dogs are just going for the kill and they’re instinctively countering each other and moving synergistically and looking for the opportunity to strike and take their opponent out. And that’s the way I go into a fight. I think that’s probably the reason why I have such a big fanbase. They love that I go in there and put my heart on the line and I risk it. I’m gonna always risk it.”BACK TO JACKSON’S (2010)“Greg (Jackson) had told me that the door was always open and they always treated me like a family member, with open arms. And I was just being stubborn. I wanted to try to do a camp myself, but I was still in the process of moving. I went to do my camp in New Mexico (for the John Hathaway fight) because I felt I needed to do that, but I still had my place in San Diego, still had ties to my previous team, and I wanted to do it right when I made my return to Jackson’s. Right now, everything’s perfect.”GROWING PAINS (2010)“I want to be the best and I want to continue to get better. I’ve made some mistakes in my career, I’ve made some bad decisions, and there’s been multiple times where I was growing up and I got sucked into the limelight. But right now, I realized in my last fight that when it’s all said and done, it just comes down to earning the W. So my mentality now is, I’m just gonna earn it. I’m gonna earn the victory, work hard, and when I go in that gym, I want to be the hardest worker in there. That’s my whole new mindset on mixed martial arts and my career – be the hardest worker and earn the victory.”ON FIGHTING (2010)“It’s my blessing. I feel like I was blessed with the fighting ability and that’s my calling. It’s what I love to do and it’s my passion. You’ve heard me say this way back in the beginning of my career that I feel it’s my destiny to fight and to be champion, so I’m not letting go of that. I’m gonna continue to work hard, and I really feel like I’ve got my head on my shoulders finally after so many trials and tribulations. I’ve got my feet digging down in the ground, I’m standing firm, I’m working hard, and I’m gonna show everybody how hard work can pay off, because talent can only take you so far.”RISING TO THE TOP AGAIN (2011)“I’m climbing up the ladder and there’s only one way to do it and that’s to earn it. That’s what I realized after my losses to BJ (Penn) and John (Hathaway). I was going through the motions. I always trained hard and I’m not making excuses, but there’s no comparison between my training in San Diego and what it is here. I was in San Diego basically doing jiu-jitsu in the gi and then going to striking. I was putting MMA together and trying to create this style that wasn’t my own style. And when I came back to New Mexico, Greg said, ‘that’s not you. We gotta change a lot of things.’ He analyzed my fights when I wasn’t with him and he broke me down, and we reinvented me to what my style should be, and I came full circle as a martial artist and found my style. It took some time, but we worked on it.”EGO (2011) “I’ve always been able to look at myself and say ‘remember where you came from.’ It’s not hard for me to put my ego aside because that’s the way you get better. You can’t care what other people think because some days you’re gonna go into the gym and have hard days.”COMING HOME, PART II (2011)“I look back now and it was a great experience being away, but I never would have appreciated what I have if I didn’t leave it. Me and Greg (Jackson) started out together. I was one of his first fighters, and we were on the grappling circuit and had barely started doing MMA fights. I didn’t know what I had. I didn’t even know what I had in my hometown of Albuquerque. Now there’s such a deep appreciation each and every day that I walk into that gym just knowing that I really have something special here.” THE PAYOFF (2011)“I like getting bonuses and going out in the streets and having people just shining at me like bright lights, saying ‘oh, I can’t believe your last performance, it was so amazing, and the fight was so good.’ I want that kind of reaction.” 

Posted in: fight, time, ’t, i ’m, ’m

Read the full article at UFC

The aftermath of the Nick Diaz vs Carlos Condit fight at UFC 143 has seen some incredibly good fan posts around the SBnation community: My early favorite was this post by Bloody Elbow community member "crazybones", in which he bemoans the separation of violence and sport that has gradually been taking place in MMA. Dallas Winston asked people to share their scores, which provided a great sampling of opinions and insights for seeing it one way or the other. I'm sure you've all read it by now, but another BE member, KGNLuc, took the time to transcribe what was said in Nick's corner during the fight. Above all else, It's a fascinating look into the relationship between Nathan and Nick. If you haven't or don't read it you will definitely be missing some key information when trying to evaluate the fight. Finally, Monte Fisto opens up his fight watching toolbox and shares a concept that everyone who cares about MMA should know: "The Rule of Trembling Shock". Just go read it. Throughout those (and other) threads, it emerged that a large portion of those who saw it for Diaz felt he clearly won and a large portion of those who saw if for Condit felt he clearly won. How so many people can look at a singular event and have wildly differing accounts is generally known as "The Rashomon effect", named after Japanese film maker Akira Kurosawa's film "Roshomon", which depicted a crime seen in mutually contradictory ways through the eyes of four people. In applying the concept to MMA, passion clearly plays a large role; Diaz fans will tend to see the fight for Diaz, while Condit fans will tend to see the fight for Condit. Another contributing factor is the tendency for opposing factions to attempt to discredit each other while at the same time trying to get their point across. A great example of this in everyday life is the political debate over the de-criminalization of marijuana. Those in favor of de-criminalization would have you believe that it is a miracle plant with countless benefits and no negative side effects. Those who are against de-criminalization, on the other hand, claim that, among other bad things, it turns all who use it into worthless, unmotivated slobs and often leads to more serious drug use. Of course there are grains of truth on both sides but neither will ever admit it, in fear that their position will then be dismissed entirely. Back to fighting though. By now, having heard the countless arguments from both sides, I think most reasonable members of the MMA community would agree that the Diaz/Condit fight was an incredibly close affair. Judging that fight live must have been an exceedingly difficult task and I wonder how many times the judges went back and forth in their heads before settling on Condit. Fortunately for us, we do not have to render our verdict in the two minutes immediately following the fight. We have the benefit of being able to watch the fight multiple times, of looking at the CompuStrike and FightMetric stats, of listening to the opinions of many many educated observers, before we come to a conclusion, if we even do. (I'm okay with saying, "That particular fight was so close, I'm not exactly sure who I think won". I've said it before and will probably say it again.) With the number of close fights happening in the past few years, I've spent a lot of time thinking about how I watch and evaluate fighting and this fight has convinced me that it was time for me to ask how the members of this esteemed community watch and evaluate. After the jump I'll share my fight watching evolution from noob to whatever I am now (potentially still a noob) and hopefully a handful of people will do the same. When I started watching the sport, I was generally not really sure what I was looking at. I would alternate between watching one fighter or the other every few seconds, mostly their faces and it was impossible for me to tell what happened during standing exchanges unless a fighter was noticably effected by a strike. Even then all I could really tell was that one guy hit the other with either a punch or a kick. When the fight hit the ground I was even less sure what was happening. During this phase of watching fights I relied on the play by play and color to fill me in on what was happening and I took their opinions as the gospel truth. Since I, like most sports fans, had already been exposed to stand-up striking through boxing and of course, Bloodsport, I was most concerned with learning about the ground game. Luckily for me I started watching a little bit after a couple of my close friends did, so they knew the basics. I can still remember asking "did he just pass to half guard?". After I had the positional aspect of the ground game down, I learned what a few of the submissions looked like and I would just keep track of the positions and submission attempts. At that point I wasn't big on giving the guy on top the advantage. My next stage of evolution was in how I watched the stand-up. I'm not sure if someone tipped me off to this method, or if I just came up with it on my own, but I stopped watching the fighters faces and bodies and started focusing on the space in between them. I found watching like this made it far easier to identify what strikes were being thrown by who and while I still had a bit of a tough time keeping track of prolonged exchanges, I felt I had a much better idea of who was winning. I continued watching fights this way until I started grappling, about two years ago. This greatly changed the way I viewed the ground game. I started to appreciate how difficult it could be to keep top control. I began to be able to tell when a fighter was looking to advance position and do damage or just preventing their opponent from doing so. I went from seeing the battle for grappling position that often takes place up against the cage as boring to a critical aspect of the match. Around this time I also began to make it a priority to keep the unified scoring criteria in mind at all times. The most recent steps I have taken in my fight watching evolution are watching without sound and watching multiple times. I don't do this for every fight, certainly not fights that end by stoppage, but I have taken to watching close fights a total of four times before I come to a decision. The first time I watch it live, with friends, fully in the moment, absorbing as much as I possibly can and coming up with a decision at the end of the fight, before the judges scores are read.The second time through I watch only one of the fighters, from start to finish. I watch their eyes, their arms and legs, their body language. Then I do the same for the other fighter. I find that this allows me to see things I might have missed and also to identify which fighter is dictacting the fight and which is reacting. Sometimes exchanges happen so fast that it's hard to tell who got the better of them and this method helps me narrow it down. I might make some notes on what I feel were key moments for each guy. Finally, I watch the fight again, alone, with no sound. By this time I have a pretty clear idea of how I think the fight went in my head but I just want to make sure that I haven't been swayed by something the broadcast team said or the way the crowd reacted during the fight. And that about does it. How many of you think this is going way overboard? Anyone have a similar routine? I learned today that Monte Fisto looks for "trembling shock" when watching stand up action. What do you look for in a fight? I'm not sure anyone will want to admit it on the internet, but even after watching like I do, I'm occasionally still unsure of my determination of who won. How confident are you in yours? (Note: I haven't finished my viewings of the Nick Diaz/Carlos Condit fight, but I'm working through it. Just in case anyone wanted to come along and accuse me of making all this up in an effort to justify my giving the fight to one guy or the other) Poll How many times do you watch a close (or not) fight in the aftermath of it? Just once. Twice. Three or more times, all in the same night as the fight Three or more times, leaving at least 24 hours between the first and subsequent viewings   0 votes | Results

Posted in: fight, time, fighter, condit, im

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on DstryrSG, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Hey, grapplers.  By now, you may be familiar with our brother, Adisa Banjoko and his innovative and cleverly named techniques featured here many times.  Adisa is a man of many talents and vocations:  he's an author/journalist and activist and the founder of the Hip Hop Chess Federation, a non-profit organization promoting martial arts, chess and music.  He's also a legit purple belt out of Heroes Martial Arts in San Jose, CA.  He contributes to DSTRYR/SG yet again and we're again equally stoked: Authors Note: This is actually an article that a little more than two years old. It was set to run a long time ago, and I lost it. Well guess what I just dug up? Just in time to, 'cause Denny killed it at the Gracie Nationals. If you are unfamiliar with Denny, he is on his way to being the Michael Jordan of the 10th Planet system. He is the first Black Belt under Eddie Bravo and when you see him fight and hear him speak, you'll know why. At the age of 21, Denny "300" Prokopos is living his dream. He is the first Black belt under the controversial BJJ innovator Eddie Bravo. In competition, Denny carries the spirit of his Greek ancestors onto the mat, attacking endlessly until victory. The only thing deeper than his physical game, is his mind. His mind is constantly evolving on how to approach the "gentle art." Now he runs his own school www.10thplanetjiujitsuSF.com as he refines his game. In this interview we will talk about the evolution of his journey in jiu jitsu, his relentless work ethic and much more. Read the Lost Interview

Posted in: time, belt, interview, art, denny

Read the full article at Middle Easy

MMA bloggers love Dana White because every time he opens his mouth several posts worth of news items fall out. Lost in the shuffle of all the Diaz vs Condit craziness was Dana's spontaneous declaration at a press conference that he wants to fix Strikeforce. This isn't the first time he's brought it up, and you gotta wonder what Dana's angle is sitting down with a scrum of reporters and saying he's not impressed with Showtime's performance. "I'm working on Melendez. Melendez is all over my ass." He added, "I think he's a great fighter and I've said this a million times and I want to say it again. I want to get my hands on Strikeforce. I want to dive into this thing and I want to do it the way that it should be done. And the way that I think it should be done. We'll see what happens."He later addressed his goals to improve the Strikeforce brand saying, "why not the UFC's level? If you talk to anybody they will tell you that Gilbert Melendez is one of the best fighters in the world. There's a ton of guys. Now you got Rockhold over there. Yes, these guys are great. I just want to do things that I want to do things over there. We'll see what happens. You guys know how I am. If I take this Strikeforce thing then I will dive into this thing 100% because I have so much free time. [laughter] I'm looking for a side project. Honestly, I will dive into this thing and I will make it right and I will make it good. I will make the fighters who fight over there not worry about what's going on in the UFC." OMG HE WANTS TO LOBOTOMIZE STRIKEFORCE FIGHTERS! What else is going to make them magically forget about that much more prestigious and financially lucrative promotion under Zuffa's ownership? Tickle me intrigued as to how Dana would turn Strikeforce around. Considering it's worrisome ratings / tickets / existential crisis, it might not even be possible. Which is why I wonder if this kinda talk is a prelude to the UFC pulling the plug on Strikeforce all together. If only they had been able to get the control they needed!

Posted in: time, strikeforce, fighter, dana, thing

Read the full article at Fightlinker

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on DstryrSG, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] "This is a compilation of some of 27 time Jiu Jitsu world champion Renato Laranja's best moments. Known for his aggressive style of Jiu JItsu, Renato has competed against all the big names and has had an incredible amount of success. He is most famous for his anti-drug views and advocacy of the Gi for use in everyday life and for the sport of Jiu Jitsu." - so says YouTube I'm a fan of any man who can win the Mundial 27 times. I'm also a huge fan of any man who can rock a Brazilian accent 24/7. Renato Laranja is one of the Grappling Gods' many, many gifts to us lowly ground gamers. Commence mockumentary mode. What are you waiting for? Watch the Best of Renato Laranja...

Posted in: time, renato, jitsu, jiu, laranja

Read the full article at Middle Easy

UFC 143 delivered everything from brutal finishes to narrow decisions, with post-fight demonstrations that ranged from awesomely acrobatic to jaw-droppingly bizarre. Now that we’ve all had some time to think it over and gorge ourselves on Super Bowl snacks, it’s time to sift through the rubble for our biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.Biggest Winner: Carlos ConditThe blood-and-guts crowd might not like how he did it, but Condit’s strategy was brilliant and disciplined. He avoided the tight exchanges against the fence that Diaz spent the whole fight working for, and he refused to be baited into a street fight. He came in with the perfect plan for negating Diaz’s offense, and unlike many of his predecessors, Condit actually stuck to it. He beat the former Strikeforce champ with nearly flawless execution of a superior, though not necessarily popular strategy. Now he’s the UFC interim champ, which means he gets a belt that’s only slightly more meaningful than the one Chael Sonnen walked around Chicago with. He also gets the ire of the fans who think any strategy that doesn’t include standing in one place and swinging from your heels is somehow unfair or undignified. If he decides to wait until GSP is healthy before he fights again, Condit will get the chance to remedy both those problems in one night. Don’t be surprised if winning over the fans proves to be a lot easier than winning the real belt. Biggest Loser: Georges St-PierreI’ll admit it: this is partly because I can’t think of anyone on this excellent fight card who really deserves to be called a loser. Most of the guys who were literal losers on the night still fought hard and performed well, so let’s cut them slack and focus instead on GSP, who lost something almost as valuable as a title shot on Saturday night. When Diaz lost the decision and declared his intention to take his gloves and go home forever, St-Pierre lost a rival and a nemesis. He lost the chance to face the one person who he seemed to genuinely want to beat up. Now what? He’s supposed to fight Condit, who he has no strong feelings about either way, and who will almost certainly not flip him the bird at any point before, during, or after the fight? That’s no fun. Not for fans, and probably not for GSP, whose passion for the sport seems to be waning just a tad. Diaz provoked some of his old bully-fighting feelings. He stoked the champ’s competitive fire and made him feel like he needed to be ready to fight in a hotel elevator. Now St-Pierre has lost all that, and without ever getting a say in the matter.Most Surprising: Fabricio WerdumAre we sure this is the same guy whose stand-up game consisted primarily of flopping onto his back just eight months ago? Against Nelson, it was as if Werdum had been born again as a kickboxer with lethal knees. You add that to his existing jiu-jitsu skills, and suddenly you have a serious heavyweight contender. Werdum seems uncomfortable being hit, and he’s perhaps a little too quick to go to his back, but this win makes it clear that the big Brazilian is still improving. It also makes you wonder if he might still be in that heavyweight Grand Prix if he’d come into the Alistair Overeem fight with this sort of confidence in his striking game. On second thought, nevermind. It worked out better this way.Least Impressive in Victory: Josh KoscheckHis split decision victory over Mike Pierce was a lot harder to come by than Koscheck seemed to think it would be. Pierce stalled his offense against the fence, turning the fight into a slow battle for takedowns and position. Normally that’s the kind of fight Koscheck excels in, but this one was a struggle. It was also a risk, since that decision could have easily gone the other way. Koscheck wrote a lot of it off to a lack of motivation for this fight, which is somewhat understandable. After fighting GSP and Matt Hughes, how do you get up for a fight with Mike Pierce? Then again, that’s his job. That’s what the money is for. If he can’t look within himself and find the drive necessary to put on a quality performance, maybe 20 UFC fights is just a few too many. Most Impressive in Defeat: Roy NelsonIt wasn’t exactly a display of technical brilliance on "Big Country’s" part, but it was another demonstration of his toughness. Some of those knees from Werdum would have decapitated a normal man. Maybe it was Nelson’s magical beard that helped protect him, or maybe he just has a harder head than most. Whatever the reason, he took everything Werdum had and gave some back when he got the chance. It’s clear now that Nelson will probably never be championship material in the UFC, but how can you not want to see this guy fight? He doesn’t break, doesn’t quit, and doesn’t give opponents anything they didn’t earn. This is a man who’s making his money the hard way in the UFC. Fans will keep showing up to watch him do it for as long as he can keep it up.Most in Need of a Bigger Fight: Renan BaraoEvery time we see him he looks more and more like a top contender at bantamweight. After smashing Brad Pickett, this was supposed to be the fight that would test his takedown defense against a quality wrestler. Unfortunately for Scott Jorgensen, it didn’t turn out to be much of a test at all. Barao cruised to win and looked great doing it, so what’s next? 135-pound champ Dominick Cruz still has business with Urijah Faber, so a title shot isn’t in the cards just yet. Maybe the best Barao can do is keep on keeping on against whoever the UFC can convince to step in there with him. After his last two performances, you can bet there aren’t a whole lot of bantamweights volunteering for the job.Most in Need of an Attitude Adjustment: Nick DiazIt’s understandable to be angry about a decision like that. It was a close fight, the kind that both guys will go to their graves thinking they deserved to win, and you knew as they stood there waiting for the call that someone was going home in a huff. But when the call doesn’t go your way, how you react tells us a lot about your character. Diaz didn’t just whine and complain about the decision, which would have been somewhat justifiable under the circumstances. Instead, he whined, complained, and then quit, right on the spot. Time will tell if that decision sticks (I’m betting he’ll be back before the year is out), but regardless, it’s an incredibly immature way to react. That’s how an eight-year-old reacts when you beat him at a video game. It’s not how a grown man and a professional athlete should react. But Diaz’s post-fight remarks, as bizarre as they were, were perfectly consistent with how he’s handled adversity throughout his career. Whenever something goes wrong, there’s always someone else to blame. Nothing that happens to Nick Diaz is ever Nick Diaz’s fault. He’s always at the mercy of powerful forces outside his control, and those forces are engaged in a constant effort to bring him down. If anything, the opposite is true. Diaz thinks he doesn’t "need this [expletive]"? The people around him -- from the UFC to his obsessively loyal fans to his own team -- have put up with more [expletive] from him than they would from anyone else, and all because he’s a great fighter. If he wants to pay them back by quitting when things don’t go his way, that’s up to him. But he might quickly find that people are a lot less eager to put up with the same [expletive] from a retired, self-pitying fighter who refuses to take responsibility for his own actions and reactions.Most Exciting Newcomer: Stephen ThompsonOur own Mike Chiappetta tried to tell you that this guy was worth keeping an eye on, but you wouldn’t listen. Not until he knocked out Dan Stittgen with an unbelievable head kick and then followed it up with a post-fight celebration worthy of a Tekken character. Time will tell if he can pull off moves like that against tougher competition, but when you follow up a bonus-worthy knockout by sticking the landing in your celebratory acrobatics, you’ve got reason to be satisfied with your UFC debut.Most Controversial: Herb Dean’s two-point deductionLet me get this straight: you accidentally kick a guy in the groin once, that’s a warning. You kick him twice, you lose one point for each damaged testicle? I’m not sure I understand why referee Herb Dean decided to take two points from Alex Caceres after the second low blow to Edwin Figueroa. Was it because the second one seemed especially egregious? Or because it made a sound like a racquetball exploding? Dean didn’t seem convinced that Caceres was doing it on purpose, so what explains the extra point deduction? When we start asking these questions, we quickly get into a discussion about what should and shouldn’t be at the referee’s discretion. At the moment, MMA has an almost comically vague approach to fouls. The first time you commit one, we tell you to knock it off. Unless it results in the end of the fight, in which case you’re disqualified. If it doesn’t end the fight, and if you continue to commit the same foul, then maybe you’ll lose a point. Maybe you’ll lose two. Maybe you’ll just get several more warnings, but maybe the tone of those warnings will get very, very serious. If you commit one foul and then commit a different one later on, the whole system of escalating warnings generally starts all over again. Under the current system, too much is left up to an individual referee to decide on the spot. It’s like asking a football referee whether that hold was really deserving of a ten-yard penalty, or whether we could let them off with seven, just this once. Especially in a sport where contests might last the full allotted time or might be over in ten seconds, there’s too much incentive to go ahead and commit a foul and hope that it doesn’t cost you. Most of the time it doesn’t. Jose Aldo grabs the fence to avoid a Chad Mendes takedown (and nobody has ever, in the history of MMA, accidentally grabbed the fence) and the verbal warning is rendered meaningless when he scores a knockout moments later. Caceres accidentally kicks a guy in the pills twice (a painful foul, but not necessarily an intentional one) and it ends up costing him two points. You never know for sure what the third man in the cage will do. Not until he’s done it, and then it’s too late.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, thatrsquo, doesnrsquot

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

"I whispered to him, I said, 'Now I'm doing the Jon Fitch fight.' That's what I said to him. He said, 'Good luck with that.' I don't know. I'm just f*cking with him. If the fight made sense, because there was a time when those two were both going like this (towards each other), but if the fight made sense, yeah, I'd try to make it. I wouldn't do it just to do it." Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White tells members of the media last night after the UFC 143 post-fight press conference that now that Josh Koscheck has parted ways with long time training camp American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose and will now be training in Fresno, he would not mind putting together a long desired match-up between Koscheck and long time training partner Jon Fitch. Throughout the years, the two have consistently been atop the rankings of the UFC welterweight division but have often stated they would never fight each other due to their close friendship and status at AKA. With "Kos" on a two fight win streak and winning his last five of six and Fitch losing his last time out against Johnny Hendricks, it may be a while before the two are even again on the rankings boards. However, should they ever reach that level, Koscheck is still sticking to his guns that it will never happen. No word if Fitch feels the same way. Anyone hoping this fight ever comes to fruition? Or did this ship sail long ago?

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, koscheck, fitch

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Today (Sun., Feb. 5, 2012) is the big day, Maniacs. No, it's not just the day after a major UFC event, though UFC 143 was a big one. No, today is Super Bowl Sunday. On top of your usual top flight MMA coverage, we'll be mixing in live updates of the big game today between the New England Patriots and New York Giants. We know some of you folks simply prefer MMA and believe me, there's plenty of that to go around, but we also know there are just as many football fans, including myself. So let's have some fun with this. After all, it's the last game until next season. After the jump, get all the information you need to know on today's game from the official kickoff time to a live stream online. Super Bowl XLVI takes place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, for the very first time thanks in large part to Peyton Manning and his many successes with the Colts that helped get the stadium built. Ironically enough, he's likely going to be playing for a different team next year. Super Bowl XLVI is scheduled to officially kick off at 6:29 p.m. ET time. The NFL is rather stringent when it comes to kickoff times, so you can bank on that football flying through the air right around 6:29 p.m. ET time (5:29 p.m. local). Super Bowl XLVI will be broadcast live on NBC with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth doing commentary. Of the many "A-team" broadcasters, they're one of the very best. However, if you can't get to a television and you're only able to get online, there's no need to search for an illegal stream. For the first time ever, NBCSports.com will stream the game on its site. The Super Bowl XLVI halftime show will feature Madonna in the NFL's latest bid to find a really old performer who won't embarrass them on live television. If you're looking to place blame for the recent spate of old time musicians rocking at the big game, you can thank Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake for trying to get cute and ruining it for everyone. The Patriots are favored by three points despite the fact that they lost to these same Giants earlier this year by four points at home. There you have it, folks. Stay tuned later today for live coverage and updates of Super Bowl XLVI.

Posted in: time, today, game, bowl, xlvi

Read the full article at MMA Mania

While their ages may have been similar, the Octagon experience between middleweights Ed Herman and Clifford Starks was separated by a great chasm last night (February 4, 2012) in the opening bout of the UFC 143 main card. The wrestler Starks surprised many analysts by showing up and not just holding his own, but actually getting the better of "Short Fuse" in the striking department for much of the first round in just his second UFC fight. Unfortunately for him, now 12-fight UFC veteran Ed Herman capitalized on one of the Arizona State alumni's weaknesses, scoring a submission victory early in the second stanza to increase his winning streak to three. So what turned things around for Herman? And what's next for both fighters? Follow me after the jump for our Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks UFC on FOX 143 post-fight review and analysis: Clifford Starks surprised pundits and fans by coming strong out of the gate and not just standing and trading with Herman, but actually landing some really nice shots. The Arizona Combat Sports fighter had a terrific straight right hand going, as it found a home repeatedly in the first frame, even wobbling Herman a bit at times. In fact, the right hand caused some serious swelling on the entire left side of "Short Fuse's" face, and he was reportedly a mess at the post-fight press conference. Both men exchanged clinch attacks as well, but it was Starks who was the aggressor early. Herman, with his face beginning to balloon, took the initiative in the second round. Having had 11 prior submission victories, the Trials MMA fighter caught Starks off guard by shooting and securing a takedown early just 30 seconds into the round. Starks appeared to be a fish out of the water once on his back and Herman didn't waste any time, quickly passing Starks' guard all the way to mount and locking in both hooks when the wrestler gave up his back. After Herman began hunting for the choke, it was only a matter of time before he found an opening to slide his forearm under Starks' jawline and forced the tap. For Clifford Starks, he has nothing to be ashamed of. This was his second fight in the UFC and he was taking on one of the most experienced middleweights in the promotion. He should keep his head high because not only did he hold his own, he actually won the first round on my scorecard. His big weakness is his ability to remain composed once put on his back, but that's something he can work on and it's not likely he's going to find himself there often. Hopefully the UFC gives him someone with less experience for him to continue to grow and develop his skills as he definitely showed promise here. I'd like to see him step in against someone along the lines of Nick Ring, Dongi Yang or fellow UFC 143 loser Michael Kuiper. For Ed Herman, this was a strong showing, but he also has to have some causes for concern. His ground game was as good as ever, but his striking was a bit sloppy and his defense against the right hand was atrocious. He repeatedly kept his left hand low and Starks was able to come over the top. Maybe if he'd been hit with it a couple times, it would be acceptable, but he got blasted at least six or seven times. That's something he needs to work on because if he faces someone with big power who won't let him take the fight to the ground, that's a major liability. After three straight wins, it's time for Herman to get another shot at some of the stronger fighters in the division. A bout against the winner of Court McGee vs. Constantinos Philippou would be interesting, as would the winner of Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami. It's unlikely, but depending if they want to continue to develop him at a slower pace, Chris Weidman would be an interesting match-up as well. Either way, the "Short Fuse" wave of momentum continues to surge. So what did you think, Maniacs? Was the final result what you expected with the massive experience gap? Were you impressed by Starks' striking early? Who would you pit Herman against next after three straight wins? Sound off! For complete UFC 143 results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.

Posted in: ufc, time, herman, right hand, stark

Read the full article at MMA Mania

It looks like more jail time for War Machine. The former Ultimate Fighter contestant and UFC fighter (at the time going by his birth name of John Koppenhaver) tweeted last night that he was sentenced to another round of jail time after serving a stint previously for a felony assault conviction. From War Machine's twitter (with some censorship on our part): @WarMachine170War Machine Seems my year in jail wasnt enough. Just got sentenced to another year in Vegas for some old bulls**t. Nevermind Im rehabilitated. Nevermind Feb 02 via Twitter for Android Favorite Retweet Reply @WarMachine170War Machine Ive been out for over 6 months now and doing great and am finally back on my feet. Nevermind all my students that will miss me. Do another Feb 02 via Twitter for Android Favorite Retweet Reply @WarMachine170War Machine year and rot n waste time. Make no money, pay no taxes. Whatever, I just hope my boy @bensaundersMMA wins @BellatorMMA tournament. Feb 02 via Twitter for Android Favorite Retweet Reply War Machine and Junie Browning are the two most prominent examples of former UFC fighters (in the "modern era") who have been unable to keep their names out of the papers for very negative situations. There's quite a bit more at War Machine's Twitter if you want to check it out. But then again, isn't there always quite a bit more at War Machine's Twitter?

Posted in: time, year, war, machine, twitter

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Just when War Machine was finally getting life on the right track his world is crashing down around him once again. War broke the news on Twitter today that a Las Vegas judge sentenced him to another year in jail for some “old bullshit.” “Sick to my f*cking stomache! Just wait until you all hear the horrible f*cking news I just got…makes me too sick to say it yet.. Seems my year in jail wasnt enough. Just got sentenced to another year in Vegas for some old bullshit. Nevermind Im rehabilitated. Nevermind Ive been out for over 6 months now and doing great and am finally back on my feet. Nevermind all my students that will miss me. Do another year and rot n waste time. Make no money, pay no taxes. Whatever, I just hope my boy @bensaundersMMA wins @BellatorMMA tournament. Fuck the motherf*cking system! F*ck the bullshit! Vacation time, back to jail in 2 weeks! Oh ya the judge looked and me and said she can tell Im on steroids and that thats prolly why I got in so many fights and am angry..lol Bitch … F*ckkkk this is really disheartening. To have done all that time and to be out for this long and doing well to have to go back…kills me.” Wow. War Machine has always been a hard guy to have sympathy for, but I honestly feel bad for him this time. He’s made plenty of mistakes in the past, but he did his time and more importantly learned from it. He really seemed to have his head on somewhat straight, his priorities in order and his career back on track with a win over Roger Huerta and a spot in Bellator’s upcoming welterweight tournament. Instead, he’s losing another year wasting away in jail, which I fear will actually undo all the progress he’s made. Heck, he’s already talking about how he wished the plane he flew in today would crash. Great job US justice system.

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

Read the full article at MMA Convert

There's been a lot of talk about how fighters coming in from the WEC and Strikeforce are faring in the UFC, and now you can add another promotion to the mix. Stephen Thompson is a karate world champion several times over and has a buttload of kickboxing fights but I prefer to focus on his time in Chuck Norris' World Combat League where he was the #1 ranked fighter in the promotion. He's now making his UFC debut this Saturday: “I’ve been wanting to make the switch for awhile,” Thompson told FightCove.com. “But about six years ago I was fighting in the World Combat League, one of Chuck Norris’ promotions, and I ended up tearing my ACL and actually tore every ligament in my left leg, and I had two knee surgeries on it I was out for about three years, so in that time I was thinking about where my future was going, what I wanted to do.”“Not only did I want to kick box, but I wanted to put those other things I’ve been learning together, so I was like you know what, I’m ready to finish (my career) in MMA.” For those wondering if he's a one style wonder: “Of course my strength is my stand up, which is kind of what I want everybody to kind of think,” Thompson said. “They don’t know that I have the ground. I mean, my brother in-law is Carlos Machado, who is a ninth degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is an amazing instructor; I’ve been training with him for a long time.” Georges St Pierre and his trainer Firas Zahabi have gone so far as to say Thompson has some of the best striking they've ever seen in the sport. So you could say there's just a little bit of hype swirling around this guy leading up to his UFC debut. Hype that I think should be going towards another UFC 143 prelim fighter, Alex 'Bruce Leeroy' Caceres. Amiright?

Posted in: ufc, promotion, time, thompson, ” thompson

Read the full article at Fightlinker

If your last impression of Fabricio Werdum is seeing him knocked out by future UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos back in October of 2008, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do, and the Brazilian, who returns to the UFC this Saturday night to face off against Roy Nelson at UFC 143 in Las Vegas, will be the first to admit that he’s a changed man, in and out of the Octagon.“Everything changed in my life,” said Werdum. “Now I'm with a stronger camp, I'm with my master (Rafael Cordeiro) and close to my family. That time was not a good time in my personal life, but now I'm 100% in every aspect.”And that’s not just talk to explain away what, at the time, was a shocking defeat. Practically no one knew who dos Santos was when he made his UFC debut that night in Illinois, and Werdum, who was coming off back-to-back knockout wins over Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera, was widely considered to be one of the world’s elite heavyweights, But a single uppercut ended Werdum’s night at the 81 second mark of the first round, sending him out of the organization while propelling dos Santos up the ladder on the way to the title.The loss easily could have signaled the start of a decline for the native of Porto Alegre, Brazil, but instead, he got back in the gym and began reinventing himself, eventually winding up in Southern California with former Chute Boxe guru Rafael Cordeiro. By 2009, Werdum had signed with the Strikeforce organization, debuting in August of that year with an 84 second submission win over Mike Kyle. Three months later he decisioned countryman Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, but it wasn’t until June of 2010 that he made the MMA world sit up and take notice again.That night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Werdum needed just 69 seconds to hand the seemingly unstoppable Fedor Emelianenko his first loss in nearly a decade, and what many considered the first legitimate defeat of the Russian’s fabled career. A June 2011 matchup with a man he defeated in 2006, Alistair Overeem, followed, and though he lost a unanimous decision to the current number one contender, he showed that he could stand with a former K-1 Grand Prix champion and even hold his own. It’s something the decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt is proud of.“I'm training everyday with my master Rafael Cordeiro, a few months ago I got my black belt in Muay Thai, and I'm ready to strike the whole time if I need to.”And though he was doing well in Strikeforce, Werdum always felt that there was unfinished business for him in the UFC, and he expected that one day, he would get a call back to the Octagon.“That was one of my biggest motivations to train every day,” he said, and soon, his patience would pay off as he got re-signed to the promotion and tasked with facing Nelson this Saturday.“Every fighter that is part of UFC is here for some reason,” said Werdum. “Roy Nelson is a good boxer and good grappler, but I'm ready for him and to prove my value in the Octagon. I'm very happy to be back, this is an opportunity that I was waiting for a long time and now I'm ready to take it.”Frankly, the timing couldn’t be any better for “Vai Cavalo,” as a win over “Big Country” will likely shoot him straight into the title picture, where currently two familiar faces – dos Santos and Overeem – are preparing to battle it out for the belt later this year. So, any pick from the fighter who may know them better than most? “For sure it will be a great fight for the fans,” said Werdum. “They are both top fighters and I'm excited to see both of them back in the Octagon in the near future.”Okay, that didn’t work out. How about this: any preference for an opponent, should he get a title shot soon?“No, I just will look for my title shot against anyone that will be in my way. This is a very good division, with so many good fighters, and I will look for my spotlight and my way for the title.”Well, for what Werdum lacks in calling out opponents, he makes up in fighting skill, and at 34, the Brazilian veteran feels better than ever as he makes his welcome return.“I'm feeling faster and stronger, with more skills and experience, and I’m ready to go. The fans should expect a great show, and for sure a new and very hungry Werdum, ready to put a show on for them.”

Posted in: ufc, time, werdum, im, werdum “

Read the full article at UFC

The names are familiar to UFC fans: Cain Velasquez, Ryan Bader, Aaron Simpson, CB Dollaway. So it’s really no surprise that Clifford Starks is the latest Arizona State University wrestling alum to make it to the UFC. Is it something in the water?“I think it might be the barbecue,” laughed Starks, a teammate of Velasquez who, despite being the second to graduate (behind Simpson) from the aforementioned group, was the last to turn pro. “I wasn’t really thinking about it (fighting) at the time,” said Starks, who earned his Kinesiology degree in 2005. “I got into personal training right when I finished wrestling, but I missed being competitive.”And flag football on the weekend just wasn’t going to cut it, right?“The funny thing is, that’s what I was doing,” he laughs. “But I always knew that I was gonna compete in something. What I was going to compete in I just didn’t know at the time.”Eventually though, watching his former teammate and the rest of the ASU crew begin to make their mark in mixed martial arts piqued his interest. “I started seeing them moving up and making names for themselves, and I was always staying in training shape,” he recalled. “I did a couple bodybuilding shows, but seeing the success that they had definitely made me consider giving it a try. It was a great step towards maintaining something that’s similar to what I already knew.”In December of 2009, Starks dipped his toe in the MMA pool for the first time, submitting Chad Menneke in the second round. Now hooked on the sport, Tempe’s Starks continued fighting and winning, showing off that ASU pedigree that fans were beginning to get accustomed to from those wearing the maroon and gold.“I really think it’s the mental toughness aspect and the workouts that we would go through,” said Starks when asked the biggest aspect of ASU training that he brings into MMA with him. “They would really work us to where nine out of 10 guys would be throwing up afterwards. So when you go through something like that, you just kinda think that fighting’s no big deal. It is, and it’s very intense, but to go through the things we went through makes the transition that much easier.”That’s not to say his October 2011 call to the UFC was an expected one. 7-0 as a pro, Starks had just finished up a three round decision win over Artenas Young on October 15th when his phone rang on October 21st. Did he want to replace the injured Brad Tavares and fight Dustin Jacoby at UFC 137 in eight days?Absolutely. “You made it to the big show, let’s see what you’ve got,” thought Starks, who admits that the short notice call helped him stay focused on what was important – the fight – and not about the idea of making it to the big show.“It made it a little bit easier mentally because you really didn’t have time to think about it. You just had to jump on the opportunity and go from there.”On that fall night in Vegas, Starks took the opportunity and ran with it, winning a shutout three round decision over the previously unbeaten Jacoby to improve to 8-0, and he did so without showing off any first time UFC jitters. Unless he was hiding them well.“I was hiding it a little bit (Laughs), but once you get into the Octagon and the ref asks if you’re ready to go, you’re into fight mode, and that probably comes from my wrestling background a little bit too. It (winning on short notice) built up my self-esteem in that area, knowing that I can take something like that and make a good situation out of it.”His reward for the big win? A main card slot on this Saturday’s UFC 143 card against veteran Ed Herman. It’s a big step up in competition for the 30-year old, but that’s nothing he’s concerned about.“I feel it’s something that I’m ready for and I trained for very diligently, and we’ll just see what happens from there when the bell rings,” said Starks. “He’s a competitor like myself, I see us having a really great fight, and let the best man win.”Clifford Starks plans on making sure that best man is the one from Arizona State University.“I’m just gonna go out there and give it my all, fight my gameplan, and then see who comes out on top,” he said. “The way I feel about it, win, lose, or draw, this is such a large opportunity for me that I think I’m gonna learn from this experience regardless. Obviously I want to come away with the victory, and then I’ll revamp my gameplan from there. I always want to improve, I always want to be the best.”

Posted in: ufc, time, something, stark, “i

Read the full article at UFC

It wasn't too long ago that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight and former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 3 runner up, Ed Herman, was considering retirement after a horrific reaggravation of a knee injury. His return to mixed martial arts (MMA) action was delayed by 21 months, but boy, he's made up for lost time very quickly. At UFC on Versus 5, "Short Fuse" blasted Tim Credeur with a first round knockout, which lasted just 40 seconds. He followed that performance up by tapping Kyle Noke with a heel hook, also a first round finish. It's an incredible comeback story, and the Trials MMA fighter will get an opportunity to continue his inspirational tale when he steps into the Octagon this Saturday night (Feb. 4, 2012) against relatively inexperienced wrestler Clifford Starks in the opening bout of the pay-per-view (PPV) main card. Herman was recently a guest on Bloody Elbow Radio where he spoke to us about the reason he embraces the role of the underdog, what he attributes his resurgence to and how he plans on dealing with Starks and his strong wrestling on Saturday night. Check it out: Matt Bishop: You kind of dropped off the grid for a while. What were you up to after defeating Kyle Noke last August? Ed Herman: I was a little banged up after that fight. Just had a rough training camp and we were looking for a fight and I think we were scheduled to fight Chris Weidman and then he was injured so they kind of had me floating for a little while and I didn't know what was going on and boom, they called me with this fight. I'd been training like I was going to fight on the 4th anyways but they were able to replace him with Clifford Starks so that's how it happened. Matt Bishop: You picked up two wins in a two month span after being out of action for such a long time, 21 months I believe. How did that feel? Ed Herman: It was great, man. It was great to get back on the horse, get a couple wins and get myself back in line to start making a run. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Most people, when they're away from the cage so long and especially coming off a significant injury like you did, they come back and they're not the same but in my opinion, you came back and you were as good as ever if not better so what do you attribute this to? Ed Herman: I think it just gave me some time to kind of look back from the outside, see some things, see some holes in my game. Gave me some time to kind of mentally grow and realize what I had an dthe opportunities that were there for me and how to take advantage of them the best I could. Fight smart, train smarter and just I think sometimes time off may be good.in a way. You never want to take time off like that but it could have been for the best. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You came out extremely aggressive too with two first round stoppages in your comeback fights. Did that also change you mindset a bit in coming out even harder than before? Ed Herman: Well, I've got a new camp now. I moved out to Colorado and opened my own gym. I'm training with a bunch of different people out here in Colorado. You know, I've always been kind of a slow starter so I think I felt like I got a real good warm-up going into those fights and was just ready to go right from the beginning. Sometimes I'd start out slow, maybe take a couple punches to the head first before I realized I was in a fight and you hear that sometimes from guys, you've got to get punched in the face to wake up and get going. I was just trying to be on my toes and get ready to attack right from the very start, you know what I'm saying? Surprise people, get in their face with the same pace and intensity that I've always had. Matt Bishop: You mentioned opening up your own gym. Has that done anything for you because there's a lot of responsibility that comes with that? Running a gym, running a business, has that affected your life at all? Ed Herman: For sure, man. I've always coached throughout my career. I love coaching. I had an opportunity out here in Colorado to open a gym with former IFL champ Ryan Schultz and he's a great coach as well. I think it's been great and it gives me something to look forward to in the future and all for my family but at the same time, it's a lot of work, man. It's a lot of work. In between training and running the gym, I've got my plate full and trying to spend time with my family but it keeps me busy, keeps me out of trouble. Just train, go eat, rest, say hi to the family and head back to the gym to coach and train some more. I don't have much free time to waste. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Now Ed, you've mentioned that you love being the underdog and you were a pretty hefty underdog in your last fight. What is it that you kind of like about embracing that role of being the underdog? Ed Herman: I don't know. I just have something to prove. i've always kind of been doubted my whole career from the beginning. Even on the show (The Ultimate Fighter) getting picked seventh, you all watched that, saw me throw a fit about it. I don't know. I like being the underdog. Training with Randy [Couture] back in the day, I remember Randy saying, "Hey, the underdog suits me well," and I feel the same way. I feel it's less pressure. Going into this next fight I'm the big favorite I'm sure so there's added pressure there when you're supposed to win, you're supposed to perform, you know what I mean? Sometimes being the underdog gets me pumped up. Plus, being the underdog against Noke kind of pissed me off so it fires me up sometimes as well. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You went right into my next question because going in against Clifford Starks, he's a guy with one fight in the UFC and still a little bit unproven, so can you tell me about how much different it is especially when you're an overwhelming favorite? Ed Herman: It's not that big of a deal really. I try not to think about it too much but everybody on the internet is talking this and that about different things and I'm supposed to win. Everybody expects you to win and the UFC expects you to win so you've got to go in there and win, there's the added pressure there. I try not to think about that. I try to just go about my day and just train like I always do and just like I prepare for anybody else so it shouldn't matter too much. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Can you tell me a little bit about Starks? I know he had his debut against Jacoby and he showcased his wrestling and that seemed like it was his primary strength in the fight so what are you kind of expecting against him? Ed Herman: I feel like I"m a lot more well-rounded and I've got a lot more experience which doesn't always matter. It's still a fight, still a fist fight, you know what I'm saying? He's a good wrestler. He's an athletic wrestler and I feel like I'm more of a grinder, more of a bruiser with the wrestling so I feel like my wrestling's a little better than his. He may have a quicker shot than me but I feel like once I get my hands on him, he's gonna be in a lot of trouble whether it be in the clinch, me letting my hands go or even if he took me down I feel like off my back I could submit him or get back up. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Your submissions were really strong against Kyle Noke and you looked pretty comfortable off your back in that fight. How confident are you in your bottom game? Ed Herman: I was actually a little pissed at myself during that Noke fight because I did spend so much time on my back and that's really not my style and I do have a good game off my back but it's dangerous down there. All it takes is one big punch or one big elbow or even being held down for the majority of the round, you could lose the round. I want to avoid that. I want to be in there and not let Starks take me down and hold me down and grind me out. Just keeping my hips moving, staying active the whole time, never just chilling out with a closed guard, you've got to stay busy, busy, busy. Even if you are on your back, I feel like you can win the round. I feel like I can win the round staying busy, attacking him with submission, elbows off my back, looking to get up and that'll wear him out too. My relentless style I think, it'll be different than what he was used to. He hasn't fought anyone like me or even close to the level I'm at. Matt Bishop: What can everybody expect when you step in against Clifford Starks. I know you talked about maybe a little more pressure from being the favorite in this one but what's kind of the key to victory for you in that fight? Ed Herman: For me, just staying busy, coming forward and implementing my strategy, my game and just attacking, overwhelming him with everything that I've got. It's just like I fight, coming forward the whole time and looking to finish all the time. Ed would like to thank his gym Trials MMA and you can follow him on Twitter @EdHermanUFC. So what do you think, Maniacs? Will Herman's experience be too much for Clifford Starks on Saturday night? Will his incredible comeback story continue? Sound off!

Posted in: fight, time, kind, ed, herman

Read the full article at MMA Mania

As the NHL is still on break for All-Star Weekend reasons we continue our tour around the minors, this time stopping for a nice little bout between the Kelowna Rockets’ Carter Rigby and Seattle Thunderbirds’ Dave Sutter who show that they’re both ready for the big time – at least when it comes to mid-game fighting. Tweet

Posted in: time, dave, carter, hockey fight, sutter

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting ExclusiveThe numbers are something out of a video game or a movie or someone's imagination. In amateur kickboxing, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson was 37-0. As a pro kickboxer, 57-0. As a professional mixed martial artist, he's 5-0 so far. That's 99 straight fights without a loss. But it's no facade, and his record is no product of fishy matchmaking. In fact, despite his newness on the MMA scene, he's already wowed some of this sports' brightest minds. Georges St-Pierre's trainer Firas Zahabi recently called Thompson "definitely the best karate guy, the best striker I've ever seen, all around in any sport." The welterweight brings his exceptional record to this weekend's UFC 143, where he faces fellow octagon rookie Daniel Stittgen, hoping to stretch his streak to triple digits. The remarkable run is the result of a lifetime spent in the martial arts. Ask him about the last time he lost a fight in competition and he has to scan his memory, traveling more than a decade back into the 1990s, when he was a 12-year-old on the karate tournament circuit. "Honestly, I did hundreds and hundreds of them, and I probably lost every one of them," he said. "I maybe won one time. I would get my butt tore up. I remember that like it was yesterday. So I learned as a young kid to keep my chin up and keep training hard. I know what losing feels like and I don't want to do it again. That's what pushes me now." His experiences as youth didn't just supply the drive for his current success, they also provided his "Wonderboy" moniker. Given his resume, you might guess that it stems from his remarkable success as a fighter, but you would be wrong. Instead, he got pegged with the name back in elementary school, when he was known for singing and dancing, and got tagged by his sister's boyfriend as "Stevie Wonder," later altered to "Wonderboy." Regardless of the origins, the label proved prophetic. As Thompson's record suggests, he's been a phenom on the combat sports scene for years. Now 28 years old, Thompson aims to prove he is much more than a standup artist. He has a black belt in Japanese jiu-jitsu, trains Brazilian jiu-jitsu under his brother-in-law, eighth-degree black belt Carlos Machado, and says his wrestling is his second strongest skill behind his striking. "I've had many fights, but this is the biggest stage I've ever fought in," he said. "The UFC is the best. They're it. I'm glad to have the privilege to come in and fight there. Nerves will play a big part, but if you're not nervous going into a fight, you shouldn't be out there." Thompson started in the martial arts at three years old, training under his father, Ray, who owns a karate studio in Simpsonville, South Carolina. But it wasn't always a love affair. By around the age of 10 or 11, the flame had burned out. While his friends were playing baseball and football, Thompson found himself constantly stuck at the dojo. He trained there. He ate there. He did his homework there. "As I got to that age, doing it all the time was like work," he said. "It wasn't fun anymore. But one day, the light bulb clicked in my head, and I got it." Thompson was around 12 at that time, working out in adult classes. By the time he was 15, he was making his amateur debut, inspired in part by his older sister Lindsay, who he often watched compete and aimed to emulate. He did her proud, defeating an unbeaten 26-year-old en route to 37 straight victories. His biggest personal highlight came in 2005, when he captured a World Association of Kickboxing Organizations championship at a tournament held in Szeged, Hungary, becoming the first American to win a gold in the tournament since 1983. But even as Thompson succeeded -- he won all 57 of his pro fights, and 46 by KO -- he was hit by the nagging feeling that kickboxing wasn't really going anywhere. Coupled with his own personal aspirations, he knew a move to MMA was in his future. "My goal was always to be the best fighter, and in order to do that, I was going to have to switch to MMA and use these skills that I've been working on ever since I was younger but never got to use in competition," he said. Thompson's move was delayed by a devastating knee injury in 2007 that saw him tear the ACL, MCL and PCL in his left knee. Later on, he suffered another setback, hurting the same knee after trying to do too much, too soon. Upon returning, Thompson began training with some of the world's best MMA minds, including St-Pierre. Years prior, GSP had been in the corner of a Thompson opponent, only to watch "Wonderboy" KO his friend. The camps stayed in contact and GSP has since called on Thompson several times to assist in his camp. "It does give you a lot of confidence going into fights," he said. "When you're up there and going toe-to-toe with the world's best -- and I know I still have a long way to get to where he is when it comes to wrestling and jiu-jitsu -- but it definitely gives me a mental advantage going into fights." In his octagon debut, he faces Stittgen (7-1), another UFC newcomer who has earned five of his wins by submission. Thompson said that he expects all of his opponents to want no part of his standup and look to take the fight to the mat at the first available opportunity. But he trusts his wrestling to keep him upright, saying that it's always been a point of emphasis in training as a way to keep himself in an advantageous position. And more than that, he trust his fight instincts. Thompson's record doesn't just suggest he is a winner, it proves it beyond any doubt. The streak may be in jeopardy every time he fights, but like most winners, "Wonderboy" doesn't spend much time thinking about what he has already done. Every fight is a new experience, providing a new lesson. "People always ask me what will happen if I lose, and I never really thought about it until they asked me," he said. "If I do lose, it will just give me a stronger drive to train harder. I know guys are out here to rip my head off and trip me up. But coming from my background almost gives me an advantage because I know guys are going to want to take me down. Everyone out there can look for an exciting fight, and it's going to be another knockout." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, mma, time, thompson, wonderboy

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting ExclusiveThe numbers are something out of a video game or a movie or someone's imagination. In amateur kickboxing, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson was 37-0. As a pro kickboxer, 20-0. As a professional mixed martial artist, he's 5-0 so far. That's 62 straight fights without a loss. But it's no facade, and his record is no product of fishy matchmaking. In fact, despite his newness on the MMA scene, he's already wowed some of this sports' brightest minds. Georges St-Pierre's trainer Firas Zahabi recently called Thompson "definitely the best karate guy, the best striker I've ever seen, all around in any sport." The welterweight brings his exceptional record to this weekend's UFC 143, where he faces fellow octagon rookie Daniel Stittgen, hoping to extend his ridiculous streak. The remarkable run is the result of a lifetime spent in the martial arts. Ask him about the last time he lost a fight in competition and he has to scan his memory, traveling more than a decade back into the 1990s, when he was a 12-year-old on the karate tournament circuit. "Honestly, I did hundreds and hundreds of them, and I probably lost every one of them," he said. "I maybe won one time. I would get my butt tore up. I remember that like it was yesterday. So I learned as a young kid to keep my chin up and keep training hard. I know what losing feels like and I don't want to do it again. That's what pushes me now." His experiences as a youth didn't just supply the drive for his current success, they also provided his "Wonderboy" moniker. Given his resume, you might guess that it stems from his remarkable success as a fighter, but you would be wrong. Instead, he got pegged with the name back in elementary school, when he was known for singing and dancing, and got tagged by his sister's boyfriend as "Stevie Wonder," later altered to "Wonderboy." Regardless of the origins, the label proved prophetic. As Thompson's record suggests, he's been a phenom on the combat sports scene for years. Now 28 years old, Thompson aims to prove he is much more than a standup artist. He has a black belt in Japanese jiu-jitsu, trains Brazilian jiu-jitsu under his brother-in-law, eighth-degree black belt Carlos Machado, and says his wrestling is his second strongest skill behind his striking. "I've had many fights, but this is the biggest stage I've ever fought in," he said. "The UFC is the best. They're it. I'm glad to have the privilege to come in and fight there. Nerves will play a big part, but if you're not nervous going into a fight, you shouldn't be out there." Thompson started in the martial arts at three years old, training under his father, Ray, who owns a karate studio in Simpsonville, South Carolina. But it wasn't always a love affair. By around the age of 10 or 11, the flame had burned out. While his friends were playing baseball and football, Thompson found himself constantly stuck at the dojo. He trained there. He ate there. He did his homework there. "As I got to that age, doing it all the time was like work," he said. "It wasn't fun anymore. But one day, the light bulb clicked in my head, and I got it." Thompson was around 12 at that time, working out in adult classes. By the time he was 15, he was making his amateur debut, inspired in part by his older sister Lindsay, who he often watched compete and aimed to emulate. He did her proud, defeating an unbeaten 26-year-old en route to 37 straight victories. His biggest personal highlight came in 2005, when he captured a World Association of Kickboxing Organizations championship at a tournament held in Szeged, Hungary, becoming the first American to win a gold in the tournament since 1983. But even as Thompson succeeded -- 46 of his 57 career wins were by KO -- he was hit by the nagging feeling that kickboxing wasn't really going anywhere. Coupled with his own personal aspirations, he knew a move to MMA was in his future. "My goal was always to be the best fighter, and in order to do that, I was going to have to switch to MMA and use these skills that I've been working on ever since I was younger but never got to use in competition," he said. Thompson's move was delayed by a devastating knee injury in 2007 that saw him tear the ACL, MCL and PCL in his left knee. Later on, he suffered another setback, hurting the same knee after trying to do too much, too soon. Upon returning, Thompson began training with some of the world's best MMA minds, including St-Pierre. Years prior, GSP had been in the corner of a Thompson opponent, only to watch "Wonderboy" KO his friend. The camps stayed in contact and GSP has since called on Thompson several times to assist in his camp. "It does give you a lot of confidence going into fights," he said. "When you're up there and going toe-to-toe with the world's best -- and I know I still have a long way to get to where he is when it comes to wrestling and jiu-jitsu -- but it definitely gives me a mental advantage going into fights." In his octagon debut, he faces Stittgen (7-1), another UFC newcomer who has earned five of his wins by submission. Thompson said that he expects his opponents to want no part of his standup and look to take the fight to the mat at the first available opportunity. But he trusts his wrestling to keep him upright, saying that it's always been a point of emphasis in training as a way to keep himself in an advantageous position. And more than that, he trust his fight instincts. Thompson's record doesn't just suggest he is a winner, it proves it beyond any doubt. The streak may be in jeopardy every time he fights, but like most winners, "Wonderboy" doesn't spend much time thinking about what he has already done. Every fight is a new experience, providing a new lesson. "People always ask me what will happen if I lose, and I never really thought about it until they asked me," he said. "If I do lose, it will just give me a stronger drive to train harder. I know guys are out here to rip my head off and trip me up. But coming from my background almost gives me an advantage because I know guys are going to want to take me down. Everyone out there can look for an exciting fight, and it's going to be another knockout." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, mma, time, thompson, wonderboy

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Despite three surgeries on his knee that were costing him nearly two years of his prime as a mixed martial artist, Ed Herman knew that he would eventually come back to the UFC and life as a full-time fighter. That doesn’t mean there weren’t questions, both internally and externally, and days when everything just seemed to go wrong.“There are times when you have a bad day and you think, ‘is it over?’” Herman recalled of the time between his August 2009 fight with Aaron Simpson and his return to the Octagon in June of 2011. “And a lot of people are questioning if you’ll ever fight again.” This was never more evident than in his time working as a bartender while he rehabbed his knee. People aren’t exactly known for their tact in the best of circumstances. Add in some alcohol and it gets worse, as Herman recalled.“People are like ‘hey, you’re that guy who used to be in the UFC. Aww, here’s an extra buck. Sorry buddy.’” It was a stark reminder for someone barely 30 years old of how fragile a career in professional sports can be. Herman didn’t take such jabs as an excuse to fade away though. It made him work even harder to get back what he lost.“That kinda stuff motivated me, and it put in perspective how great of an opportunity it is to fight in the UFC, and how blessed I was still to do that. So to possibly have all that taken away was a lot to deal with.”Herman would have his third knee surgery in March of 2010. Shortly afterward, his friend and longtime training partner Ryan Schultz talked to him about opening a gym in Fort Collins, Colorado, far from his home base in Portland. Herman didn’t need much convincing, and in August of 2010, he moved to the Rocky Mountain state and Trials Martial Arts and Fitness was born.“I fell in love with it, packed my bags, rented my house out, and moved out there,” said Herman, who has adjusted well to the new surroundings. “I miss home, but I definitely needed a change with the weather. It’s sunny here like 300 plus days a year, which is awesome. I like the snow too, so you get the hot summers and the cold winters, but what’s cool about the winter is that it could be cold, but the sun comes out.”More importantly, the sun was coming out on Herman’s career as well, as he got the green light to begin training and to resume his career.“Sometimes having some time away from the sport you can reflect on what’s going on around you,” he said. “So I guess everything happens for a reason, and maybe it was good for me to have that time off to refocus mentally. I’m also working with some new coaches, and I had great people around me before, but sometimes change can help.”The questions would only be answered in the Octagon though, and Herman was expected to be tested immediately by Louisiana jiu-jitsu black belt Tim Credeur in their June 2011 bout. 48 seconds later, Herman had a knockout win, his first victory in the UFC since he defeated David Loiseau in April of 2009, and a new start to a career that looked rocky even before the knee injury, as he had gone 1-3 in his previous four fights.Of course, skeptics are rarely convinced with one comeback victory, so Herman had to show them one more time, and he did two months later as he latched on a heel hook against Kyle Noke and submitted him at 4:15 of the first round. Surprised?“Maybe I surprised people a little bit, but everybody knows I’m gonna bring it every time, no matter what,” said Herman, now 19-7. “A lot of people said ‘what have you been doing different, oh my gosh, you look so much better.’ But I’m the same guy; I just was able to put it together and everything kinda went my way. I always had those skills. Maybe I was just putting things together better. But things happen in your career, you make different choices, and that can reflect on your performance.”And oddly enough, Herman’s resurgence comes with an added benefit – a clean slate, as there are some newer fans who may not even remember him as the finalist on season three of The Ultimate Fighter, but as a rookie fighter with a knack for fast finishes.“I think with the new fanbase, I definitely got some new fans, which was great,” he said. “And some of the old fans came around too, maybe some people who didn’t like me before.”Saturday night, the world will see Herman, as he’s on the UFC 143 main card in Las Vegas, taking on unbeaten, but relatively unknown Clifford Starks.“There’s not that much tape on him, but looking him up, he’s 8-0, he’s newer to MMA and I would say he’s a young, up and coming, hungry guy, but he’s the same age as me, really,” said the 31-year old Herman of the 30-year old Starks, a former Arizona State University wrestler who made his Octagon debut with a win over Dustin Jacoby at UFC 137 last October. “He’s definitely an athletic dude and I’m sure he’s gonna come hungry and come for me, so it’s the same motivation, if not more. When you’re supposed to win, there’s a lot more pressure on your back – at least there is for me anyway. So I feel like I have to go out and perform. If I go out there and lose, or look bad winning, then that’s only going to be a negative thing for me. I have to go out there and put it on this guy and show him that he’s not at my level and make him understand why he shouldn’t be in there with me.”Herman does understand what Starks is going through, having been there himself back in 2004, when he was the hot 8-0 prospect running through the local circuit before getting the call to travel to Japan to face Kazuo Misaki in his ninth pro fight.Who? Only a guy whose record already included fights with Chris Lytle, Nate Marquardt, Ricardo Almeida, and Jake Shields.“It was a big shock for me,” said Herman. “I went from fighting locally in the Northwest to boom, you’re in Japan. And then my manager, Matt Lindland, he didn’t even tell me who Misaki was. I get over there and I find out he’s one of the top ranked Japanese guys in the world and I’m like ‘dude, you didn’t tell me that.’ (Laughs). Matt goes ‘It doesn’t matter, you’ll kick his butt.’ All right Lindland. It was good in some ways, but in other ways it’s not the best way to bring up a young fighter.”At 3:31 of the second round, Herman got put to sleep by an arm triangle choke. That was the bad news. On the bright side, he went on to win five of his next six bouts, earning the spot on TUF3 that launched his UFC career.“I did pretty well,” said Herman of the Misaki bout. “I was kicking Misaki’s butt until I made a mistake and let him choke me out unconscious. I always wanted that one back.”As for Starks, Herman says “It’s his second fight in the UFC, and it takes a while to get used to all that, but he competed a high level in college wrestling, so he’s used to competing, and that’s a big thing. So I think he’s gonna be comfortable competing, and he probably believes he can win until he gets in there with me and I start putting the pressure on him, and I feel like I can get in there and break his will.”That doesn’t mean “Short Fuse” is underestimating his foe. It’s just the opposite, because he knows that one bad break or one bad loss can put a serious dent in this comeback and in a 2012 plan that he hopes will pave the way to a shot at a world title. “I’ve got a tough fight coming with Starks and I do respect the guy,” said Herman. “But I’m looking to go in there and get three, four wins this year if I can, and make my way through the top ten and ultimately look for a title shot. I’ve got to take it one fight at a time of course, but I’d love to work my way to the top and get a shot at the title some day.”Then there will definitely be no more bartending gigs.“Maybe I’ll buy a bar someday and bartend there.”

Posted in: ufc, time, ’t, i ’m, herman

Read the full article at UFC

Filed under: UFCUFC on FOX 2 didn't exactly hypnotize the network TV audience with thrilling MMA action on Saturday night, and maybe that's okay. Maybe the UFC doesn't need every FOX fight to be a shootout. Maybe both the network and the viewers need to know that sometimes you get a first-round knockout, and other times you get an hour's worth of slow grinds -- especially when five of your six main card fighters are grappling specialists. For better or worse, both FOX and the UFC learned that lesson in Chicago this weekend. Now that the dust has settled, it's time for a look at the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between. Biggest Winner: Rashad Evans Okay, so it wasn't the most entertaining fight. It was, in fact, about as entertaining as a bowl of oatmeal. Regardless, Evans took on an undefeated former national champion wrestler and shut him out on the scorecards. He was better than Davis everywhere -- on the feet, on the mat, and between the ears. In short, Evans took on the next big thing and made him look like a man who was just glad to get out of there and go home by the end. With the win, he earned a title shot (again), and probably also some haters (again). If you weren't an Evans fan before this fight, chances are you still aren't. Chances are you hope Jon Jones will crush him when they meet to finally, hopefully end this rivalry, and chances are that Evans is just fine with that. The "Suga" we saw on Saturday night was one who seemed, perhaps for the first time, comfortable with his role as a methodical spoiler of prospects and deflater of hype. He has the patience of a glacier and is almost as difficult to move once he gets on top of you. Fans won't ever love him for that, which is fine. As long he can live with it, he doesn't need anyone's permission to keep doing what he does best. Biggest Loser: Demian Maia Toward the end of Maia's wheezing effort against Chris Weidman, Joe Rogan compared the fighters to two drunks brawling outside a bar. I disagree. Drunks have better game plans. While I can appreciate all the time Maia has put into developing a striking game, it's still not a great one. It's predictable, not terribly threatening, and, worst of all, it distracts him from his true strengths. Remember when Maia was the one-dimensional jiu-jitsu fighter who at least knew he was one-dimensional? He'd look for the takedown and the submission as if he had no other choice. He'd pull half-guard and actually make it work. Much like Rousimar Palhares with his leg locks, people knew what Maia was going to do and they still couldn't stop him. Now they don't need to. By ignoring the ground game in favor of a mediocre striking attack, he's stopped himself. To make matters worse, he also quickly ran out of steam against Weidman, who at least had the short-notice element as an excuse for poor cardio. Maia? He had no excuse. If he keeps this up, he won't have much of a future either. More Coverage: UFC on FOX 2 Results | Latest UFC News Least Impressive in Victory: Mike Russow After grinding out a decision over John Olav Einemo that was the very definition of 'lay-and-pray,' Russow said, "I can't believe I'm 4-0 in the UFC right now." That makes two of us. I suppose he did what he had to do to get his hand raised in front of the hometown crowd, but he sure didn't do anything extra. If his plan was to take Einemo down, hold him there, and stay out of submissions, then mission accomplished. If it was to convince the UFC that he's a heavyweight worth getting behind, then sorry, there's still some work to do. Most Impressive in Defeat: Michael Bisping Bisping proved more by losing a narrow decision than Sonnen proved by beating him that way. In part that's because Bisping came in as a 3-1 underdog. No one expected him to stay on his feet long enough to do much of anything, and yet he ended up controlling many of the clinches and even took Sonnen down once. Sonnen pursued more or less the exact same game plan against Bisping as he used against opponents like Nate Marquardt and Brian Stann, and Bisping stood up to it better than either of them. Not bad for a Brit who supposedly has no wrestling skills. Bisping will probably spend the next three decades of his life talking about how he got screwed out of that decision. This time you can't really blame him. The third round was the only one he clearly lost, and the first two could have easily gone his way. To the people who still stubbornly insist on maintaining the conventional wisdom that Bisping is no good, or that he succeeds only because the UFC feeds him hand-picked opponents, it must have been uncomfortable to sit there and wait for the decision, knowing that Bisping could have very easily been declared the UFC's top middleweight contender. Unfortunately for him (or maybe fortunately, depending on what you think about his chances against Anderson Silva), it wasn't to be. But by taking the best Sonnen had and giving it right back to him, Bisping showed once and for all that he deserves to be taken seriously. You don't have to like the guy, but you ought to respect his skills. Back to the Drawing Board: Phil Davis Any time the announcers start talking about what a great learning experience this is for you while the fight is still going on, that's a bad sign. It's not that Davis performed badly. Clearly, the man has some skills. He just doesn't have all the skills necessary to be a top light heavyweight in the UFC, or at least not yet. His striking still seems largely perfunctory and his takedowns aren't fooling anybody. That's fine against a lower caliber of opponent, who Davis can muscle to the mat even when they know what's coming, but it's not going to work against the cream of the 205-pound crop. But let's not freak out here. That was just Davis' tenth pro fight. One hopes that he really did learn something from five unpleasant rounds with Evans, and at 27 years old he still has plenty of time to make the most of those lessons. That's the trouble with being undefeated: it can be hard to know what you need to be spending time on in the gym, since no one has been able to make you pay for any of your mistakes. Now he knows. Of course, so does everyone else in the division. The Carpe Diem Award for Day-Seizing Excellence: Chris Weidman A lot of UFC middleweights might have declined the offer to drop 32 pounds in less than two weeks and fight a guy like Maia on network TV. But Weidman saw an opportunity to go from the prelims to the spotlight, and he made the most of it. The fight wasn't exactly a thriller, and by the end of it both guys were huffing and puffing like New Year's resolutioners after their first day at a gym in eight years, but hey, at least Weidman had a good excuse. Given his situation, any win would have been a good win. He might not have dazzled new viewers, but he answered the call and got his hand raised. Some nights that's enough. Most Surprising: Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz It's not the result so much as the method. Who would have guessed, back when he was taking heat for winning fights via wall-and-stall, that Lentz would have two Fight of the Night bonuses in his last three trips inside the Octagon? Certainly not anyone who saw his decision wins over Andre Winner or Tyson Griffin. And yet, now that Lentz has hid the roughest stretch of his pro career, suddenly he's raking in the bonuses. Too bad he had to do so on the losing end, thanks to Dunham. At least this loss is better for Lentz's bank account than the defeat via smothering that he suffered at the hands of Mark Bocek in his last outing. Then again, this one wasn't nearly so kind to his face. Least Improved: FOX Broadcast This event didn't feature a frantic Dana White shouting into the camera, but it did include a slightly bewildered Curt Menefee and a light heavyweight champ who was a little too dependent on his notes. The combination made every cut-away to the boys at the desk an awkward little experiment in live TV, while down on the floor Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg reminded us that, yes, it does pay to have a couple guys who have done this before. In fact, whenever the broadcast abandoned the stilted FOX Sports feel and gave way to the regular old UFC routine, that's when it felt smooth and comfortable. It's almost as if the UFC has got this stuff down to a science, and all FOX needs to do is get out of the way. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, fox, bisping

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

On the heels of a three-fight winning streak, you would be forgiven to think that Rashad Evans has done enough to earn a shot at the title he lost to Lyoto Machida back in 2009. In fact, Evans accomplished that feat after besting arch rival Quinton Jackson in 2010, and then again after crushing Tito Ortiz last summer. And yet, an bizarre sequence of unfortunate events left the former light heavyweight champion having to do it all over again, this time against one of the sport’s most promising up-and-coming prospects, Phil Davis. Light Heavyweight Fight: Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis Undoubtedly the most highly decorated wrestler Evans has faced in his MMA career, Davis is a major threat even in Rashad’s comfort zone. Historically, Evans’ wrestling has never been an insurmountable obstacle. He was never one to finish clean double legs in the middle of the cage, and instead relied on pushing opponents against the fence and get the takedown from there. This has been a double edged sword, as Evans has struggled to enjoy too much time in top position due to his foes often finding opportunities to wall-walk. His more wrestling oriented fights turned into constant battles for position, as witnessed in his bout with Michael Bisping, which saw the Brit constantly escape from the bottom and turn the tables on Evans. Likewise, Thiago Silva was repeatedly able to regain his feet and prevented Evans from doing anything significant from the top, and it almost came back to haunt Rashad when he was badly rocked late in the final round. It wasn’t until the “Rampage” Jackson fight that Evans showed marked improvements in that regard, as for the first time in his career, the former Team Jackson product was able to use his ever improving boxing to set up takedowns. His transitions and level changes in particular gave his opponent all sorts of trouble, as Jackson never quite knew what to expect. Against Davis, Evans is unlikely to find too much joy getting the former “All American” on his back for any extended period of time, as not only will “Mr. Wonderful” match Evans in that department, but he is an excellent scrambler as well. In fairness, Davis’ wrestling in MMA hasn’t been as dominant as one would have hoped, as he found himself continuously struggling to control the distance inside the cage. That is a direct result of Davis’ raw striking, which is reliant on a few kicks from distance but very little boxing, as his lack of confidence in his hands forces him to stay on the outside and fight “rangy”, which in turn often leads to him shooting from too far on the outside. Davis makes up for that with excellent chain wrestling, highlighted by his ability to easily transition from one takedown attempt to the next, as well as some tremendous scrambling. Whether that will be enough to trouble Evans however, is doubtful, as “Sugar” excels in the scrambles as well, and despite not being exactly impossible to take down, he is very difficult to control on the ground, and knows how to create openings to get back to his vertical base. This also negates one of Davis’ main strengths, and that is his ability to land submissions from scrambles. He possesses excellent front headlock control, and uses it to get dominant positions or transition into choke variations. Evans however, is too seasoned to fall victim to a guillotine or anaconda choke, and he would have undoubtedly watched enough tape on his opponent to be aware of the danger he poses in that position. All of this could well turn the fight into a wrestling stalemate, and that is where Evans’ superior striking comes into play. Rashad normally has two approaches to his stand-up: he either patiently sits back and waits for the opportunity to land a counter right hand, or he moves forward aggressively, puts combinations together, and transitions to takedowns. The former will be a difficult proposition in this one, as Davis isn’t one to let his hands go and leave openings for counters, and Rashad will have to fight with more urgency in his stand-up. This will be detrimental to his chances of landing a fight-ending blow, as Evans’ strikes are considerably more effective when he has time to sit on his punches and counter. However, given the lack of volume and accuracy in Davis’ offense on the feet, Evans won’t find it too hard to out-land him by moving forward, closing the distance, landing some shots to the head and body, throw plenty of knees to the thighs and dirty box. As long as Evans doesn’t tire himself out by fruitlessly pushing Davis against the fence, he should be able to win enough rounds with that approach. Unless Davis shows enough improvement in his striking to where he can use it to set up his takedowns, he will have a hard time out-wrestling Evans for five rounds.  It won’t be pretty, and it could well turn into a lackluster clinch-fest, but Evans will be able to land just enough strikes from close-quarters to earn the decision. Official Prediction: Rashad Evans to defeat Phil Davis by Decision PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: fight, time, rashad, evan, davi

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

"For me, I'm injured too, I understand. I'm like, 'Hey, I'm injured.' You know, I was injured all those fights, I wasn't 100-percent or anything, so I understand. People put a lot of pressure on him to come out and do better than he did the last time. It's hard enough to come out there and keep himself going the way he's doing. So I can understand what it must be like being injured for real and everybody's like, 'Oh, hey, you're scared.' It's not what it seems." -- "Where you at, Georges? I don't think he's hurt, I think he's scared." We're a long ways away from the time Nick Diaz said those words in his post-fight interview after smashing B.J. Penn back at UFC 137 on Oct. 29, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now, an uncharacteristically jovial Diaz is telling Kayrn Bryant of MMA Heat that he totally understands what Georges St. Pierre is going through with his knee injury and he doesn't hold it against him. In fact, Diaz actually feels for "Rush's" plight, saying it must be tough to placate a fanbase that is always demanding more and more. It's quite the switch in attitudes for the Stockton slugger. Maybe Bryant just caught him on a good day. Indeed, Diaz was training with women's fighting sensation Ronda Rousey at the time. That would get anyone's spirits up, right? You can watch footage of the two rolling around on the mats after the jump.

Posted in: diaz, time, stockton slugger, knee injury, fact diaz

Read the full article at MMA Mania

If we were in possession of a flux capacitor-equipped Delorean, we would travel to February 11th 2012 and have the time of our friggin' lives at ONE FC: Battle of Heroes in Jakarta, Indonesia. You can enjoy too, but you would also need to have a time traveling Delorean. You can use a Honda Civic. That's a little known tip amongst us time travelers. The catch is, you still need an operational flux capacitor. Good luck finding one of those things in this current economy. The alternative is you can wait a few days until February 11th and watch ONE FC: Battle of Heroes live on -- some undisclosed technology we can't tell you yet. If you're unfamiliar with ONE FC, it's the only major MMA promotion in the world that allows classic Pride FC rules in bouts. Yes, soccer kicks to a grounded opponent are legal. It's the closest thing we have to pure, unfiltered combat -- so that should undoubtedly give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. MiddleEasy partnered with the promotion earlier this month, and now we've created a highlight reel of the organization that is downright filthy -- in an unbelievably amazing way.

Posted in: time, thing, fc, jakarta indonesia, fc battle

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Filed under: UFCRashad Evans has been the light-heavyweight division's No. 1 contender in waiting for 18 months, a lengthy purgatory that will only end if he beats Phil Davis at Saturday night's UFC on FOX 2 show, and emerges uninjured. On paper, it is a fight he should win. He has twice as many fights as Davis, and has competed against higher-caliber opponents over the last few years. The odds reflect that, with Evans a 2-to-1 favorite by the estimates of most. But there are also factors that suggest the outcome isn't quite that clear cut. For one, Evans (16-1-1) has only fought once in the last 18 months, against the struggling Tito Ortiz. For another, Davis (9-0) has had 10 months in between fights. Because of the fact that Davis is newer to the sport, he has more to learn, and might have benefited more from the time off between fights. The biggest improvements Davis can hope to show in this matchup are his overall striking game and wrestling transitions. To date, Davis' best standup weapon has been his kicks, something he has proven to be reliant on. Against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, for example, he threw 18 kicks and 18 punches while standing. A true 1:1 kick/punch ratio is very unusual at the highest levels of MMA. More: UFC on FOX 2 Fight Card | UFC on FOX 2 Results That ratio alone isn't troublesome, but the issue comes in the fact that against Nogueira, he landed only two of his 18 arm strikes, just 11 percent. He will have to do more in the pocket to keep Evans honest, because if Evans can completely discount his punches, the fight becomes easier for him. To that end, Davis has been working with fellow light-heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson as well as bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz. After 10 months, it's hard to imagine we won't see any real improvements. In recent days, Evans has made headlines for saying that Davis isn't a very good wrestler, a statement that doesn't jibe with Davis' pedigree as a former NCAA national champion. "Your technique is trash," Evans said during a Thursday press conference. "You won a college championship off junk. You could not win on an international level because you have trash technique." The statement was no doubt a piece of gamesmanship on Evans' part, but the fact is that given Davis' wrestling history, he has underperformed a bit in the takedown department, successfully landing just 50 percent of his tries according to FightMetric. His problems stem from often shooting from too far away with no setup. To date, Nogueira has been his most decorated opponent. Nogueira has no background in wrestling, but Davis was just four of 11 against him. Again, though, this is the type of area that could benefit from some intensive training, and Davis might look significantly better this time around. On the other hand, in his limited time fighting, Davis has shown some of the best defensive work in MMA. According to FightMetric, he's only been hit .38 times per minute -- by far the lowest number in UFC history. He's also never been taken down, so has a perfect 100 percent takedown defense record. Both of those numbers will be tested by Evans, who has the most complete game of any opponent Davis has yet to face. Evans won't be lost if just one thing doesn't work. He has good hands, throws kicks, moves well into takedowns and has effective ground and pound. Evans has said that he has gone back to his wrestling roots, and that showed against Ortiz as most of the fight was spent on the ground. But given the fact that the area is Davis' strength, it's worth wondering if Evans will truly engage him there or simply wants to plant the seed in Davis' mind so he'll have something else to think about. Evans is a very good MMA wrestler, but it's unlikely he'll put Davis on his back for any stretch of time. That leaves a fight where Evans is likely going to be on the defensive, hoping to avoid Davis' takedowns throughout. Remember, this is a five-round fight, so it could become a grind. Davis may or may not have success in taking the fight to the ground, but he's also quite likely to work Evans against the fence and hope to wear him down with dirty boxing and sheer physicality. In some ways, that kind of plan could work to Evans' advantage. He's always fought well as a counter-striker, and he's never had any real issues with stamina. Davis has looked strong in fights that have gone the distance, but he's prepared to go five full rounds for the first time in his career, while Evans has had to do it three times now. Their wrestling games should largely cancel each other out, so unless Davis has made a big leap forward in his striking, this should still be Evans' fight to lose. Evans is more experienced, has shown more power and has big-fight experience. Davis is still a blue-chip prospect, but there's no way to know whether his time off helped him by allowing him time to refine his skills, or it hurt him by adding ring rust. A Davis upset wouldn't be a huge surprise, as he's capable of grinding out a win with his physicality and will, but most other routes to victory seem to favor Evans, and so his perpetual role as top contender should continue by a close decision. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, time, evan, davi, he

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Phil Davis is fighting Rashad Evans on Saturday night. But it doesn’t really matter to Davis who stands across from him on fight night. It could be Evans, it could be “Shogun” Rua, it could be light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. He’s not concerned. They’re all just names to him.“If you’re only looking to beat people, ultimately the people will continue to change,” said Davis. “I want to be the best me I can be. I don’t care who I’m gonna have to face. I just want to continue to prepare myself and advance my skills.”It’s a philosophy grown from years in the wrestling room, a segment of his life that reached its peak in 2008 when he won the NCAA National championship for Penn State University. His next step was to attack the world of mixed martial arts, and while he hasn’t reached the peak of the mountain yet, he has not wavered in the belief system that took him to the top once already in wrestling.“I’ve been a champion before, and the rules change and it’s a completely different sport, but the attitude is very much the same,” he said. “If you can’t master your own skillset and your own self, then it doesn’t matter who the other guy is or what the other guy is capable of doing. If you can’t be the best you, then he doesn’t even have to be the best. Sometimes you get caught up chasing this number one guy, and all of a sudden, that guy loses and you have to go against somebody else. So why have you been training to fight this guy the whole time?”At this point, it’s safe to say that Davis hasn’t had a picture of Evans on his mirror ever since the two were scheduled to fight back at UFC 133 last August, a bout postponed when the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native injured his knee and was forced to the sidelines.“Not necessarily,” he chuckles. “As soon as you don’t have a fight, I’m back to focusing on me a hundred percent, and no one else. I do try to keep an eye on the division and who’s fighting who and how guys are doing. I attended the fight in August and watched him (Evans) fight Tito (Ortiz), and I was definitely checking him out and watching how he was doing. But not too much other than that.”And as much as a knee injury and over five months on the sidelines can hurt a young fighter’s career, in this case, it may have been a blessing in disguise for the 27-year old, who was fighting at a breakneck pace since entering the UFC in 2010. Just 4-0 when he made his debut at UFC 109 against Brian Stann, Davis fought four times in 2010 and once in March of 2011 before getting injured. Yes, he was impressing fans and the media and winning all his fights as his level of competition kept getting amped up, but when he got injured, he finally had the time he needed to add some more skills to his still raw MMA game.“When you fight four or five times in a year, you don’t really have time to get better,” admits Davis. “You’re just going from fight camp to fight camp and that’s not always good for someone as inexperienced as I am. So it has been great to just fall back for a little bit, and you can’t rush an injury, so I just had to work at a slow, steady pace until I got better, I picked up skills here and there, and now I’m right where I want to be.”Yeah, as scary as it sounds, a guy who already has beaten Stann, Rogerio Nogueira, Alexander Gustafsson, and Tim Boetsch is getting even better. His timing is impeccable though, as this is without question the biggest fight of his career. Not that he’s getting caught up in all the hype of being the main event on FOX. “This is just the next fight,” he said. “This is just another challenge along the road of me becoming a champion.”Sounds convincing, and according to him, not getting rattled and not letting his ego run wild isn’t difficult at all.“That’s the easy part as long as you’re true to yourself,” said Davis. “If you start to believe that you’re the best, baddest dude ever, and it all just comes so easy to you that you don’t have to work hard for it, then it’s hard to make new goals for yourself. But I know that things don’t come easy for me. If you forgot how you got to where you are, then you won’t make it to the next level. Even if you reached the highest point, there’s something else.” Like the perfect fight? What would that entail for “Mr. Wonderful?”“Minimal damage and a perfectly executed gameplan,” he said. And what happens next?“You make a new gameplan and prepare to carry that one out.” So you can be perfect more than once?“I don’t see why not.”

Posted in: fight, time, guy, ’t, davi

Read the full article at UFC

The UFC on FOX open workouts were held on Wednesday and Ariel Helwani was back in top form with his extended length pre-fight interviews. Helwani's interviews are right up there with Dallas Winston's fight dissections in terms of the best fight week coverage on the web and if I had to pick just one media offering to consume before a fight card, it would probably be the Helwani interviews. The upcoming FOX card features some great personalities and the highlights of the interviews include Chael Sonnen revealing his dislike for Inside MMA host Kenny Rice and Rashad Evans getting a kick out of learning that both he and long time rival Rampage Jackson have similar feelings towards Ariel Helwani and his flashy shoes. The best interview, however; was with a fighter that many people know for his involvement in one of the most absurd knockouts in MMA history, Mike Russow. I'm not going to rehash that here but if you don't know what I'm referring to, spend a few minutes on Google and search for "Hammerfist of Doom". It's well worth it. In the interview, Russow and Helwani discuss the difficulties that Russow faces trying to balance MMA with his full time job as a Chicago police officer. Helwani: How do you juggle a full time job as a police officer and a UFC career?Russow: I mean, it's tough, you just have to be dedicated. You only have so much time. I work 5 pm to 2 am. I get home, go right to bed. Wake up, eat, and then go train. Usually get home around 3 or so, maybe have 45 minutes to an hour to rest and then off to work. It's like Groundhog day. Do it all over again the next day.Helwani: Have you ever thought about dropping one, so that you could focus on one as opposed to the other, 100%? Russow: I mean, my dream is just to fight for the UFC, just fight year round. That's my dream, but realistically, I just got married a little over a year ago, I have a baby daughter, she's a year and a half. With health insurance and you know, being Chicago Police, we make pretty good money and I'm 35, so to take that chance and put my family out there, you know, is just not something I want to do at this point. If things worked out in the UFC and I could move up, I think I could take a year leave of absence and give it a shot. For this fight, I used all of my vacation time, this is the first time ever leading up to a fight that I've been able to have a month off, just train right, sleep right, and just kinda do it like the pro's do it. And it's awesome. I felt a mix of emotions as I listenend to him describe his situation. The first was admiration for Russow. Trying to balance a full time job with a dream is a difficult proposition for anyone. Add a young family to the mix and the dream often retreats back to whence it came, no longer a part of everyday reality. For Russow, the stakes are even higher, as both his job as a police officer and his dream of being a full time mixed martial artist put him at substantial risk of physical harm. The sacrifices he makes on a daily basis are truly something to applaud. The second emotion I felt was disappointment, brought on by Russow's assertion that "if things worked out in the UFC...." You see, in my estimation, things have worked out for him in the UFC. He's won his first three fights in the organization. He's fought on the main card, won knockout of the night. He's on a three fight win streak, joining Junior Dos Santos and Frank Mir as the only UFC heavyweights who can currently make that claim. He is ranked among the top 20 heavyweight fighters in the world, yet he refers to his peers as professionals, not comfortable putting himself in the same category as them. Continue reading this post after the jump. The recent ESPN/Outside the Lines story on UFC fighter pay made reference to the fact that ESPN spoke with a good number of UFC fighters who refused to go on the record and speak out in favor of higher pay, for fear of being black balled by the UFC brass. It's not hard to understand that, as Zuffa has not always taken criticism well. However, might the type of men attracted to the job have something to do with it as well? The term "blue collar work ethic" is often used to describe the hard working everyman. Up early, home late and never a complaint about it. Russow clearly embodies this attitude; fighters generally do (Nick Diaz not withstanding). When you consider that aspect, is it any wonder then that UFC fighters are reticent to speak out? Blue collar jobs almost always come with the support of a union, in place to provide a voice for men who prefer to let their actions speak for them, ensuring their hard working nature is not taken advantage of. There is no fighter's union nor is there likely to be one anytime soon. Thus the Mike Russow's of the organization quietly soldier on, happy just to have the chance to be there. In some ways, fighters like Russow are destined to be a semi-tragic part of MMA history, a generation caught in between, if you will. Old enough to have seen the days when MMA was truly an underground phenomenon and everyone fought out of love for the sport but not young enough to truly profit from the explosion into the mainstream. Joining Mike Russow on the card is Phil Davis who, like Russow, is a former division one NCAA wrestler but who, unlike Russow, entered MMA straight upon his graduation from Penn State University, made his UFC a mere 18 months later and now, just two years into his career, finds himself headlining an event on a major television network. It was kind of amusing to hear Davis tell Ariel Helwani that it would be "silly to think that anyone would be fighting if they weren't getting paid for it" but that is pretty much exactly what was happening (in the North American MMA scene at least) until Zuffa stepped in some ten odd years ago. In the full length, unedited interview that Lorenzo Fertitta did with ESPN, released by the UFC following the OTL story, Lorenzo went to great lengths to detail the financial risks that he and his brother Frank undertook in building the company. He noted that fighter pay has increased every year since they began making a profit and was adamant that the UFC provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity to fighters to make loads of money. I can't and won't deny the validity of his statements, nor would I minimize them. Zuffa has single handedly turned MMA into what it is today, a bonafide, major, professional sport. The work is not quite finished though. The UFC also released their own video piece on the subject of fighter pay, featuring former champions Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell and Matt Serra discussing the issue. Something Forrest said stood out to me: Forrest Griffin: The UFC has guys that technically they lose money on. Guys that they are paying ten, fifteen thousand dollars to fight, that nobody is really watching. Nobody bought the pay-per-view to see that guy. You know, maybe 300 people, his home town, if he's lucky. But they are paying that guy to get better, to keep fighting, because maybe he'll catch on, and be that next thing. So what the UFC is really doing is paying a stable of fighters and giving them an opportunity to make it big. Forrest makes a great point, that no one is really buying the pay-per-view to see someone like Mike Russow. His next point? Not quite as great. If they are truly paying Russow and the rest of the guys they "lose money" on, (I use quotations because what they lose on the under card and mid tier fighters they more than gain back on the portion of the pay-per-view proceeds that they aren't giving directly to the stars, like Forrest. It might have been more accurate for Forrest to say "I'm losing money because the UFC is paying these guys".) to get better, they should be ensuring that they can do so without also having to work full time as a police officer, or engineer (Shane Carwin), or stock broker (John Cholish). It's completely unrealistic to think that any professional athlete is going to improve much if they are spending eight hours a day doing something completely unrelated to their sport. In my eyes the solution is simple: When the UFC signs a new fighter to a contract, they should give them a signing bonus right away. Nothing too big, but enough so that the fighter can set aside whatever else they are doing with their lives and focus on training full time. A pre-fight camp training camp usually starts 8-12 weeks prior to the fight. If the contract is for a single fight, the bonus should be roughly equal to the cost of three months of training. If the contract is for multiple fights, it should be a little bigger. Once they have gotten to that first fight, the current amount of show/win money, the fight night and discretionary bonus system and the various sponsorship opportunities available to fighters will take care of the rest. My caveman economics are leading me to imagine that $15,000 for a one fight contract, $25,000 for a multiple fight contract would be about right. I'm not sure how many lower tier fighters the UFC signs in a calender year, but 50 guys at $25k a piece would cost the UFC $1.25 million, or just over one percent of the money they are getting per year from FOX. Per fighter the amount is a veritable drop in the bucket for Zuffa, a negligible difference to their bottom line. For Mike Russow and the many fighters like him though? It would mean all the difference in the world.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, fighter, russow

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

A shot at Jon Jones and the UFC light heavyweight title is on the line this Saturday night (January 28, 2012) as former champion "Suga" Rashad Evans takes on undefeated wrestler Phil Davis in the main event of UFC on FOX 2 in Chicago. Evans has been set back by repeated bad luck, missing out on a title shot in 2011 due to injury, and time and time again having his title shot delayed by injuries to Jon Jones or himself. He's already had two post-fight staredowns with Jon Jones and he'll be looking to earn his third with a victory over Phil Davis on Saturday night. Phil Davis has been talked about as one of the last potential challengers to Jon Jones in the light heavyweight division. The former national champion wrestler out of Penn State holds a spotless record in MMA and has manhandled nearly every UFC opponent he's faced. He'll be hoping to do the same in what is clearly his toughest test to date. Will Evans finally end his streak of bad luck and get the shot at Jones he desperately desires? Can "Mr. Wonderful" play spoiler and take his UFC career to the next level with an upset victory? What does each man need to do to be victorious this weekend? Let's find out: Rashad Evans Record: 16-1-1 overall, 11-1-1 in the UFC Key Wins: Quinton Jackson (UFC 114), Forrest Griffin (UFC 92), Tito Ortiz (UFC 133) Key Losses: Lyoto Machida (UFC 98) How he got here: After a respectable career wrestling at Michigan State, Rashad Evans, under the wing of former UFC tournament champion Dan Severn, won his first five professional fights. This earned him an opportunity to compete on season two of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). Despite fighting at a weight class heavier than normal, Evans tore through the heavyweights on the show, eventually working his way to the finale where he earned a split decision victory over the significantly larger Brad Imes to become The Ultimate Fighter season two champion. After some less than dominant split and majority decision victories over Sam Hoger and Stephan Bonnar, Evans finally found his groove, earning a technical knockout (TKO) over Jason Lambert with ground and pound and then scoring one of the UFC's all time nastiest finishes with the head kick knockout of Sean Salmon. Evans would go on to have his now infamous draw with Tito Ortiz and would follow it up by defeating Michael Bisping via decision, sending him to the middleweight division. The victory would earn "Suga" a number one contender match against former champion Chuck Liddell and one massive overhand right would change his life forever, flooring Liddell, earning "Knockout of the Year," and earning him his first title shot against champion Forrest Griffin. After a shaky first couple rounds against Griffin at UFC 92, Evans took advantage of a slip, pounced and pummeled his way to victory to take the title and standing atop the division. His title reign would be short, though, halted by Lyoto Machida in his first defense just five months later. Since losing the championship, Evans has rebounded nicely by defeating Thiago Silva and "Rampage" Jackson via decision, but an ill-advised choice to sit on the sidelines and wait for Mauricio Rua's knee to recover cost him badly. After nine months on the sidelines, "Suga" injured his knee while training and had to watch teammate Jon Jones crush "Shogun" and win the belt he'd had his eyes on for over a year. After cutting ties with Jackson's MMA and feuding with Jones, Evans had to deal with opponent change after opponent change from Jones, to Phil Davis and now late replacement Tito Ortiz How he gets it done: Evans' secret weapon ever since losing his title was going back to his roots in the wrestling department. He was able to completely dominate Thiago Silva positionally, even if he didn't do much damage in the fight and he used a mix of everything to defeat Quinton Jackson. That's not to say Evans doesn't have power. His ferocious knockouts of Liddell, Salmon and his title victory over Griffin should be a testament to that. He was also the only person in the UFC thus far that has really hurt "Rampage" Jackson in the stand-up, landing a huge right hand in the opening minute of their grudge match. Expect "Suga" to dance around Davis early, utilizing his speed and movement and looking to land the power. He should be confident in his stand-up for this fight as he should have a significant power and technique edge over Davis with his punches. If Davis comes out throwing a ton of kicks, Evans will likely try to catch one and take him down. I'm not expecting the same ferocious Evans from the Tito Ortiz fight, as he knew he had his opponent severely outmatched. He will likely be much more cautious on the ground this time around if he can put Davis down. He'll likely be content to stay in Davis' guard and ride some time off the clock, posturing up and dropping punches only if he feels weakness from his opponent. Phil Davis Record: 9-0 overall, 5-0 in the UFC Key Wins: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (UFC Fight Night 24), Alexander Gustafsson (UFC 112), Tim Boetsch (UFC 123) Key Losses: none How he got here: Phil Davis was a very successful wrestler at Penn State, competing in the 197 pounds where he was a four-time All-American and the 2008 NCAA Division I national champion. When his college career was over, Davis immediately transitioned into mixed martial arts, even working alongside fellow newcomer Jon Jones for a short time. After just four fights, "Mr. Wonderful" was signed by the UFC and thrown in against former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann in his debut with the promotion. The Pennsylvania natives scrapped, but it was all Davis as he outmuscled Stann so badly that ex-marine dropped a weight class afterwards. Davis followed up his victory over Stann with a string of impressive performances which included two submissions over Alexander Gustafsson and Tim Boetch as well as a decision victory against Rodney Wallace. The Boetsch submission in particular was impressive as he used a hybrid move he got to name after himself. The Alliance MMA fighter took on his toughest test to date in his last bout against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, in which he had to make quick adjustments on the fly and was forced to utilize some of his stand-up attack after having some trouble putting his opponent on the ground. Davis eventually passed the test, scoring a unanimous decision victory over the Pride veteran. He was originally slated to face Evans at UFC 133, but had to back out with a knee injury and now he once again finds himself matched up against the TUF season two winner. How he gets it done: Davis has had a significant amount of time to work on his striking since last fighting Nogueira in March. If he's forced to stand for any significant duration, keep an eye out for his kicks more than his punches. "Mr. Wonderful's" kicks weren't thrown with the best technique his last time out, but with all the practice he's had, I expect them to be considerably sharper this time around. Expect lots of kicks from Davis, whether to the leg, body or even the head. Evans utilizes a ton of movement to the point of wasting energy, so if Davis really wants to hit him, he needs to close the distance and either clinch or work for takedowns. The former Penn State standout doesn't need much space to get the fight to the ground, instead all he needs is an opening to knock Evans off balance whether it's with a trip or simple leverage with his terrific technique. If he can put Evans on the ground, keeping him there is more important than doing damage. He's got to wear Evans out a bit as "Suga" has been known to slow down in the later rounds. Expect to see a lot of positional control from Davis as he's likely not going to take too many risks if he can put his opponent on the ground. If Evans tires in the later rounds, it could create an opening for him to pull off a submission. Fight X-Factor: The biggest factor for this fight is not only who can score the first takedown, but how good are both men off their backs? While we've come to expect stand-up fights when two high level wrestlers collide in MMA competition, both of these guys are almost certainly going to try to impose their will on their opponent early and often. We really haven't seen much if any of either man off their backs other than when Evans got dropped by Machida and Rampage. If either man panics or is incapable of defending themselves properly from their backs, it could put them in a very rough situation. Bottom Line: This fight could be a very intriguing grappling exhibition, featuring some sweeps, ground and pound, takedowns and occasional stand-up exchanges, or it could turn into a very boring drawn-out affair of two men afraid to open up in the stand-up for fear of the other's wrestling. It could also turn into a fight where both men utilize very safe gameplans. There's a title on the line and Rashad Evans has been wanting this for so long and been delayed time and time again, he might do whatever it takes to win, even if it's not exciting. I'm preparing myself for both outcomes and you should as well. Who will come out on top at UFC on FOX 2? Tell us your predictions in the comments below! Poll Who will earn a title shot with a victory in the UFC on FOX 2 main event on Saturday night? Rashad Evans Phil Davis   28 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, evan, davi

Read the full article at MMA Mania

In short, Dustin Jacoby made a bad first impression, but he’s getting a second chance to make a better one at UFC on FOX 2. On October 29th at UFC 137, Jacoby went toe-to-toe with fellow debuting middleweight Clifford Starks in an underwhelming unanimous decision victory for Starks. The win was for the most part a 15 minute display of takedowns for the former Arizona State University wrestler, Starks. For Jacoby, the loss was absolutely his worst performance of a young career that previously featured an undefeated streak of lightning quick finishes with the majority being first round TKOs. In life there might not be second chances, but in sports there are and, on January 28th, Jacoby wants to make an inedible second impression to make everyone forget the first. “Everyone should expect to see a guy who is going to go in there and leave it all on the line,” emphasizes Jacoby. “They should expect to see a guy who throws caution into the wind and lets it go and has fun. At the same time, I'm using my athletic ability, I'm evading, I'm being elusive, but not being tentative. I’m going to be attacking and aggressive. You can watch any one of my fights, besides that Starks fight, and you see two different people. You see me kicking, which sets up my hands, I'm catching them with my hands, the next thing you know they're going down, and once they go down I'm on top of them with no hesitation. My coach says, ‘When the UFC sees you fight this time, they're going to see a completely different fighter. In your last fight you fought 95% terrible and the only reason I give you 5% is because you had good movement, but you weren't throwing off of it.’ I'm the aggressor, I'm taking it to the guy, I'm overwhelming them, and I'm setting the tone.”Now, that sounds a lot more like the 6’4” middleweight the UFC thought they had drafted last October. In less than a year, Jacoby fought seven times with the final bout being his debut at UFC 137. Jacoby’s six previous drubbings of opponents totaled together took less time than the 15 minute decision loss to Starks. Some fighters chalk up a rough first fight in the Octagon to the “jitters”, but Jacoby’s hiccup was due in part to a hairline fracture on his leg suffered in training 19 days prior to the scrap. Break or no break, Jacoby got the call to be in the UFC and he was going to answer it.“I had an injury we kept on the low going into Clifford Starks,” discloses Jacoby. “I knew going into the fight I wasn't going to be myself and wasn't going to be 100%. I had a pretty bad hairline fracture on my leg that prevented me from doing what I normally do. I wasn't necessarily nervous about it being my first fight, I was nervous at how limited I was. It showed during the fight. If you have watched any of my fights prior to that you can see that I'm a completely different fighter. I threw zero kicks against Starks and something I do in all my fights is throw kicks to set up my hands. I'm about a hundred times more aggressive in every other fight I've ever had than I was against Starks. In hindsight, I should not have taken the fight, but if I had to do it again I would do it the same way. It's just one of those things, how do you back out of a UFC debut? It was just something I was so excited for. Probably at the time, I shouldn't have taken the fight, but I'm not making a big deal about it. I did it, it's over with, and it's time to move on.”At UFC on FOX 2 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, Jacoby is getting another opportunity to wow UFC fight fans against Chris “Kamikaze” Camozzi. The Ultimate Fighter alum is 15-5 and, currently, 2-2 inside the Octagon. Camozzi also suffered a decision loss at UFC 137 and will be looking to give everything he’s got to get back on the winning track. A matchup between two young and big 185ers who have something to prove can only be a must watch and possibly dark horse candidate for “Fight of the Night”.“Chris Camozzi is a tough guy,” says Jacoby. “I've watched a few of his fights, including the one where he fought on the same card I was on in Vegas. Just watching that fight over and over again, you can tell he has a lot of heart and he can take a punch. No matter what happens he is going to keep coming and keep going. I like that about him because I know he is going to bring out the best in me. I'm the same way, where if I get hit, which I haven't been hit too much, but the more I get hit and the tougher the opponent is it brings out the best in me. It's going to be a tough fight and he's a really good competitor who has been in the game for quite awhile now. He's 2-2 in the UFC, so he's had some experience and it's going to be a fun fight.”The 23-year old former college quarterback for Culver-Stockton College and later Quincy University is busy preparing for his tussle with Camozzi at Fiore MMA in Springfield, Illinois. In a short time, Jacoby’s MMA training went from messing around with his twin brother in his garage to sparring with UFC veterans at Matt Hughes’ H.I.T. Squad in Granite City. Nothing like jumping from the pot into the frying pan, Jacoby’s first six amateur fights were taken on sheer guile in the football off-season and, soon enough, he found himself in a gym trading punches with “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler. Jacoby is awfully green in this sport, but he’s been learning from the best early and often. “I started out at Matt Hughes' The H.I.T. Squad in Granite City with Matt Veach, Kyle Watson, Robbie Lawler and Brian Foster,” tells Jacoby. “That was quite an experience. That was the first real gym I ever walked into. That was pretty overwhelming. We recently moved to Springfield, Illinois, where coach Marc Fiore opened up his gym, Fiore MMA. We have a lot of good guys. We have my twin brother here, who obviously matches up with me perfectly sizewise. We have Brian Foster. We have Jon Madsen who is a 4-1 heavyweight in the UFC. We have a lot of guys who push me on a daily basis. It's hard to keep up, especially with those heavyweights who when they grab a hold of you they suck the life right out of you.”Although he is only just starting his second professional year in MMA, Jacoby is a lifelong athlete who believes the work ethic instilled in him from other sports has carried over perfectly for the UFC. “My whole life has been a practice and that's what an MMA camp is,” asserts Jacoby, who played college football plus fought in amateur fights and then turned pro in MMA with no gaps in between because he’s a born competitor. “Being a quarterback, I always had to be at practice on time and on time for me was 10 minutes early to set an example. I've always been that team leader or that guy people looked up to, and I catch on to things quickly. Some people have trouble getting up and getting after it, but it's something I’m used to.”This weekend in the Windy City, Jacoby will look to blow the doors off the United Center with a blistering attack-oriented performance against Camozzi. “I'm going to use my superior athletic ability mixed with the aggression I've brought to every sport I've ever played,” affirms Jacoby, who promises that being injury-free means an exciting fight for the fans. “I'm a crowd pleaser. I'm so anxious, I'm ready to rock n' roll, I'm healthy and I'm so excited. When I get done with this fight, win, lose, or draw, the fans are going to be like ‘that guy can fight.’”In short, sports and life are more about “what have you done for me lately?” For Jacoby, a thrilling battle in Chicago this week will always be more memorable than a year prior's lackluster showing in Las Vegas.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, jacoby, im

Read the full article at UFC

The phrase “hometown hero” is thrown around quite a bit, and a lot of times it’s used improperly. A guy from Fort Worth, Texas takes on a guy from Denver, Colorado at an event in Houston and, suddenly, Fort Worth is a suburb of Houston even though they’re four hours apart. At UFC on FOX 2, that will not be the case with the born and bred Chicagoan, who trains in The Windy City, and, when he’s not competing, he’s literally keeping the Second City’s streets safe as a police officer. On January 28th, a real “hometown hero” will battle in the Octagon and will hopefully receive the thunderous ovation he deserves: Mike Russow. “It's exciting and it's awesome,” says Russow of competing in his Illinois backyard. “I don't have to travel, which is good. But it makes you more nervous because a lot more friends and family will be there who normally wouldn't be there. It does add more pressure, but I look forward to it and I'm excited. Getting to fight in the United Center - it's a great place.”In “The House that Jordan Built”, UFC heavyweight Russow will look to keep his impressive 10 fight winning streak alive in a clash with Norwegian grappler John-Olav Einemo. Since joining the UFC in August of 2009, Russow has remained undefeated inside the Octagon with three wins: a unanimous decision over Justin McCully, a “Knockout of the Night” over Todd Duffee, and, most recently, a second round TKO (doctor stoppage) against Jon Madsen. Russow’s staggering professional record of 14-1, 1 NC is a rare commodity, especially in the ultra competitive heavyweight division, where one mistake can usually mean the end of a fight. The 35-year old active duty Chicago police officer last stepped inside the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 24 in March 2011. “I knew it was going to be a tough fight because I knew Madsen was a tough kid with good wrestling,” tells Russow of the previously undefeated TUF alum, who had trained with Russow a couple times at Team DeathClutch in Minnesota. “I think he was 4-0 in the UFC when I fought him. I think it was a solid win and I was pretty happy with my performance. I figured it was going to be on our feet and I definitely wanted to get a knockout.”Although he forced a doctor stoppage at the end of the second round, Russow wasn’t sold on his standup showing and believed he should have done better. “I wasn't real happy with my standup because I was really only throwing one punch and then kind of hanging around instead of putting combinations together and moving,” admits the former NCAA Division I wrestler from Eastern Illinois University, who has been pushing himself in training to become more dynamic on the feet. “I kind of figured going into that fight it was going to be a lot of standup and I didn't think I was going to be able to take him down as easy as I did because I knew he was a good wrestler. I definitely have been trying to make my standup to the next level. I definitely think I'm getting more confident, but I'm wrestling and jiu-jitsu first.”With all the strides this heavyweight has made as a mixed martial artist, one thing that has held Russow back are long layoffs between UFC fights. During his three years with the organization, Russow has competed only once a year, with 2011 looking to finally break that cycle until the unexpected happened. Originally, Russow was scheduled to fight at UFC 136 in October against the 21-2 Dave Herman, but Herman was forced out of the bout. But there is a “silver lining” and it is twofold: he’s now fighting in Chicago and Russow’s had back-to-back full training camps to improve as a fighter and athlete. “I have been able to stay in shape,” states Russow. “I took a week off after UFC 136 just because that was a long camp, but since then I've been pretty much going full-time. We've really picked up the sprints and doing more running than we did in the last camp. The intensity has been higher, the workouts have been harder, and conditioning wise, I think I was in great shape last time, but this time we started doing sprints and stuff about six weeks out instead of waiting until four weeks. We've done a lot of sprints and running for this camp, which is something we always do, but we've been having some real hard workouts and started it out earlier, so I think I'm going to be in even better shape. I always think my conditioning is pretty good. I have a belly, I'm fat and some people see that, but I'm always in good shape. I think as I'm getting older and we're doing these camps I think we're tweaking them and being smarter about the way we do things. I think I'm in the best shape right now. I hope that it pays off and I have a ton of energy and hopefully we put on an exciting fight.”At UFC on FOX 2, Russow’s new challenger is world renowned Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Einemo. “The Viking” made his UFC debut last June in a second round TKO loss to Herman that was awarded “Fight of the Night” honors. It had been six years since the 6-2 Einemo had competed in an MMA bout, but “ring rust” was not too evident as “The Viking” swung heavy leather at Herman and scored a couple takedowns. Even though he lost, Einemo showed off a standup attack learned from the Dutch kickboxers of Golden Glory, which adds a new element of danger to the already well-decorated submission artist. “I think he's a very tough opponent,” asserts Russow. “Obviously, his grappling is something to look out for because he's a world champion. That's one of the main concerns we really have focused on for this camp - he's very dangerous on the ground. Even if I take him to the ground or if he takes me down - he's dangerous. That's what he's good at. But from what I've seen from him on the tapes, he tries to throw the hard punches too. He likes to throw hard and straight punches. He throws a good 1-2. A lot of times, he likes to lead off with his right hand. He likes to stand on the feet. In the Dave Herman fight, he only took him down like once and the rest of the time they fought on their feet. I definitely think I can get the takedowns on him. That is my goal to get the takedowns and once I get him down to stay in good position.”In training for each of his fights especially a ground fighter like Einemo, Russow’s resident “ace in the hole” is Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros. “One thing I'm fortunate to have is ‘Comprido,’ who is my jiu-jitsu coach who I have had for three, four years now,” boasts Russow of the Carlson Gracie BJJ black belt, who has won multiple grappling world championships. “I love jiu-jitsu and I think I get better every year. Fortunately, I have ‘Comprido’ and he's been able to simulate a lot of what John likes to do, like grabbing your back and stuff like that. I think anyone can be beat in any area; it just depends on the right timing and situation, so I'll definitely try to finish him on the ground if the timing and situation are there.”This weekend, two heavyweights are set to tangle, with Russow squaring off against Einemo. “I really think no matter where it goes, whether it goes to the ground or stays on the feet, that I'll be fine,” affirms Russow, and even though he will face his toughest opponent to date, he has had ample time to prepare and is ready to get a win in his hometown. “I've had a month off of work for this fight, which is something I've never had. I used all my vacation days for January to February. I've been able to sleep and work out in the mornings and work out at night and I'm really excited, so it should be my best fight.”Move over Derrick Rose, Brian Urlacher and Kanye West, if Russow wins Saturday night, there will be a real “hometown hero” watching the throne in Chi-Town.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, russow, im

Read the full article at UFC

For good and for ill, no heavyweight kickboxer in the past few years has had the same level of impact as Badr Hari. The two time K-1 Grand Prix runner-up is a complex figure - one of the best Heavyweights in the world, but also his own worst enemy. Through his many ups and downs and complex turns, he has always remained a lightning rod of fan interest. And this Saturday, he fights in kickboxing for the last time. This Saturday, January 28 Badr Hari faces Gokhan Saki in what is being billed as Hari's retirement fight from kickboxing. The fight headlines a stacked It's Showtime show from The Netherlands. The show airs live at 3:00 p.m. EST on HDNet. Look for more coverage on the entire show here at Bloody Elbow later this week. As Hari plans a transition to boxing, leaving behind his roots in kickboxing, the time is right to look back at the winding road of his career. How will we remember Badr Hari the kickboxer? What is this man's legacy? In looking over the totality of Hari's career, two moments stand above the rest, and it's the contrast between those two moments that I think best sums up what he's all about. The first is a moment we talked about recently thanks to Edson Barboza at UFC 142 - the Lekobuster. In late 2005, Badr Hari fought for the first time on a K-1 card in Japan. The fight was a rematch, with the 20 year old Hari looking to avenge a loss suffered earlier that year. Stefan Leko had defeated Hari via spinning back kick to the ribs on an It's Showtime show in June. Now, Hari had a shot at the big stage, but to make his mark, he would need to avenge that loss and take out Leko - one of K-1's top stars of that era, undefeated since 2002. Hari came in to that fight to prove himself, and that is exactly what he did. Not content to simply defeat Leko, Hari scored one of the all time K-1 great KO's, taking the spinning back kick Leko used against him and adjusting it to a spinning wheel kick to Leko's jaw. It's an incredible KO, a great fight, and a true passing of the torch moment, as neither man's career would ever be quite the same again. Partly on the strength of that KO, and partly because of his notoriously volatile nature, Badr Hari spent the next few years establishing himself as the figurehead of the new generation of K-1 heavyweights. During the mid-2000's, K-1 shows had a lot of problems, with fan interest waning. Starting in 2008, a new crop of young Heavyweights began to really take center stage away from the old guard, and Hari was the clear head of that new wave. That idea of old guard vs. new culminated in the 2008 K-1 Grand Prix, a show that goes down as one of the best GP's in K-1 history, but also one of the most notorious. Heading into the show, this old vs. new theme was played up. In the opening round, that battle was symbolized by the Peter Aerts vs. Badr Hari fight - the two definitive symbols of their generations meeting in the Grand Prix. When Hari stopped the legend Aerts in round 2, the message was clear - the new guard was in control now. That idea was only deepened in the semi-finals, when Hari and fellow young gun Errol Zimmerman squared off in the 2008 K-1 fight of the year. Hari emerged victorious, setting up a final with 2 time champion Remy Bonjasky. Clearly the stage was set - Hari would win, and the new guard would reign. Instead, what we got was the second defining moment in Hari's career. At the start of the second round, the young fighter, frustrated at Bonjasky, threw the former champion to the ground and flagrantly stomped him. It was a clear, malicious foul, and an embarrassment. Hari was disqualified, and for the only time in Grand Prix history, the finals ended in a DQ win. 2009 saw Hari bounce back with a KO over Semmy Schilt and much praise for being a new, mature Hari. But in early 2010, the frustration struck again, as in a near repeat of the Bonjasky incident, Hari threw Hesdy Gerges to the mat in an It's Showtime title fight, kicked Gerges when he was down, and was promptly disqualified. Again. Around that same time, Hari was involved in an assault on a nightclub doorman in Amsterdam. Wanted by the police, he fled to Morocco, where he spent much of 2010 in exile. He did eventually return, sorted things out with the police, and had a return fight in 2011 against the overmatched Gregory Tony. This Saturday's fight with Saki will be only his second since the Gerges DQ nearly 2 years ago. As we look at his career, it's those two moments and what they symbolize that really sum up Badr Hari. On one hand, he is a tremendous fighter, capable of highlight reel KO's. On the other, he's a man with clear demons, who never managed to quite get them under control and cost himself severely on more than one occasion. Through it all, he has remained a fascinating, dynamic fighter - one of the only heavyweights of this era who provides that "must watch" feeling. Perhaps the greatest loss of Hari's career is the way it fizzled out. His last two years have been marked by inactivity, with Hari wasting his prodigious talents on the sidelines. But he could change that this weekend. Hari ends his career fighting Gokhan Saki - one of the best Heavyweights in the world. If he comes in focused, we could see one last glimpse of the man who shattered Leko's jaw, who knocked Schilt out, who stopped The Reem, who proved that he was one of the best in the world. But if his head is not on straight, we could also get the man who kicked a downed Bonjasky, who made the same mistake against Gerges, who showed that he didn't have the mental toughness to consistently win at the highest level of the sport. The Saki fight will be our final taste of Badr Hari, and will leave us with that lasting impression. But no matter how the Saki fight plays out, the truth of Hari is that he is two things - an all time great, and a disappointment. Despite any of his troubles (or perhaps, because of them) when he leaves, there will be a huge gap in the world of kickboxing. The Heavyweight division will be a more boring place without him. So get ready to enjoy the volatile unpredictability of Badr Hari one last time this Saturday.

Posted in: fight, time, badr hari, hari, badr

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Peter Davis was an obvious addition to the ONE Fighting Championship roster because not only is he one of the best fighters in Malaysia but he is also a celebrity who has starred in multiple commercials and advertizing campaigns and works as a catwalk model. His main claim to fame is having a starring role in the award winning Malaysian movie Sell Out! but it is as a fighter that he is hoping to make a name for himself in 2012. Davis already has a 3-1 record and will be looking to improve on that starting on February 11th when he will feature on the undercard at ONE Fighting Championship 'Battle of Heroes'. The BritAma Arena in Jakarta will play host to ONE FC's eagerly anticipated second event and Davis will be taking on an Indonesian fighter, wrestling stand out Ngabdi Mulyadi. Just like the Malaysian he has not been fighting regularly for a long time but his MMA record stands at 5-2 and he won a bronze medal wrestling at the 2009 SEA Games. Davis has faced some serious opponents in the past knocking out Japanese journeyman Masaya Doi in his professional debut and going three rounds with Darren Guisha, who was regarded as one of the brightest prospects on the UK scene at the time, in his second fight. His style is an extremely unorthodox form of Kung Fu he calls 'Wuji Chuan' which was taught to him by a Malaysian teacher. It is unusual for fighters with a background in traditional martial arts to prosper in MMA but for the first time in his life Davis is conducting a proper training camp in preparation for a shot with Asia's most prestigious mixed martial arts promotion. After the jump, check him out doing his day job as well as answering questions about moving from modelling to mixed martial arts. Nissan Latio Launch TVC Malaysia Have you been busy with modelling or have you had time to train for this fight? I was visiting family in the UK over Christmas and I worked cardio and some endurance because I did not really have a team to train with. Now I'm working with the team at Muayfit and I'm doing full MMA cross training: hardcore cardio, BJJ, Muaythai, wrestling, strengh and conditioning and also some Wuji Chuan on the side. Who have you been training with? The team at Muayfit. A group of experienced fighters that have a lot of 'know how' in the cage, there is Arnaud Lepont who is a French fighter who is 7-1 and has some big fights coming up, he's a name to look out for and Eric Kelly who is 6-0 and put in a very good performance at the first ONE Fighting Championship show, he has amazing submission skills. Then there's Jorm from Thailand who has had over 300 Muay Thai fights, I have been working on my stand up with him and Isamu Himura who has trained all over the world and has a lot of experience. Samir Mrabet helps me with my BJJ, he has as purple belt and also has some MMA experience, we have a really good team and we all train together twice a day. You have a decent record but I heard you had never really trained properly for a fight before. How does your preparation for this fight compare with the preparation you did for previous fights? Well this time it's harder. ONE Fighting Championship is home to some of the best fighters in Asia, it's a different league of fighting and a different level of fighters. I'm knackered at the end of the day after giving it my all whilst dropping weight at the same time. Previously I was working a 9-5 and trained maybe two or three times a week. Now it's everyday, this is my full time job. Have you ever had a chance to train with professional fighters before and if not how much do you think it has helped you improve? I've trained with good guys before, but this is different. It's a team, it's gotta be good because most of these guys have just done fights and are very active in the MMA scene. It's a great help from hardcore training to great tips, sometimes just small stuff but it's really good. I believe you have always fought at welterweight in the past, are you confident you will be able to get down to 155 lbs and are you planning on cutting much weight? Well we used to weigh in on the day of most of our fights and we never really thought about it. Now though I see guys at welterweight and they look huge, Gregor Gracie for example. So dropping down in weight seemed like the sensible thing to do as everyone else is doing it. I'm confident about cutting the weight because I'm easily 72kg after a sweaty training session and that's just by moderating my food intake. If I control water intake too it should not be a problem. What do you prefer modelling or fighting? Depends on the day! They both involve watching your weight, waiting around for a job and then when you get the job you need to do lots of waiting around until it starts. On top of that apparently you have to do lots of interviews and get your photo taken for fighting so they are definitely kind of similar except that there are less tall hot chicks around when I fight! You teach an MMA class in KL and I assume all your students will be watching the fight. Does that make you feel more pressure? Yes the pressure is on, but that can only push me forward knowing that everyone will be watching. Losing is not an option. Are you nervous about fighting against an Indonesian in Indonesia? I'm not nervous about the fighting itself but the crowd inside and outside of the fight... maybe. However the Indonesians are a nice bunch of people so I hope this will be fine. Do you have any predictions for your fight? I'm going to be training hard and I hope that will swing the balance. It's not gonna be easy to get the KO I'm looking for, but even if I get taken down I think I've got a reasonable chance on the groundYou went to the first One FC show. What did you think of that? It was a great show, I think there were almost 10,000 people there and I can't wait to be a part of the next one. The good thing about being on the undercard is that I should get to watch lots of it. The first show was great, some awesome fights. This time it should be more of the same and hopefully I can make mine a fight to remember.

Posted in: fight, mma, time, fighter, im

Read the full article at MMA Mania

No one likes to lose.The actors who walk down the red carpet at the Oscars, stopping to tell Ryan Seacrest they’re just happy to be nominated? They’re lying; they want to win. Being nominated is a tremendous accomplishment, but everyone wants to win. That way you don’t have to summon up all your acting chops to make the “I’m so happy for them” face on live television.Like the nominees who go home without a trophy and every fighter in the world, Michael Johnson doesn’t like losing either.Last time UFC fans saw the former Ultimate Fighter finalist, he was the latest lightweight to be caught in a submission by British standout Paul Sass. The October defeat sent the 25-year-old known as “The Menace” back to the gym in search of answers, and what he came up with is an outlook that shows that backwards step could produce forward progress, starting as early as this weekend.“A lot went wrong,” Johnson laughed when asked to assess his last appearance. “He got me in a weird situation that I didn’t really spend a lot of time on. I got a little confused, and I had to tap before he tore my knee out of place. It was just a mistake that I had to go back and work on, and it’s definitely not happening again anytime soon.“Sometimes losing can be good. The majority of times they’re horrible, but it’s good to have it happen early, as opposed to later on in my career. This way I actually have time to work on it, get better, and not get caught in it again.“I went back to the drawing board, spent a lot of time with my jiu-jitsu coach and the many black belts we have in our gym down here, and we work on it every day. Next time I do see something like that, I’ll know exactly what to do, and not just sit there and think about it.”That drawing board is located in Boca Raton, Florida, where Johnson has spent the last year as a part of the Imperial Athletics team more commonly known as “The Blackzilians.”Training each day alongside the likes of Jorge Santiago, Gesias Cavalcante, Melvin Guillard, and Rashad Evans, Johnson has seen consistent improvement in his skills, and knows the grueling hours he spends in the gym will eventually pay dividends in the cage.“Being down here for the last year as opposed to just getting in the game, I’ve improved dramatically. My standup has gotten way better working with Henri (Hooft) who has come over from Amsterdam. My jiu-jitsu has gotten better. Working on my wrestling with Mike Van Arsdale, it’s gone through the roof. I see myself being a better fighter every day.”Johnson gets to put the past four-months worth of gym time to the test this weekend in Chicago when he faces Shane Roller on the preliminary portion of the UFC on FOX 2 card.With the tremendous depth in the lightweight division, many look at this as a must-win fight for Johnson. The St. Louis native has a different way of approaching the contest, one that further shows he’s ready to take a step forward in the UFC’s most talent rich division.“I think every fight is considered a must-win. If you want to go forward in this sport and you want to make yourself known — if you lose, you take a couple steps back, and if you win, you’re in a completely different frame of the business.“I’m looking at this fight as one where I'm definitely improving and getting better. I’ve had a great, great training camp, and I’m ready to go out here and get a win. I definitely don’t want to sit here and take two losses in a row. That’s really hard to come back from, and then you kind of want to sit around and second-guess yourself. I would say this is a `must not lose’ as opposed to a must-win.”Some would say the two are the same, seeing only semantic differences between must-win and must-not-lose. As Johnson explains it, the difference is in how you prepare for the fight and execute your game plan when the cage door closes.“You’ve got to believe in yourself and your coaches. I’ve had a great training camp; all the hard work is done at this point. I’m just ready to get out here and get a fight.“I can’t get nervous and put a lot of pressure on myself and say, `I have to win this fight. I have to win this fight.’ Everybody wants to win, it’s just one of those things where I have to take all the pressure off myself, and go out there and fight my fight. If you’ve done all the things that you need to do to this point, the win should be the easy part.”Winning in the UFC is never easy, and Roller will be determined to bring his two-fight losing streak to a halt and hand Johnson a second consecutive loss in the process.Johnson is confident that won’t happen, and that his meeting with the WEC veteran will be the start of a breakthrough year in 2012.“He took this fight on short notice, so I’m really not seeing him having the wind or being in the best shape to go three rounds with me. I’m going to feel him out for the first round, put the pressure on him, and then look to finish him in the early second.“This is definitely going to be a new start for me. I’ve taken a new approach to training; completely rededicated myself to the game. I’ve done everything necessary to be a champion in the future, and this is definitely going to be my coming out party.”

Posted in: fight, time, ’t, johnson, ’ve

Read the full article at UFC

Welcome back to my online diary documenting my very amateur experience training in Muay Thai. If you missed the previous entries on Bloody Elbow, read them here. This week, I am proud to say I reached a new milestone in my training. For the first time, I sparred in an actual ring. The ring is a new addition to our facility, and it's pretty nice, providing a very different experience in the sparring. We still weren't having full on sparring matches, as there would be two pairs sparring in the ring at a time, but I was surprised at the way the ring did have an impact on my game. First up, the grip is very different from our normal mats. The canvas on the ring just feels better on the foot, making me feel more comfortable on my feet. I found that pivoting on my lead leg while throwing a kick was a lot easier. Second, there's using the ring to your advantage. Perhaps it comes from just having watched an awful lot of Muay Thai and MMA, but this was something I immediately identified as a key difference. Many times I was able to trap my partner in the corner and connect on him, while at the same time keeping myself out of the corner and away from the ropes. But it wasn't perfect. I realized afterwards that my big mistake was in my movement, as I tended to move in and out in straight lines - forward and backward. My goal for this week is to work on coming in from the side, and to circle away from my opponent's power hand. Against an opponent in orthodox stance, that will take me to my right, and that's going to be a tough change. My tendency is to start a lot of combos with the jab, which means stepping in with my left. I also stay light on the left foot, lifting the left leg to check often. Both of those moves cause me to drift left, into the power side. So it will be a tough change, but I think will benefit me in both making my combos a bit less predictable, while also protecting me from power shots. Hopefully we will spar tonight and I'll be able to report back how that went. Last thing to work on - stop dropping my hand to catch leg kicks. When I first started sparring, this was a bad habit. I worked past it, but when sparring with my coach last time, I kept bringing the hand down instead of checking the kicks. No good at all, and not sure why that came back after I thought it was out of my system. This week's question: anyone else out there a taller fighter? I'm 6'4", and try to use my height and reach to my advantage. It generally works, but causes trouble when working drills where I duck and slip a hook. Still a good skill to develop, or as a tall fighter, is this just a bad way for me to avoid hooks?

Posted in: time, week, ring, time i, muay thai

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The next time I buy a daily planner, I'm going to write 'Don't Die' on each page so when I pick it up next year I will have achieved my goal. On a long enough time span, that goal will not be achieved -- but by then I won't care. Mike Easton's daily planner undoubtedly includes 'scream violently inside a designated area at least five times a week.' If you were around Easton minutes before he walked to the octagon at UFC on FX to face Jared Papazian, then you probably thought you did something to offend the bantamweight fighter. Don't worry, Easton isn't mad at you. He's just angry that Mitt Romney is losing his lead to Newt Gingrich in the race for a Republican candidate for this year's presidential election. We're not sure if that's true, but my god if it is, then it would make this following video all the more meaningful. [Source]

Posted in: time, mike easton, easton, time i, year i

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Filed under: UFCFor Jim Miller, Saturday night was another impressive performance against an opponent on the fringe of the division's top 10. The next thing he needs is a breakthrough win against a truly elite opponent. Overall, Miller's resume is outstanding. He's a finisher, with 15 stoppage victories in 21 career wins. His only three losses have come to Frank Edgar, Gray Maynard and Ben Henderson -- a UFC champ, and two No. 1 contenders, respectively. Now, it's time for Miller to get over the hump. At least mentally, he's there. After beating Melvin Guillard at last Friday night's UFC on FX 1, he said that he believes he's the "most dangerous lightweight in the world." His aggressive, hard-charging attitude is proof of that self-confidence, even if he's struggled at times against the best 155 has to offer. The same can't be said for Guillard, who has now lost two in a row and seems to panic whenever he hits the ground against a submission threat. All six of Guillard's UFC losses have come by way of choke submission -- three rear naked chokes, two guillotines and one triangle, if you're scoring at home. After recently moving his training camp to Florida, he has a new jiu-jitsu coach. Guillard is now 28 years. He's not so young anymore, so he'd be wise to take some time off and work intensively on his ground game. If he doesn't shore up that problem, he's destined to be what he's always been, a million-dollar standup fighter with a 50-dollar ground game. That might sound a bit harsh, but Guillard's tapped out nine times in 42 career fights, an unacceptable ratio for a top-level fighter. Jim Miller Realistically, there aren't many names in front of Miller on the UFC depth chart. The two most notable -- Edgar and Henderson -- are locked into a fight, and Miller's not quite in position to challenge for the belt just yet anyway. That leaves only a few likely matchups. We only have to go back a few weeks ago to find a fellow lightweight that has worked his way into the title picture. He's on a similar timeline so the duo should be ready to fight around the same time, and the fight makes sense when you look at where they stand within the division. Prediction: Miller faces Nate Diaz Melvin Guillard The best thing Guillard could do is take time to work on his shortcomings. Work in a gi. Go to Brazil. Treat it like an illness in need of a cure, and go wherever the remedy is. Guillard has been an incredibly active fighter during his recent UFC career. Since December 2007, he's fought 12 times -- once every four months or so. While that's been great for his bank account, perhaps it would have benefited him to take longer stretches between fights to address overall development. It's hard to criticize Guillard so much when he rattled off wins in eight of nine prior to his recent skid, but it would be a bigger shame to fail to capitalize on all of his potential. Prediction: The UFC puts him in a fight with another striker, say, Sam Stout Josh Neer Did you know that Neer is younger than the "Young Assassin," Guillard? Perhaps it's because Neer has been around for almost nine years, but the veteran strikes me as someone who's a bit older. Neer showed that poise in his win over Duane Ludwig, weathering an early storm to take the fight into his world and winning by submission. That makes it five straight wins for Neer, who voiced an interest in a fight with Brian Ebersole afterward. That's a good matchup, but I have another idea. Prediction: Neer faces Mike Pyle Mike Easton Easton certainly brings with him a palpable energy and a strong presence. Now 2-0 in the UFC octagon after a spirited fight with Jared Papazian that should have earned the Fight of the Night award, he hasn't yet faced anyone that fans find recognizable, so it may be time to throw a bigger name at the "Hulk." Prediction: He faces Yves Jabouin Pat Barry Beating Christian Morecraft may not be a signature win for Barry, but it was important in that it showed he could survive a sustained ground attack. Similar to Guillard, Barry has shown brilliant standup but folded when the fight went to the mat. That came to an end on Saturday, when he withstood a choke and an arm bar to return to his feet and KO Morecraft. While we can't write him into the heavyweight title picture, at least it's a positive sign of evolution. Working with the DeathClutch grapplers, he should continue to improve. That's a good thing, because it won't get any easier for him. Prediction: He faces Gabriel Gonzaga Khabib Nurmagomedov The 23-year-old Russian moved to a perfect 17-0 with a third-round submission win over Kamal Shalorus. Most impressive was the fact that Nurmagomedov outwrestled an excellent wrestler. His striking can best be characterized as unconventional. Against Shalorus it was effective, as he out-landed his opponent 59-18. Given his age, Nurmagomedov has time to improve. His next fight should come against someone of similar UFC experience. Prediction: He faces John Cholish Charlie Brenneman Brenneman scored another grinding victory, keeping the fight on the mat for most of the contest and working Daniel Roberts over throughout the duration. Brenneman's next bout should come against another strong wrestler, perhaps forcing him into a fight that will see how far his striking has come along. Prediction: He faces Dong Hyun Kim Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, guillard, he

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

At UFC on FX 1, Pat Barry showed that his ground game is coming along as he continues to develop in the sport of MMA. In four career losses, Barry has submitted three times and has looked generally uncomfortable every time the fight had hit the floor. This past Friday against Christian Morecraft, Barry found himself on the ground once again, but this time he was able to survive. “Christian Morecraft fell on top of me, and Christian Morecraft went for submissions, but if you can become accustomed to having Cole Konrad trying to pull your arm off or Brock Lesnar trying to squeeze your head off, then you tend to stay a little bit more calm and relaxed, whereas before, as soon as you grabbed my forearm, I just started tapping everything,” stated Barry at the post-fight press conference. “I’ve definitely grown. My ground game is not as garbage as the world thinks.” He continued by saying, “I actually had a Guillotine for about three seconds.” Barry stated that “repetition” had led him to becoming more comfortable on the ground. “It’s just repetition. You slowly start to understand that just because you’re on the bottom, doesn’t mean it’s over. You don’t have to panic. Just stay calm and collected. It’s like getting jabbed 1,000 times, eventually you won’t blink your eyes anymore.” When asked if he was possibly happy that the fight went to the mat so he could prove that his ground game is coming along, Barry immediately responded with, “No. That was bad. I stayed more composed and did what I had to do but personally, I don’t want to fall to the ground ever. That is no secret.” Barry managed to escape multiple submissions attempts from Morecraft, including an armbar that looked like it would have “HD” suffering another submission loss. When he was able to get the fight back on the feet, Barry showed off the skill that brought him to the dance: his technical striking and one punch power, clipping Morecraft with a left hook and then putting him out cold with a series of punches on his fallen victim. While the knockout win felt good, Barry made a deal with himself that, “I was not going to cut my hair until I submit somebody in the octagon, which probably means that I’m going to have a Clay Guida in a little while. But that’s what I said. That’s the plan for now.” Barry then joked, “Someone actually wrote, ‘Snooki got taller’ after the weigh-ins. I wanted to be mad but I couldn’t.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: time, ground, barry, ground game, morecraft

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

"I think Alistair, everything he does is one single shot because he knows he's got that glass jaw as well. He's been knocked out quite a few times in the past, even by Chuck Liddell as well. Every time when he punches, one hand is up. He throws single shots; he doesn't throw combinations. You saw that when he fought [Fabricio] Werdum. Werdum was actually tagging him more than he did to Werdum. I think that Junior dos Santos, with his combinations, his reach, I think he's going to tag him and he's going to throw combos and I think that yeah, he's going to take this fight." -- Mixed martial arts legend turned broadcaster Bas Rutten brings the heat during a recent appearance on the "It's Time!" show with Bruce Buffer. "El Guapo" breaks down the upcoming UFC heavyweight championship showdown pitting titleholder Junior dos Santos against number one contender and fellow Dutchman Alistair Overeem by calling out "The Reem" for his lack of combination punching. Why? Because he has a glass jaw, of course, and he knows he can't take one on the chin from "Cigano" without getting splattered all over the mat. Indeed, dos Santos has made his name -- and won his title -- by putting his heavy hands on his opponents and watching them all fall down. Overeem has a reputation for doing the same but the difference is that "JDS" has never been knocked out. As Rutten so kindly reminds us, "Demolition Man" can't say the same. Far from it, actually. So, by the time all is said and done, we can expect dos Santos to make a successful first defense of his title. Or at least that's what Mr. Rutten thinks. Do you feel the same, Maniacs?

Posted in: time, do, he, glass jaw, alistair everything

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Remember all that talk from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White about Chael Sonnen rematching Anderson Silva for the middleweight title within the confines of a sold-out soccer stadium in Brazil? Ain't happening. Not that the promotion isn't sincere in its efforts to deliver said rematch to a nation of passionate mixed martial arts (MMA) fans, but Silva, currently rehabbing multiple injuries, is probably done as a combat sports fighter and will soon be hanging up the gloves for good. That's according to Sonnen, who told media members at Friday's UFC on FOX 2 media conference call that Silva rejected a proposed rematch "four out of four times" and may in fact, never fight again. Check it out: "I can guarantee you Anderson Silva and I will never cross paths again. He's not getting into the ring with me, ever. I called him out publicly. You call out a Brazilian publicly; you're going to be fighting that Brazilian. That's in their culture. I don't think he's ever going to fight again. That's my personal opinion. What I know for a fact is that he turned me down four out of four times. He personally said no to Lorenzo Fertitta's face. I think that (the UFC) is sincere. I think that they mean it. But I can tell you that behind the scenes, they've tried to put Anderson and me together four times and four times he said no. I become the number one contender and can get past Bisping, I'm gonna sit down with Dana and we're going to have a talk about (Georges St. Pierre) or Jon Jones. I'm not under any illusion that it's going to be Anderson Silva." Former UFC middleweight number one contender, Dan Henderson, expects Silva's mysterious injuries to heal up fairly quickly if Michael Bisping is able to defeat Sonnen on Jan. 28 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. If he doesn't, will "The Spider" ever return? Sonnen isn't waiting around and has called out Jones and St. Pierre for the second time. Anyone interested in either of those two match-ups? Or is this just a bunch of hot air designed to pressure Silva into a speedy return? For more from today's UFC on FOX 2 media conference call click here.

Posted in: ufc, time, silva, anderson silva, anderson

Read the full article at MMA Mania

If you’re a Jorge Rivera fan, you might want to find a way to watch the UFC on FX 1 prelims on FUEL TV tonight because it’s going to be the last time you see him fight. Reason being Rivera announced on MMA Junkie radio today that he is retiring tonight whether he wins or loses to Eric Schaefer on the UFC on FX 1 preliminary card. “I’ve thought about this for a long time,” Rivera said. “If I would have won my last fight, I would have walked away. But that’s not how it worked out, and I just told myself I would leave no matter what happens. “It’s time to go. I’m starting to feel like that old man in the club trying to pick up chicks. It gets a little creepy after a while.” “I’ve had a great time,” he said. “I absolutely love the fans. I love everything about this job. It’s going to be hard to be away from it. And I hope to be back cornering somebody else, but this will be the last time I fight.” Sadly, Rivera says he does have a lot of regrets about his UFC career. He wishes he would have took his training more seriously and never realized the opportunity he had in front of him until it was too late. Nevertheless, Rivera has the chance to go out with a win tonight, a rare occurrence in professional sports, and taste the sweet thrill of victory one last time. Image via Dave Mandel for Sherdog

Posted in: fight, time, i hope, fuel tv, rivera

Read the full article at MMA Convert

When you think of Team Lakay, the fighters that spring to mind are the URCC champions; Roy Docyogen, Kevin Belingon, Honorio Banario and, the most famous mixed martial artist in the entire Philippines, Eduard Folayang. It must be inspirational for a young man to train in such exalted company but there is also a burden of expectation. Docyogen, Belingon, Banario and Folayang have between them won 35 fights and lost only one. That's a lot of pressure for any up and coming fighter to live up to. Eustaquio will have a chance to emerge out of the shadow of his more illustrious team mates when he gets to fight for Asia's most prestigious mixed martial arts promotion, ONE Fighting Championship next month. The 21 year old will be taking on BJJ World Champion Alex Silva at ONE FC 'Battle of Heroes' at the BritAma Arena in Jakarta. It will be the biggest fight of his young career and a fantastic opportunity for him to show that he is good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Docyogen, Belingon, Banario and Folayang. Eustaquio is coming off the first loss of his career, a controversial split decision which leaves his record at 2-1 and will be determined to bounce back against the Brazilian. He has been busy trying to combine a full time training camp with his studies but took time out to talk about his upcoming fight with Silva. Check it out. How excited are you to be fighting for One FC? Very much excited. You lost your last fight by split decision, did you think you won? I got the 1st and 2nd round of the fight. My opponent even received a point deduction which means I definitely won but I believe fighting is not about winning but about showing to the world who you really are. Your opponent is a BJJ world champion, are you worried about being submitted? I'm from Team Lakay, the best MMA team in my country, so I am not worried about anyone. How would you describe your style? I describe it as Team Lakay style... Who are your training partners and how do they help you? I train with my team mates like Honorio, Crisanto, Rey and also with Manong Edward, they motivated me so much to push myself to my limits. Also our dearest coach Mark Sangiao who inspires me even with a soft words. How much did the URCC help you to get started as mixed martial artist? I had my MMA debut with URCC and I feel I owe my first victory in MMA to them, I would love to fight again for that promotion. They helped me with motivation because they have all the best Filipino fighters so I know where I need to get to and what I need to prepare for. When did you first start training at Team Lakay Wushu and why? Mark Sangiao is Team Lakay, I've been with Coach Mark for a long time which means I've been with Team Lakay for a long time also. Team Lakay is a part of my life, win or lose I'm always a Lakay How often do you train a week? Two times a day, six times a week. Are you still a student? And if so do you find it difficult to fit your training around your studies? I'm still taking my masters degree in teaching, sometimes honestly i do find budgeting my time hard but with God's grace I can still manage to train and gain high grades. Are you nervous about fighting outside of the Philippines for the first time? Nervousness is normal for a fighter I believe but there's nothing to fear when you are fully prepared. Do you have any predictions for your fight with Alex Silva? Fight of the night! You train with another flyweight Roy Docyogen, how good a fighter is he and do you think he will be successful fighting for One FC? He's the best at 119 lbs in the Philippines, a hard worker and really a champ. He will be One FC's next 125 lbs champion. For more on the upcoming ONE FC event click here.

Posted in: fight, time, team, lakay, team lakay

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFCFriday night is almost here and so is the inaugural UFC on FX event. Before you sink your teeth into another night of live MMA action, allow us to present you with a few things to think about in the long hours before fight time. I. Will the UFC's new TV deal lead to a new kind of live event? In the old days it was the Spike shows and the pay-per-views, and it was very easy to look at the fight cards and tell the difference between the event you were expected to pay for and the one you were merely expected to be home for. But now the UFC has FOX, FX, and FUEL at its disposal, and it still has a pay-per-view regimen to keep up. Judging by this first event on FX, it seems possible that a reclassification of sorts is underway. Just look at the fight poster for this one. You see two former contenders who are both coming off losses, two journeyman welterweights, and two heavyweights who are a combined 4-6 in the UFC. I point this out not to knock any of those guys -- all three of those fights are interesting for different reasons -- but rather to ask, you think these are all main card fights in a world where the UFC isn't sandwiching a cable TV event between a pay-per-view and a network TV show? It's a natural progression, really. If you put on more total fights, but without significantly expanding the roster, you're going to end up shifting the spotlight onto some guys who were toiling in the dark before. Again, that's not all bad. Fighters like Ludwig deserve a little face time with the fans. The question is, will the fans agree? Will they keep showing up and sitting down for fighters that they've been trained to view as undercard material, or will more of them decide to wait for the next one, when guys they know and care about are fighting? My guess is that 2012 is the year we find out. II. How far away from a title shot is the winner of the Jim Miller-Melvin Guillard fight, anyway? The lightweight division is so choked with talent these days, for a while there it seemed like nothing short of a Secretariat-esque winning streak would earn you a crack at the champ. But now that the Edgar-Maynard trilogy is in the books, things might be opening up a bit. That's good news for Miller and Guillard, who both seemed to be on their way to the top before one loss stopped them cold. Now that Ben Henderson is getting his shot and Gilbert Melendez seems to be staying put in Strikeforce (for now), it might not take more than a couple wins for either Miller or Guillard to make their case all over again. But then, this is a tough match-up for both of them. Whoever loses will have dropped two in a row, and will then feel miles and miles away from the top of the division. And after being so close, once upon a time, that he could have reached out and touched it. III. New voices for a new era in the UFC. It had to happen. There's only so much you can ask of longtime UFC commentators Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan. For this event, the organization turns to its so-called "B-team" of play-by-play man Jon Anik and fighter/color commentator Kenny Florian. Neither is a rookie at this, and they had great chemistry together on ESPN's MMA Live, so expectations shouldn't be lowered just because they're not the UFC's varsity announcing squad. Watching Anik on the UFC 142 post-fight show, you'd have thought he'd been working these events for years. It should be interesting to see how well the two of them handle their first time calling a UFC event together, but I have high hopes. Both these guys are good hires, and the addition of a couple fresh faces at the broadcast table comes at just the right time. IV. Mike Easton finds himself in a tough position in what's supposed to be an easy fight. There's a definite downside to facing a late replacement who's new to the UFC. For starters, everyone expects you to smash the guy. Easton is a 4-1 favorite according to some oddsmakers, and you can take your pick of reasons. Either it's because Jared Papazian has never fought at this level, or because he took the fight on short notice after Ken Stone was forced out with injury, or just because Easton seems like the superior fighter. I can't argue with any of that, but that does create a situation where Easton has relatively little to gain and a ton to lose. You beat Papazian in his UFC debut? Good for you. You lose to him? Total disaster. V. Somewhat surprisingly, Duane Ludwig's improbable redemption saga trudges on. In March of 2010, "Bang" was 0-2 in his latest UFC stint and looking like he might be on the verge of washing out of the big time for good. He was beaten up and broken down, taking fights he shouldn't have taken and further abusing a body that had already seen a lifetime's worth of punishment in MMA cages and kickboxing rings. But what was he going to do? He had a family to support and a career to maintain. Neither could wait very long for him to feel fully healthy and ready again. It would have been very easy for this story to take a turn in the other direction. If he'd lost his third fight in a row to Nick Osipczak at UFC 122, he might have been done in the UFC. Instead he pulled out a close decision down the stretch, then surprised a lot of people by battering Amir Sadollah in his next fight. Somewhere in there he also got the UFC to recognize his knockout of Jonathan Goulet as the fastest in the organization's history, and he got Joe Rogan to sign his action figure. It's as if everything just started coming up Ludwig. It didn't happen on accident, of course. It happened because he kept coming, refusing to be slowed by injuries or discouraged by losses. Now he's enjoying a charmed second (maybe even third?) act in his MMA career, and there's no telling how far he can go if he keeps racking up the wins. It's a good lesson for the younger fighters out there: just because you're losing at the moment, that doesn't necessarily mean you've lost. VI. Prelim fighter to watch: Nick Denis. You'll have to get in front of the TV early to do it -- his bout with Joseph Sandoval is up first on the FUEL TV broadcast, beginning at 6 pm ET -- but I think you'll be glad you did. He's an interesting guy, as the nickname "Ninja of Love" suggests. Denis is a Canadian bantamweight who dropped out of a PhD program in biochemistry when the UFC absorbed the WEC and suddenly it looked as if a 135-pounder might earn a living at this MMA stuff. He finished his last fight with a brutal slam KO -- his ninth TKO finish in ten career wins. If you're late getting to the couch for this one, you may miss it. VII. Can Pat Barry put together a complete effort, from the first bell to the last? We don't know, because it's been a while since he's done it. There's no doubting the man's kickboxing ability or his power. He's one of the rare fighters who can and has finished opponents with leg kicks alone. But lately his problem has been fast starts followed by lackluster finishes. Of his four losses in the UFC, at least three came in fights where he seemed to be dominating early, only to let the victory slip through his fingers. Some of that could be inexperience in MMA -- this is just his eleventh fight with the little gloves -- or it could be simply bad luck. Whatever it is, the time to shake it off and put together a complete effort is now. But that's easier said than done when you've got a 6'6" monster like Morecraft standing across from you.  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, guy, event

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

After defeating a much bigger foe in Anthony Johnson last weekend (Jan. 14, 2012) at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Vitor Belfort will now focus his attention on coaching the next wave of aspiring mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters when serves as a coach in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) first-ever international season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "Brazil" opposite his next opponent, Wanderlei Silva. The two coaches will collide in what will be a rematch 14 years in the making, which is tentatively scheduled to take place in their home country of Brazil in the middle of this year. In their first encounter, which also took place in Brazil, way back in 1998 at UFC 17.5, "The Phenom" blitzed through "The Axe Murderer" in only 44 seconds with a barrage of punches for which Silva had no answer. However, Belfort feels this next time around, the fight will be much tougher as he sent out this tweet via his official Twitter account (interpreted via Bloody Elbow) to praise his upcoming opponent, as well as clear up any misinterpretations. Check it out: "I would like to make it clear that I didn't say anything about @wandfc not having a chin, I said it was going to be a very tough fight. For me @wandfc is one of the best fighters of all time and is an example of maturity and I will never disrespect my opponent." Much has changed since their initial encounter. Silva enjoyed a long, prosperous an successful run in Pride FC as its middleweight champion, but has had mixed results after re-joining the UFC in 2007. Belfort, on the other hand, has since competed in various organizations from PRide FC, Affliction MMA and Cage Rage before re-signing with the UFC in 2009. "The Phenom" also spoke to "MMA: Inside The Arena" (via Sherdog.com), that his UFC 142 performance against "Rumble" deserved "Fight of the Night" honors, as well as the hefty check that accompanies it, but didn't get the bonus as a result of the promotion being unhappy with Johnson. That extra $65,000 in bonus money would have gone a long way in taking care of a very large training partner bill: "A wrestler won't be able to take me down and give me a hard time. I came from jiu-jitsu. I had seven trainers working with me during the last three months. I spent around $100,000 with them. They decided to award Barboza with the best knockout and best fight of the night. I think I deserved at least the best fight, but the problem is that they would have to reward Johnson, too, and Dana is really mad at him." Indeed, UFC head honcho Dana White was not happy with Johnson because the fact that he came in overweight for a third time and did not meet the required 185-pound limit. What do you say Manaics, was Belfort's and Johnson's one round of action enough to best Edson's Barboza's and Terry Etim's back-and forth affair? And will his rematch between Wanderlei Silva have similar results to their first encounter?

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, silva, johnson

Read the full article at MMA Mania

submitted by rape_choke [link] [8 comments]

Posted in: time, wtf, wtf matty, rapechoke, matty

Read the full article at Reddit

While it often seems like Showtime and Strikeforce (or at least Scott Coker) are banking on Gina Carano to return to the cage and resume her fighting career, we've certainly not had any indication from her that it would happen anytime soon. Gina's major motion picture debut is coming soon with the release of Haywire on January 20 and the early reviews indicate a bright future on the screen for the former champion. Sergio Non of USA Today sat down with Gina to talk about the film but also asked about her future in the sport: You've been hesitant in talking about your future in MMA, one way or another. What criteria would you use to make a decision about returning or not? (chuckles) There are certain things that I always dreamed of, like fighting in the UFC. That was a big one. I don't know. There's just certain things that I feel like haven't been accomplished there. There's such great women coming up in the sport; seems like a wonderful time to be in women's MMA. So I'm not sure. I'm going to kind of get on the other side of Jan. 20th and give back to this film what it gave to me. Because it was -- I won't lie and say it wasn't the best time of my life, because it absolutely was. It was really fun to creatively express myself in a sport and a passion that I love, without having to try and hurt someone. I know that there's so much that you can do in a lifetime with acting and there's only a certain amount of time you can fight. I'm keeping all these things in mind. I'll definitely know a lot more in a couple of months. Is that a way of saying that you'd be done with fighting if the movie does well and high-quality offerings come rolling in from Hollywood? Not necessarily. I think that the right offer has to come in either way. I was told that by a wonderful actress whom I've always kind of looked up to and watched in her career, the good and the bad. She told me something and I'll always remember it. She says, "No matter what, you've got make the right decisions for yourself in this life. You have to stay true to yourself." Sometimes that means walking away from something that you don't want to walk away from because you think the opportunity's going to be so great. Or sometimes that's doing something that nobody believes in, like when I started Muay Thai and I got hard time for fighting and looked at sideways for thinking that that was a profession. I think it's just going to feel right when it does. I'm not sure exactly what is going to take that decision. I'm just trying to get on the other side of Jan. 20th and look back and know I gave it everything I had to give back. Then I can have a clean slate and start and land where I'm at. To me it sounds like a return isn't happening any time soon, but doesn't quite want to permanently close the door.

Posted in: time, return, gina, im, there

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

UFC on FX 1 is on tap for this Friday, and lightweight Melvin Guillard will face off with Jim Miller in the main event. Guillard has always been known as a guy with a ton of talent, but has had problems being mentally focused at times. He moved to Greg Jackson's camp in Albuquerque to help straighten things out and stay on the straight and narrow, and initially it seemed to be a big help. But after being upset by Joe Lauzon at UFC 136, it seems that Guillard decided to check out a new camp and work with the Blackzillians in Florida. He went there and liked it, and he has decided to make a full-time move to Boca Raton. Guillard was a recent guest on MMA Weekly radio, and discussed the move: "Both camps are great, both sets of coaches are awesome. It’s just a decision I had to make for myself professionally. Did I want to split the time? Yeah, I did, but it’s kind of like trying to work for Exxon and work for Shell. You won’t be able to split your time between both. Cause both of those companies wouldn’t allow it," Guillard told MMAWeekly Radio recently. "So it came to one of those points in my life where I had to make a grown-up decision. Kind of an executive decision, and this is the decision I made." ... "It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time for myself." He wants it to be very clear there that is no bad blood with Jackson or his camp though: "I didn’t leave Jackson’s in a bad way. I love those coaches to death, love that team, and if anything every occurs and I have to go back to Jackson’s, I hope I’m still welcome, because I didn’t leave in the wrong way," Guillard said. "One thing my mother taught me when I was a kid growing up ‘you never leave home bad because you never know when you might need to come back through that door.’ I hope the coaches there and the team there still love for me and care for me the way they did when I was performing for them." Will a new camp be able to refocus Guillard after his recent loss? I guess we'll find out on Friday. SBN coverage of UFC on FX 1

Posted in: time, decision, guillard, camp, decision i

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Last night, an astounding seven out of ten fights at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro were finished by knockout or submission. All three decisions were on the undercard and six of the seven finished fights ended in the first round. The sole outlier was the Edson Barboza spinning wheel kick in the third round of the highly entertaining battle with Terry Etim. Today, now that we've reveled in all that ultra-sweet competitive violence given to us, it is time to contemplate the future of the rising fighters on the card. We already know that Vitor Belfort will be fighting Wanderlei Silva at the conclusion of TUF Brazil and that Anthony Johnson is cut, but what about the others from UFC 142? Jose Aldo vs. winner of Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski: Only fight left that makes sense right now. Erik Koch is still developing and could use another fight to showcase his skills before a larger audience. Chan Sung Jung is still a fight away - perhaps against Diego Nunes - and hasn't quite developed the game to pose the complete threat to Aldo that is worthy of a title fight. Maybe it's getting to be time the UFC puts together a super-fight once more... Edson Barboza vs. Gleison Tibau: Barboza shoots up the backroom chart with the spectacular finish, but is he ready to face the elite of the lightweight division? Tibau will make sure Barboza's defensive wrestling is sternly tested and Tibau's chin has stood up to everyone he's fought in the UFC, outside of Nick Diaz way back at UFC 65. Tibau combines a huge physical presence in the cage with a top control game that has not featured many submissions lately. Sounds like a perfect fight to take the mettle of Barboza. Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher: Both fighters are itching for the jump up to the next level, but the elite middleweights are all occupied. Next week, we have Chael Sonnen looking to springboard off Mark Munoz into a title shot and Michael Bisping fully occupied with Demian Maia. The TUF Brazil deal has already locked down Vitor and Wanderlei, so the options for Palhares are slim - unless the UFC wants to risk the winner of Bisping/Maia against those dangerous leglocks. Erick Silva vs. Brian Ebersole: Give Erick the Jon Jones treatment and move him along to a veteran with surprising durability and high entertainment factor. Give Carlo Prater to Jon Fitch to see how both men bounce back from their fight stoppages. Terry Etim vs. Cody Mackenzie: After that knockout, Etim is likely to take some time off to shake off the effects and that gives Cody the requisite time to heal up from his injuries. The match-up between the two rangy lightweights could be a contender for Blank of the Night bonus on most cards. Darren Elkins vs. Yuri Alcantara: The way Alcantara beat up on Omigawa for two rounds makes me wonder what where his eventual ceiling is at. Too bad Erik Koch is waiting around for a title shot or another challenger of that magnitude. Thus, Elkins gets the spot, fresh off his win over Tiequan Zhang. Gabriel Gonzaga will likely have to sit and wait for some heavyweights to free themselves up. On paper, he has terrific offensive skills and could probably beat most of the division right now, but he may need to be brought up slowly again to prevent another flame-out. Thiago Tavares is probably another in the "take a number and stand in line" crowd. His decision victory over Sam Stout is meaningful for sure, but all the fighters ahead of him with a win in their last fight are occupied. This match-up tactic of doing win-win and loss-loss gets annoying sometimes. Just stick him in the cage with Donald Cerrone and let 'em rip. I am not sure what to do with Felipe Arantes. He looked awesome at times against Antonio Carvalho, but where exactly does his next fight come from? Should he be brought along slowly - as befitting someone who opened a card - or thrown right into the fire against a higher level fighter looking to get back into the thick of things? I think this is a rare moment that demands a win-loss match-up and would put him against Pablo Garza, who just lost to Dustin Poirier. As for Pato, I would love to see him go against Tyson Griffin in the next bout, but am unsure if he'll survive the Zuffa pink slip carousel. SBN Coverage of UFC RIO 142: Aldo vs. Mendes

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, vs, barboza

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

There was a significant amount of drama heading into last night's (January 14, 2012) UFC 142 co-main event between Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson. Unfortunately, very little of it had to do with the actual fight, itself. Johnson, in moving up a division to middleweight for the first time in his career, missed weight by 11 pounds on Friday, forcing a special stipulation of having to weigh in a second time on Saturday before he would be allowed to even compete as well as forfeiting 20 percent of his fight purse. "Rumble" pushed a very aggressive pace early with an intent on finishing the fight before he ran out of gas, but it was Belfort who responded efficiently earning his first submission victory in over 10 years. So how did "The Phenom" pull off the victory against such a big and powerful foe? And what's next for both fighters? Johnson pushed forward aggressively and perhaps recklessly early, scoring a big takedown after catching a Belfort head kick attempt. "Rumble," though, did not do much with his takedown, instead choosing to remain in Belfort's full guard, staying tight to his body in top position and not landing punches. After a quick warning from the referee, they were stood up. Again, Johnson hunted to the takedown, pressing "The Phenom" into the fence and clutching onto a single leg. When he couldn't improve his position and after eating some short strikes from a sprawling Belfort, the referee again separated both fighters. After a wild and rather sloppy exchange of strikes, Johnson dropped to his knees to again purse the takedown, turning the corner and putting Belfort on his back once more. The Imperial Athletics fighter was more active this time, trying to posture up and throw punches but they were once again stood up, this time perhaps even quicker than the first. (This is the only separation I don't fully agree with). Upon being reset for the third time, Johnson showcased his true desperation, recklessly throwing big power strikes and head kicks with very little technique whatsoever. When he shot in for a takedown with 90 seconds left, he was completely out of gas. Belfort stuffed it this time with a beautiful sprawl and then immediately countered with punches to the side of the head. With Johnson worrying about defending his head, "The Phenom" pounced onto his back, sinking both hooks in. He softened "Rumble" up with some heavy shots from behind and eventually sunk in a rear naked choke while flattening him out, forcing the tap as the Brazilian crowd erupted. For Anthony Johnson, this fight was a disaster. He wasn't active enough after securing the takedowns so while the referee was quick to stand them up, he has no one to blame but himself for not trying to pass Belfort's guard or posture up and throw heavier ground and pound. He also embarrassed both the himself and the UFC by missing weight so badly and it's going to be a costly lesson. Early reports are that Johnson will be released from the promotion, so he'll have plenty of time to think about what went wrong and how to fix it. Hopefully he takes this as a learning experience, makes weight successfully in his next few fights and we can see him back in the UFC again by the end of the year. For Vitor Belfort, this was a terrific showcase of some of his skills that fans haven't had an opportunity to see. He had a good defensive guard and was able to lock down Johnson after being taken down so as to force the stand-up from the referee. He also aggressively attacked after defending the final takedown and his transition to the American's back was excellent. The reaction from the crazed fans in attendance made the moment that much better. Belfort is already lined up to face Wanderlei Silva next as he'll coach against "The Axe Murderer" in the first ever foreign season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), this one taking place in Brazil. He was already a star in his home country, but his performance last night coupled with his upcoming television role will likely put him over the top. Expect Belfort to get a huge middleweight fight if he can get past Silva later this year. So what did you think, Maniacs? What did you think of Dan Miragliotta's two stand ups and one separation? Did this fight go as you expected since Johnson had the weight issues heading in? Does Johnson deserve to be fired? Sound off! For complete UFC 142 results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.

Posted in: fight, takedown, time, johnson, belfort

Read the full article at MMA Mania

It looks like “middleweight” Anthony Johnson will indeed fight at least one more time inside the Octagon after putting his job in jeopardy on Friday by coming in heavy (yet again) for a bout. Johnson had missed his mark multiple times while competing as a 170 pounder and it was expected his move to 185 would eliminate the issue moving forward. This time around the Johnson’s problem with the scale involved him exceeding a contracted limit by eleven pounds for what is easily the biggest fight of his career, a co-headlining collision with Vitor Belfort tonight at UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes. As a result he was forced to pay Belfort 20% of his purse and come in under 205 pounds today, which, according to the UFC, Johnson has done (204.2 lbs) meaning his clash with Belfort will not be cancelled as it would have been otherwise. Johnson’s management came forward to explain “Rumble” had to be re-hydrated by the UFC’s medical staff after he fell ill while cutting weight. However, UFC President Dana White saw things a bit differently, stating the situation stemmed from an absence of professionalism and that Johnson’s job was on the line because of it. White Goes Off on Johnson UFC 142 starts at 7:00 PM EST on Facebook before heading to FX and eventually PPV when the main card begins at 10:00 PM EST. The lineup is headlined by featherweight phenom Jose Aldo putting his belt on the line against unbeaten grappler Chad Mendes. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, time, johnson, belfort, bout johnson

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Welcome to this week’s edition of MMAterial Facts, where we feature articles from around the MMA community. *** This week’s MMAterial Facts: Courtesy of UFC - Nine Ways of Looking at UFC 142 (MMA Fighting) “Let’s take a minute to thank the Brazilians for being such good sports about the late start time for this event. In order for the UFC to stick to its preferred 10 p.m. ET pay-per-view start time and still go live, the local crowd will be showing up for a main card that doesn’t begin until 1 a.m. local time. As our own Ariel Helwani pointed out this week, that means they could be waiting until 3:30 a.m. for the main event to get started. “ - Video: Anthony Johnson’s ‘Wanna get away?’ moment on the scale (Fight Opinion) “He used to fight at 170 pounds and was the bane of Dan Hardy’s existence. Trouble making Welterweight, Anthony Johnson was set to make the move to Middleweight on Saturday to face Vitor Belfort. When it came time for weigh-in… he was 12 pounds over the established weight for the fight. Medical reasons or not, one thing is for certain — Anthony’s future in MMA is at Light Heavyweight or Heavyweight. Middleweight doesn’t look to be sustainable for him. … He weighed in at 197 pounds for a Middleweight fight… and he was cutting to make Welterweight a year ago. How did his body survive that massive weight cut? The penalty for not making weight? 20% purse reduction. … If Rumble is over 205 pounds on Saturday, the fight will be canceled… live. In front of fans who told him and Chad Mendes that they will die on Saturday night. That’s a hospitable atmosphere…” - Davis says to give the next title shot to Dan Henderson (MMA Mania) “Give it to Hendo. I ain’t losing. Give it to Hendo. I don’t care either way. You can give it to Hendo and there will still be a belt when I get there. There will still be a belt when I get there. I don’t care who the person is that has the belt but there will be a belt when I get to it and that’s all that I’m concerned about. If somebody else gets to fight the champ before I do, that’s fine with me.” - UFC 142 ‘Aldo vs. Mendes’ Weigh-Ins, Pics & Video: Anthony Johnson Misses MW By A Mile (MMA Convert) “After cutting to 170 pounds for years, it seems Anthony Johnson vastly underestimated his first cut to 185 pounds because he missed that mark by a mile at today’s weigh-ins, coming in 11 pounds over his 186 pound target. Johnson will forfeit his 20% of his purse to Belfort and perhaps more punishing, Johnson will have to weigh-in again tomorrow for the fight at no more than 205 lbs. per Belfort’s demand to continue with the fight. Johnson stated he was weighing 215 on a conference call last week, so in essence he won’t be able to fully rehydrate for the fight which could have devastating effects on his performance.” - UFC Sweden completely sold out within the first hour of sales (MiddleEasy) “It seems that the UFC’s upcoming event in Globe Arena in Stockholm was sold out in just one hour after the tickets went to public sale. According to some fans Ticnet’s customer service said that the event was sold out 30 minutes after the sales started. … UFC Fight Club members and UFC Newsletter subscribers already had their chance to buy tickets from a pre-sale on Wednesday and Thursday while the rest had to wait till Friday to get a chance to buy tickets. Fast ticket sales is just another sign that the Nordic MMA fans have been waiting for a long time for the UFC to land in the Northern Europe.” - Matt Hume And Bibiano Fernandes Refute ‘Fedor Diva’ Rumors (FightLine) “But, what really happened was that Fedor was in doing interviews, and everyone was waiting on the two buses, and Fedor was to get on one of those buses and go back. So, both buses were waiting for him. Everybody else had finished their press, but, of course, Fedor is very popular in Japan, he had not finished his press yet, and they were still keeping him there. So, everybody was staying there waiting. So, Fedor asked if they could let the people go who wanted to get back to their hotel.” - Gallery: 20 Incredible Works of MMA Fan Art (Cage Potato) “We’ve seen some bad, bad MMA fan art in our time. (Like, really bad.) So it came as a relief when we recently stumbled upon MMAFanMade, a tumblr account that showcases the best MMA-themed art and artists on the Internet. We decided to cherry-pick some of the site’s highlights, mix in a few old classics, and put ‘em all together in the gallery above.” - TUF Brasil finals, Vitor Belfort-Wanderlei Silva headed to summer PPV (Five Ounces of Pain) “However, according to the UFC, it appears their fight in addition to the two TUF finals will take place on PPV as part of a massive June card possibly headed to Sao Paolo. The show would also host Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II assuming things fall into line and Sonnen defeats Mark Munoz later this month at UFC on FOX 2.” - Dana White Rips Anthony Johnson for “Unprofessional” Behavior (5thRound) “Rumble is not on-weight, and when I say he’s off-weight, he’s way off-weight,” an irked White said. “The way this normally works is, Vitor Belfort can come in on-weight, Vitor is at-weight, and he would get 20 percent of Johnson’s purse. … “The stipulation is, Vitor does not want him to weigh more than 205 pounds tomorrow by like 2 o’clock in the afternoon. So we’re going to have to see how this thing plays out.” - Anderson Silva reveals he is suffering from a back injury (LowKick) “Silva recently began training again, but it looks as if he has suffered another injury. According to the UFC Middleweight champion, “I’m not sure when I’ll come back because I’m still with a shoulder injury, another injury arose recently on my lower back, so I’m getting treatment.” – for more see Tatame.com” - Movie Review: Haywire (TheFightNerd) “In spite of a tumultuous time during development, the latest Stephen Soderbergh spy thriller “Haywire,” starring former “face of women’s MMA” Gina Carano, is slated for a national theatrical release later this month. By Soderbergh’s own admission, Haywire was written as a means to get Carano on to the silver screen. The cinematic bar for star vehicle action movies like the ones that first introduced audiences to Jean-Claude Van Damme and Stephen Seagal is set incredibly low. And, for what it’s worth, Haywire gracefully leaps over it. There are even a few scenes in the movie that are unarguably great. But, Haywire also sports too much random silliness to call it a genuinely good movie.” - Minnesota MMA Fighter Kaitlin Young: Women’s MMA Is 10 Years Behind Men’s (BleacherReport.com/MMA) “Strikeforce has so many awesome people to compete against, but I think I would be hesitant because they have a tendency to sit on a lot of their fighters for a long time. Six months at a time even,” she explained. “I’m having a lot of opportunities in getting fights lined up right now and really with Strikeforce and ProElite, when you see how much they pay some of the female fighters, it’s at best what you can get at a local show. You can probably make more at a local show if you have decent ticket sales and sponsors.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, johnson

Read the full article at MMA Payout

The UFC featherweight title is on the line tomorrow night (January 14, 2011) as champion Jose Aldo takes on undefeated challenger Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 142 in Rio. Jose Aldo is trying to break through to the casual MMA fans, but he's yet to put on a signature performance since joining up with the UFC. He's defended his title twice thus far against Mark Hominick and Kenny Florian, but he's looking to put on a show for the Brazilian faithful who are showing up in droves to see him compete. Chad Mendes not only is undefeated, but he's never even lost a round in his career. He dominated Sengoku star Michihiro Omigawa and then completely controlled Rani Yahya in his most recent two fights and he's hoping he can utilize his wrestling to grind the UFC featherweight title away from the champ. Will Aldo have his breakthrough moment he's so desperately craving? Will the extremely hostile crowd strike fear into Mendes and affect his performance? How does each man win this title fight tomorrow night? Let's find out: Jose Aldo Record: 20-1 overall, 2-0 in the UFC Key Wins: Kenny Florian (UFC 136), Mark Hominick (UFC 129), Urijah Faber (WEC 48) Key Losses: none How he got here: After making waves in Brazil, Aldo migrated to the WEC and immediately began wrecking the place. He tore through his first four WEC bouts with deadly striking and decided to cap it off by earning a title shot with an unbelievable eight second knockout of Cub Swanson at WEC 41. Believe it or not, the time of the knockout was the least impressive part of it. Aldo flew through the air and connected on poor Cub's chin with not one but two flying knees at once and finished the stunned Swanson off with quick ground and pound. The Brazilian made the most of his opportunity and manhandled then-champion Mike Brown, finishing the turtling titleholder with ground and pound from behind. His victory set up a WEC super-fight with the incredibly popolar former champion Urijah Faber at WEC 48. "Scarface" would work a different gameplan for that fight, massacring Faber's legs with sharp kicks until they turned into linguine and "The California Kid's" corner needed to carry him to his stool in between rounds. The champ retained his title one final time, viciously knocking out Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season five finalist Manny Gamburyan early in the second round. After the UFC/WEC merger, Aldo was handed the UFC featherweight title and got an opportunity to defend it against Mark Hominick this past April. The Brazilian won a hard-fought battle over the course of five rounds in a "Fight of the Night"-winning performance. He followed that up by outworking a persistent Kenny Florian for five more rounds to retain his title this past October. He gleefully accepted a bout with Chad Mendes on a quick turnaround in order to fight in his native Brazil for the first time in over four years. How he gets it done: Jose Aldo has a very diverse set of skills. He's got heavy hands and some of the nastiest leg kicks you will ever see. His background as a soccer player may be a factor in that. Look for Aldo to try to keep this fight standing and really go to work with his kicks, although he'll have to keep them low. He does a terrific job of closing off combinations with a leg kick. If he can connect a few times, it's going to slow Mendes down and take away a significant portion of his explosiveness and takedown ability. If Mendes begins to lose some of his lateral quickness, the champion could swoop in with a flying knee or some other devastating frontal attack. Aldo brought in Gray Maynard to help him gauge distance better against elite wrestlers like Mendes so expect him to be extremely wary of "Money's" takedowns. The featherweight champ already possesses some pretty strong wrestling defense, so every little bit he can boost it not only helps his confidence, but makes the rest of his game that much more dangerous. If taken down, Aldo needs to do whatever it takes to pop back to his feet as it's highly unlikely he'll be able to sweep Mendes or submit him off of his back. Aldo is such a terrific athlete that you could literally expect anything from him in this fight. At just 25 years old, he can definitely still be learning new tricks. Chad Mendes Record: 11-0 overall, 2-0 in the UFC Key Wins: Erik Koch (WEC 47), Michihiro Omigawa (UFC 126), Rani Yahya (UFC 133) Key Losses: none How he got here: Chad Mendes has been wrestling for a very long time. He was a two time All-American collegiate wrestler before teaming up with Urijah Faber at his Alpha Male gym in Sacramento. Just 14 months into his professional fighting career, "Money" Mendes was 5-0 and had earned an invite to compete in the WEC featherweight division. He made his debut against fellow prospect and current top contender Erik Koch, handing him the only professional loss of his career. He would fight three more times in 2010, defeating all opponents handily and progressing in his skill-set. Mendes made his UFC debut against Japanese star Michihiro Omigawa last February and handled the veteran with ease, out striking and definitely outwrestling him to win a dominant unanimous decision. He would forgo a title shot and proceeded to put up a strong showing against submission specialist Rani Yahya seven months later to again be crowned the number one contender for Jose Aldo's belt. He gets his shot tomorrow night in hostile territory. How he gets it done: The biggest key for Mendes is extremely obvious. He needs to take Aldo down with his wrestling and keep him there. If Aldo attempts a leg kick, Mendes needs to catch it and throw him to the canvas. If Aldo attempts a flying knee, Mendes needs to grab him in mid-air and slam him. If Aldo presses forward with a big combination, Mendes needs to duck down and shoot him into the ground with a takedown. All roads to Chad Mendes defeating Jose Aldo include putting the Brazilian on his back. He might be able to stand with the champ for a brief period, but he can't afford to let Nova Uniao fighter get comfortable and start throwing his most dangerous strikes or Mendes is going to be in trouble. Not only must the Team Alpha Male fighter put Aldo on his back, he has to keep him there. If Mendes can make the champ work off of his back and expend a significant amount of energy, he could tire him out. We saw how awful a tired Aldo can look in the fifth round of his fight with Mark Hominick at UFC 129. Mendes' goal should be to get Aldo that exhausted by round three. If he does, he could definitely be the new titleholder. Fight X-Factor: The biggest X-Factor for this fight is not just Jose Aldo's takedown defense, but it's his grappling endurance. We've heard stories of Aldo's terrific jiu-jitsu game, but it will it finally make an appearance tomorrow night? It certainly didn't look so great at UFC 129 when he took Mark Hominick down multiple times or when he spent nearly the entire fifth round on his back. It looked like, while he could strike with opponents for days, Aldo gets tired if he spends a significant amount of time grappling on the canvas. Will he gas out if Mendes makes him work for an extended amount of time on the ground? That's something which could clearly turn the tide of the fight. Bottom Line: I'd love to tell you that this fight will 100 percent be a barnburner, but I can't make empty promises. Jose Aldo is capable of being one of the most exciting fighters on the planet, but he hasn't delivered as of late. His most recent fight against Kenny Florian was a clinchfest of boredom and the challenger this time, Chad Mendes, has already stated his goal is to grind this fight out for five rounds. That's not exactly the recipe for entertainment. Unless Aldo can dominate with superior takedown defense and striking, there's a very real possibility this one could get ugly. Be prepared for both, but don't say I didn't warn you. Who will come out on top at UFC 142? Tell us your predictions in the comments below! Poll Who will walk away from the cage with the UFC featherweight title tomorrow night? Jose Aldo Chad Mendes   15 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, aldo, mende

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Anthony Johnson loves to eat, y'all. But that's not why he missed weight at the UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes" weigh-in event that took place earlier today (Fri., Jan. 13, 2012) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. No, apparently, "Rumble" was on schedule and woke up this morning at 191-pounds, well on his way to sweating off the additional baggage to get him to the contracted limit of 186-pounds. And then it all went terribly wrong. According to a report from Sergio Non at USA Today, Johnson's manager says he was doing just fine and moving right along until he suddenly fell ill due to the weight cut. It was at that point that doctors ordered him to get some fluids into his body for his own health and well-being. By the time he was feeling better, it was too late. Here's Robinson explaining the situation: "They called in the local doctor, who made him drink a bunch of fluids to see if that made him feel better. About an hour later he started feeling better. By the time he started feeling better, it was an hour to weigh-ins. ... There was no time to shed the weight." Seems like a reasonable enough explanation but UFC President Dana White is not happy, nonetheless. The Octagon boss called Johnson a total unprofessional and is reportedly considering firing Johnson for his many issues with making weight throughout his career. Indeed, this is the third time Johnson has missed weight for a bout. To make matters worse, this was his middleweight debut. That's right; he was given a full 15 pounds extra to work with and he still couldn't make weight. Luckily, Vitor Belfort, Johnson's opponent tomorrow night at UFC 142, was an understanding fellow and decided to create the stipulation that if Johnson can weigh in under 205-pounds tomorrow before the event, he'll go ahead with the fight. "The Phenom" will also be awarded 20-percent of his opponent's fight purse. What a mess. Maniacs, what do you think the right play is here if you're in White's position? Does Johnson deserve another chance? Should he be made to fight at light heavyweight now? Should he even have a job at all? And should this fight even be going forward with the massive weight difference? Sound off.

Posted in: fight, pound, time, johnson, weight

Read the full article at MMA Mania

If you happen to catch the UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes" prelims in front of tomorrow night's (Jan. 14, 2012) pay-per view event, which airs live via the FX channel, you may be witness to a Gonzaga sighting. Gabriel Gonzaga, to be exact. The Brazilian heavyweight makes his return to the new and revamped Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight roster to take on fellow countrymen Ednaldo Oliveira following a 15-month hiatus. Gonzaga announced his short-lived retirement following his release from the promotion after losing to Brendan Schaub at UFC 121 back on Oct. 23, 2010. The loss marked his second in a row and his third in four attempts inside the Octagon. Before going on an up and down roller coaster of wins and losses, "Napao" was a force to be reckoned with, but is perhaps still best known for his devastating head kick knockout over Mirko Filipovic at UFC 70 way back in 2007. Not only did Gonzaga nearly decapitate the Croation kickboxer, but he also ruined everyone's hopes and dreams of seeing a championship match-up between then-champion Randy Couture and "Cro Cop." The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) black belt took his place but went on to lose to "The Natural" at UFC 74 via technical knockout (TKO), thus beginning his slow and steady decline within the promotion. After taking more than a year off to reset, Gonzaga returned to mixed martial arts (MMA) at Reality Fighting: "Gonzaga vs. Porter," to claim the promotion's heavyweight title. However, as recently told the gang at Bleacher Report, "Napao" is ready to show the world that he can still compete at the highest level and even hopes to compete for the title one day. Check it out: "I believe in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, I accomplished everything I wanted. I won state, national and world-championship titles. In MMA, I had the opportunity to fight 12 times so far for the UFC. I fought for the UFC heavyweight title, and against some of the best fighters in the sport. I believe I was looking for some time to reset my goals. I enjoyed the chance to stay close to my students, and also the extra time I was able to spend with my family...[But] my students and my friends were asking to see me fight again. The UFC always treated me very well. I knew if I had some wins outside of the UFC, they would have me back. I was ready to take this opportunity to fight again in the UFC, and I jumped on it when my manager called me. It will prove to me that I belong there, and I can still compete with some of the best in the sport. I take one fight at a time. I just want to focus on this fight right now. I want to be a world champion...I want to be recognized as a guy that comes to fight win or lose, and puts on a good show for the fans." Gonzaga couldn't have picked a better time to re-join the big boys of the UFC. With the addition of the Strikeforce roster and Alistair Overeem, the heavyweight landscape is as strong as it has ever been. With young and hungry fighters ready to make their own mark in the UFC's heavyweight division, Gonzaga may find himself to be a grizzled veteran surrounded by rising young prospects who are also aiming for the coveted UFC strap. Which begs the question, is Gonzaga ready to take on the new breed of heavyweights that will soon include Shane del Rosario, Daniel Cormier, Antonio Silva and the existing young talents such as Cain Velasquez , Frank Mir and company? Or will it be too little, too late for "Napao?" Opinions, please.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, heavyweight, gonzaga

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFCUFC 142 goes down in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night, and there are no shortage of questions, concerns, and even one hopelessly implausible conspiracy theory to sort through as we ponder the UFC's return to Brazil. I. Jose Aldo has yet to finish a fight as UFC featherweight champion, but does it matter? Sure, his rise through the WEC was filled with jumping knee knockouts and other finishes that required more than one look at the instant replay just to believe what we'd seen, but the competition is a lot stiffer once you're the champ. When you're fighting the Kenny Florians of the world rather than the Cub Swansons, finishes can be harder to come by. The trouble is, the fanbase is not exactly patient with its champs these days. Just ask Georges St. Pierre. Already people are looking at Aldo's consecutive decision wins as UFC champ and wondering if he's too content to let the judges sort things out for him. Is that fair? Not really. But this isn't a fair sport, particular where public perception is concerned. In Brazil, where Anderson Silva is like the fighting Elvis, Aldo has yet to reach star status. But even if the crowd in Rio shows up more to see Vitor Belfort than to see him, Aldo could still capitalize. All he has to do is give them a performance to remember. Easier said than done against a guy like Mendes. II. Is hometown advantage overrated in MMA? We know from experience that the Brazilians make for a vocal, enthusiastic, and extremely partisan crowd, but how much does it matter in a sport like this? Foreign fighters didn't fare well the last time the UFC was in Rio (they went 1-7, in fact), but look at the match-ups. The only truly surprising Brazilian win on that card was Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's knockout of Brendan Schaub. The other fights, well, if they didn't favor Brazilians, they also didn't stack the deck against them. No fighter I've talked to has admitted to being intimidated or distracted by a negative crowd response, but then again, that's not the sort of thing most fighters would admit to even if it were true. I've seen crowds clearly influence judges' decisions in the past. I've also seen them silenced in a heartbeat by a vicious knockout. It's nice to have the crowd in your corner, but they make for a better hype man than a shield. III. Is Chad Mendes ready to be a UFC champion? When I spoke to him for this week's Sports Illustrated piece (just go read it so I can stop plugging it), Mendes talked a lot about his experiences in the 2008 NCAA wrestling finals. He blazed through his senior season at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with an undefeated record and was the top seed going into the tournament. It was, in other words, not unlike his perfect 11-0 MMA career so far. But in college Mendes lost on points to the sixth seed, Ohio State's J Jaggers, in the finals. After chasing a national championship since he knew what one was, Mendes came within a takedown or two of getting it, only to fall just short. "It's something I still think about," he said. The difference here is that very few people outside of the Alpha Male squad expect him to win. He's fighting a dominant champ, and doing it in the other guy's backyard. A lot of people might look at his wrestling-heavy decisions in his two UFC bouts and see a guy who's not quite championship material, but maybe that complete lack of pressure helps some guys. When no one thinks you can win, sometimes it becomes a lot harder to lose. IV. A moment of silence for all the great fights that could have been on this card. No offense to Carlo Prater, but I would have much rather seen Erick Silva against Siyar Bahadurzada. And not only was Paulo Thiago-Mike Pyle a good scrap on paper, but also one that would have greatly pleased a local crowd that treated Thiago like a superstar the last time he fought in Rio. And lastly, let's not forget Stanislav Nedkov, who was the lone foreigner to beat a Brazilian at UFC 134. The official word was that "visa problems" scratched Nedkov from this one. Uh-huh. Look, I'm not saying there was a vast conspiracy at the highest levels of the Brazilian government to keep the undefeated Bulgarian out of their country at all costs after his TKO win over Luiz Cane, but I'm not not saying it either... V. Let's take a minute to thank the Brazilians for being such good sports about the late start time for this event. In order for the UFC to stick to its preferred 10 p.m. ET pay-per-view start time and still go live, the local crowd will be showing up for a main card that doesn't begin until 1 a.m. local time. As our own Ariel Helwani pointed out this week, that means they could be waiting until 3:30 a.m. for the main event to get started. Unless you party like Lindsay Lohan, that's normally about the time when a fun late night turns into an arduous one. If there's any crowd that can roll with that, it's the passionate 'cariocas' who jammed the HSBC Arena to the rafters just five months ago. At UFC 134, they kept the joint jumping from the first fight to the last. Then again, that one started a couple hours earlier. Let's hope they can maintain the same level of enthusiasm for this event, though perhaps without the beer-throwing this time. VI. A new challenge, but the same old questions for Vitor Belfort. No one doubts his ferocity in the first round. It's what happens after that that's been his big problem. "The Phenom" is 20-9 in his 15-year career, but just 4-5 in fights that have gone the distance. Anthony Johnson is a durable fighter who is at home on his feet, but clearly doesn't mind grinding out a victory when he needs to, as we saw in the Dan Hardy fight. He's never been knocked out in an MMA bout, so there's a very good chance he could take this one into the deep waters and test Belfort's ability to pull out a win in the later rounds. If Belfort's ever going to reverse that trend and write a new narrative for himself, he'd better do it soon. As he alluded to this week, he might not have much time left on the clock. And no one wants to be remembered as the guy who was a lion in the first minute and a kitty cat in the 15th. VII. Goodbye Spike TV; hello FX. As much as I applaud the UFC's efforts to get as many fights as possible seen by as many fans as possible, streaming so many of the prelims on Facebook was a model that had its limitations. On Spike TV, the UFC only got an hour to squeeze in a couple prelims, leaving the rest for the internet. But in the brave new world of the FOX deal there are two full hours of prelim fights on FX, leaving only one fight to the Facebook hinterlands. It's a welcome change for those of us who prefer to watch fights on the TV rather than the laptop. It's also good news for the lower tier of UFC fighters. Instead of confusing the hell out of their grandparents by trying to explain Facebook to them, they can just give them a channel and a time and be done with it. Now that's progress. VIII. Seriously, Rousimar Palhares, can you get through this one without anything weird happening? I touched on it in my betting odds breakdown, but "Toquinho" has shown a penchant for mental lapses in his UFC career. Some have cost him dearly, while others have just come close. In a match-up that seems tailored to his particular set of skills, it'd be great to have his performance between the horns be the one and only story for a change. IX. Here's a free tip: make sure you're in your seat for the Gabriel Gonzaga-Ednaldo Oliveira fight. It's flying under the radar on the prelims, but this is a heavyweight tilt that you don't want to miss. Not only is it Gonzaga's return to the UFC, but it's also the debut for Junior dos Santos' unbeaten sparring partner. Word around the campfire is that JDS asked the UFC to take a look at Oliveira and got the usual 'Send us a tape, but no promises' response from matchmaker Joe Silva. He must have seen something that he liked, because here's the 27-year-old Brazilian, ready to take a big step up in competition. The interesting thing is, Gonzaga's been in a similar situation before. He was the one who served as the UFC welcoming committee for Brock Lesnar's sparring partner, Chris Tuchscherer, at UFC 102 in Portland. It wasn't such a kind welcome, honestly. The bout was halted early after a brutal "inadvertent" groin kick by Gonzaga that left Tuchsherer writing in pain on the mat for several minutes. Immediately upon the restart, the cold-hearted Gonzaga looked low and kicked high. Tuchscherer, understandably, went to protect his aching man parts and left his head wide open. A shrewd move by Gonzaga, though perhaps not the most sporting one. Something to think about if you're Oliveira. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, crowd, brazilian

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

A large number of UFC debuts are scheduled to take place in the early part of 2012, some as last minute replacements and others as long awaited unveilings. The next four Saturdays are eack slated to feature a UFC event, and with every show there is at least one new prospect stepping foot inside the Octagon for the first time in his career worth watching. Each week, I’ll take a look at a new debuting fighter, discussing why you should take a look at the fight. This week’s candidate is: Antonio Carvalho – UFC 142 (vs. Felipe Arantes) A Look at the UFC 142 Countdown Special It could be argued Carvalho’s debut has only taken this long because of the fact that he’s been a featherweight for the last few years and the division is relatively new to the UFC. Carvalho holds belts in numerous disciplines and mixes an unorthodox striking game with strong ground transitions, setting up to one of his favorite ways to end – ground and pound. He does hold three submission victories but hasn’t won a fight that way in nearly seven years. Within his decade long career the 32 year old Canadian has fought the likes of Rumina Sato, Takashi Inoue, as well as UFC vets Doug Evans and Jeff Curran, not to mention being one of the few to hold a victory over Japanese standout Hatsu Hioki. After going a quick 8-0 to open his career, Carvalho suffered his first career loss to Curran before going to Japan to compete in Shooto. It was there that he gained some notoriety, especially when he defeated Hioki who was riding a ten-fight unbeaten streak at the time and was a heavy favorite coming in. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed him down slightly over the years, javing only fought five times since November 2007. In fact, his UFC debut was also delayed due to an injury but, as you now know, he’ll finally make his debut at UFC 142 as the first match on the undercard against youngster Arantes. You can catch Carvalho-Arantes on Facebook when the UFC broadcast starts up at 7:00 PM EST. Tweet

Posted in: ufc, time, year, career, carvalho

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Welcome, Maniacs, to the weekly series where we help you catch up on some of the original reporting done by other sites in the vast MMA landscape. Like Anderson Silva and Jose Aldo pictured above, we can all "get along." Teaming up with MMA sites like MMA Fighting, Cage Potato, Fight Opinion and The Fight Nerd, we'll provide an opportunity for all MMA fans to read some fresh and original voices in the sport. This week, Cage Potato features MMA fan art, The Fight Nerd reviews Gina Carano's new movie 'Haywire' and Bleacher Report speaks with Blackzilian coach Mike Van Arsdale. The full list of links is after the jump. - Sean Sherk wants to cement his place in the UFC Hall of Fame (LowKick) "I'm a fighter. At this point in time, do I plan on fighting five or six more times? Probably not, to be honest with you. That's why I want big fights. I want co-main-event or main-event type fights that are going to cement my place in the UFC Hall of Fame. Absolutely, I think at this point in time, I've done enough to be a hall of famer, but I'd like a few more fights to make my mark." - 20 incredible works of MMA fan art (Cage Potato) - UFC 142 main card breakdown (Five Ounces of Pain) After the huge success of UFC 134, it was only a matter of time before the Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the land of samba. Opening their PPV account for 2012 is another card in Rio, this time featuring a featherweight title bout between Brazil's own Jose Aldo, and arguably his toughest stylistic opponent to date, Chad Mendes. - Mendes, Faber not happy with Maynard's comments (MMA Fighting) "Since when are the two best guys in the weight class not ready to fight each other? That's an absurd thing to say. But whatever. Who cares what [Maynard] thinks? Chad's going to go in there and fight and win." - X-box to make amends for UFC 141 nightmare (5thRound) Technology can be a wonderful thing most of time, but it can also be unpredictable and rather nightmarish in other instances. Following the issues that impacted Xbox LIVE's official debut into the mixed martial arts world at UFC 141, Microsoft is prepared to make amends and restore confidence in their customers. - Ricardo Arona versus Satoshi Ishii on March 11th (MiddleEasy) This morning as I roamed through my usual collection of obscure Japanese MMA sites, I noticed Sponichi Annex is reporting that Satoshi Ishii gave the site a brief interview and stated that he's training in Los Angeles, California for a fight with Ricardo Arona on March 11th in Sao Paulo, Brazil. That's right, it looks like Ricardo Arona has finally decided to stop surfing and get back to smashing his fists into people's face for a living. - Movie review: Haywire (The Fight Nerd) The cinematic bar for star vehicle action movies like the ones that first introduced audiences to Jean-Claude Van Damme and Stephen Seagal is set incredibly low. And, for what it's worth, Haywire gracefully leaps over it. There are even a few scenes in the movie that are unarguably great. But, Haywire also sports too much random silliness to call it a genuinely good movie. - Buying or selling Chad Mendes as 2-1 dog to Jose Aldo? (Fight Opinion) - Update on Zuffa lawsuit vs New York: New York files motion (MMA Payout) The Fight Lawyer reports on the latest from the Zuffa lawsuit in New York. Notably, the New York AG and the New York DA will file a motion to dismiss on the issues of due process and equal protection but the First Amendment issue will not be contested in the motion. - Mike Van Arsdale talks Anthony Johnson's move to middleweight and UFC 142 (BleacherReport.com/MMA) Van Arsdale recently hooked up with Hurtsbad MMA to share his take on Johnson's opponent and his move to middleweight. Johnson's opponent is something of a legend in the sport and is known as a lethal striker who is aggressive and dangerous inside the Octagon. Anyone who has competed with Vitor Belfort, or has seen him fight would agree. - Eddie Alvarez will not be in Bellator season six lightweight tournament (MMA Convert) - The Daily Line: Predictions for MMA in 2012 part 2 (Fightline) 2012 is a year ripe for change, with big things looming on the horizon and evolution seeming destined for MMA. But, what exactly could we see over the coming year? How might the MMA landscape look going into 2013?

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, movie

Read the full article at MMA Mania

submitted by killzy707 [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: layzie, ronda, killzy, time, nick

Read the full article at Reddit

Filed under: UFC, NewsWhen I asked Vitor Belfort what he thought it would feel like to walk out in front of a screaming crowd of his countrymen in Rio's HSBC Arena for UFC 142 in the wee hours of Sunday morning, he described it in one word: intense. "I do my best no matter where I'm at, but I know that crowd's going to be the loudest crowd ever," Belfort said. "I'm going to enjoy the moment. It's a party every time I step in that Octagon. It's party time. The hard work is done and it's time to do what you do every day in the gym. Of course, you have only one chance, so you have to enjoy the moment." And yet I admit that, based on what I've learned of fighterspeak over the years, something in that statement set off alarms in my head. Not only did Belfort say he was going to 'enjoy the moment' twice in the span of about six sentences, he went on to use that exact same phrase at least half a dozen more times in the less than ten minutes we spent on the phone. For a normal person, maybe that means nothing. But a fighter? In my experience, once they stop talking about their obsessive desire to win and perform and become a champion, and they start talking about enjoying each passing moment of fight week, it usually means they're thinking about hanging it up soon. It made me wonder: is Vitor Belfort closing in on retirement? Is that even possible? Belfort is a little like the anti-Wanderlei Silva in some ways. With Silva, you think about his long, memorable career and look at his weathered face -- even after plastic surgery, it remains a rugged timeline of his experiences in the fight game -- and you can't believe he's only 35 years old. Then you look at Belfort, who still looks fresh and eager and in possession of roughly the same facial symmetry he started with, and it's hard to believe he's actually 34. At the same time, it makes sense. They came up more or less as contemporaries. When they faced off at UFC Brazil in 1998, they were both 5-1 as professionals. But in the intervening years it seems like Silva's lived several brutal lifetimes, while Belfort's best days have seemed always just in front of him, like a hill he never quite seems to crest. When I spoke to him in the Copacabana Palace Hotel the last time the UFC was in Rio, he was fresh off a knockout of Yoshihiro Akiyama and all he could talk about was getting another shot at middleweight champ Anderson Silva. When I mentioned that it might be tough to do, considering how recently he'd been beaten by the champ, he just shook his head intently as his young son hammered one overhand right after another into his father's gut in an attempt to get the old man's attention. "I'll do it," Belfort said confidently. "I'll do whatever I have to do." But this time, just a couple days away from a fight with Anthony Johnson, which -- win or lose -- will lead him straight into an Ultimate Fighter coaching gig opposite his old friend Wanderlei, Belfort struck a very different tone. "I'm enjoying the moment," he said again. "I'm enjoying every time I can enjoy, all of this. Right now I'm enjoying everything as it comes." Maybe it's the weight-cut talking. Maybe it's too many phone interviews lined up back to back to back to back. Maybe it's just something he says when he's not sure what else to say. But when I put it to Belfort straight and asked him if all this 'enjoy the moment' talk meant he was looking at his career and wondering how many such moments were left in it, he didn't shoot me down. Far from it. "I want to finish strong," he said. "I want to finish the best I can finish. We'll see when God's going to decide to speak to my heart and tell me that it's the moment to finish. I know that the time is coming, so I'm preparing to finish the best I can finish." At first, it still seems hard to believe. When you think of the guys who might need to hang it up soon, Belfort's name doesn't spring to mind. He still looks good in the cage, can still take and deliver a punch with the best of them. But the years are the years and the numbers are the numbers. The bout with Johnson will be his 30th professional MMA fight in a more than fifteen-year career. Almost all of that time has been spent at the sport's highest level, against top-tier opponents. Surely, that takes its toll whether we see it etched into a man's face or not. But when you're still as competitive as he is is well into your mid-thirties, I asked him, how do you know when it's time? "God will speak to my heart," Belfort answered. "I will feel the moment. I don't have any ego or pride. In life, you have to understand that everything has a beginning, middle, and end. The only thing that doesn't have an end is God's presence, and God Himself. He's the only thing that doesn't have an end. ...That time will come and I will feel it. And when it comes, I'm going to accept it." For those of us who were teenagers ourselves back when Belfort got his start as the blistering 19-year-old who knocked people out in a matter of seconds -- back when he was "The Phenom," who eventually gave way to the talented, but not quite dominant middle-aged fighter -- it's strange to think that he must now be closer to the end than the beginning. But then, that time comes for every fighter. The time when you start actively trying to enjoy these fleeting moments as a pro fighter because you realize there's only a finite number of them left. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, year, belfort, moment, im

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

"You fall down, you get back up." Those were the words of advice from Dave Camarillo to his long time student Jon Fitch after his loss at UFC 141 to Johny Hendricks.

Posted in: time, fitch, ’s time, jon fitch, dave camarillo

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

It’s been said that you need to be careful when you meet your heroes because sometimes they can disappoint you. But how is it supposed to go when you fight one? Debuting UFC featherweight Antonio Carvalho knows the answer to that question, and surprisingly, it’s not as bad as you might think.In fact, the way he puts it, the whole scenario “was really emotional. It was the biggest highlight as far as my competitive life.”I guess at this point it pays to go back a bit for a little history. Canada’s Carvalho, one of the unsung lighter weight heroes in the sport of mixed martial arts back when featherweights weren’t headlining UFC shows like they will this Saturday night in Rio, had gone to Japan in 2005 to face Takeshi Inoue in a Shooto bout.At the time, the odds of making money or gaining any sort of prestige in North America as a 145-pound fighter were slim and none, but that didn’t deter Carvalho, an Ontario native of Portuguese descent who nearly made a career out of soccer when he was living in Portugal and playing for the Sporting Lisbon youth club.“I think even when I started the sport, it was very underground,” said Carvalho, who turned pro in 2002. “Most of it was through the internet and that’s how we stayed alive for so many years. I was always a fan from the beginning, just getting VHS tapes from all sorts of events from around the world, and obviously when there was all the banning going on, I still made sure that I was keeping up to date on all the fighters. I just loved doing it. Back then there was very little money to begin with, and if you fought, you’d better love to fight because you’re not making that much money and you still had to work a regular job, which I did. I just made sure I had jobs where I could take the weekends off so I could go fight and have time when I could train.”Unbeaten in his first seven pro bouts, Carvalho did find that Japan was a promising option though, and it was a place where he had the potential to make fighting a career.“There was a time when the UFC didn’t have the lightweights, and then they didn’t have the featherweights or bantamweights,” he recalled. “That’s why I gravitated towards Japan - they had so many organizations running at the same time over there and so many fighters filtering through from all over the world. At the time, for the featherweights, that was the place to be. So I was happy to be competing and doing what I loved.”He had to win though, and “The Lion” was no joke, as he was unbeaten at the time himself at 6-0. Carvalho wound up taking a three round majority decision win, but more importantly, he got to meet the headliner, his fighting idol and Japanese legend Rumina Sato.“That was kind of surreal for me,” said Carvalho. “Rumina Sato was the headliner, and he was fighting Gilbert Melendez that night. When I saw him, I was like ‘oh man.’ To me, it looked like he was glowing, just this untouchable guy. I thought he was amazing and doing things, especially at that time, which made him like a human highlight reel for MMA. I was a huge fan and he was my hero.”Carvalho picked up one of Sato’s highlight DVDs, and he made sure he didn’t leave Japan without getting it signed and telling Sato just how big of a fan he was.Returning home, Carvalho lost his first pro bout via majority decision to Jeff Curran in November of 2005, but a month later, he got a call from Japan to fight again. The opponent? Rumina Sato. “I was completely shocked,” he said. “But I had to take the opportunity.” On February 17, 2006, Carvalho faced his hero…and he won.“I was so star-struck when I got in there that I almost got KOed right off the bat,” said Carvalho of his bout against Sato. “I spent a lot of time on my back, defending punches and submissions, and eventually I thought to myself, ‘yeah, he’s my hero, but I think I’ve got to do something here.’ And somehow I managed to reverse the position and I ended up putting him away.”It was a moment that Carvalho believes will never be topped.“I never believed I would ever have the chance to face him, much less defeat him in a match,” he said. “It was the ultimate high for me in the sport.”Carvalho would fight four more times in Japan, with the only win being a big one over current UFC featherweight Hatsu Hioki, and after a June 2008 loss to Yuji Hoshino, he had reached the end of his MMA rope.“Injuries piled up,” he said. “It got to the point where I was so injured, and so burnt out, and so tired with everything that was going on in life in general. After I lost my last fight in Japan, I pretty much thought that was it.”His hiatus from the sport would last less than two years, with rest and healing doing wonders for him mentally and physically. He returned to the gym to work with longtime friend and coach Justin Bruckmann, and eventually, he decided to fight again. “The fire sorta came back, and when I started doing well again and my body was getting stronger, things started falling into place and that’s when I decided to come back.”Three wins into the comeback that began in March of 2010, the 32-year old got the call he had waited years for – he was a UFC fighter. And while he was scratched from his expected debut against Yuri Alcantara at UFC 134 last August due to injury, he will finally step into the Octagon on Saturday to face Felipe Arantes at UFC 142. It’s been a long, interesting trip to make it here, and Carvalho is eager to write the next chapter of this story.“I’ve been through just about everything in this sport,” he said. “And I don’t think it’s my time to leave just yet. The UFC gave me this chance, they found space for me on their roster, and this was kind of the last goal. That’s not to say things might not change in the UFC – I’m gonna take everything one fight at a time. But I don’t look that far ahead, I’m not looking past the guy I’m fighting, and the truth is, if I don’t perform now, then it just means that I’m just not as good as the other guy. It’s that simple, and I have no excuses. I had a great camp, great people around me, it’s time for me to perform, and if I don’t, then maybe it’s time for me to leave.”

Posted in: ufc, time, ’t, japan, carvalho

Read the full article at UFC

A look back at the time UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo spent in the WEC will make you realize that after a few of his knockouts in the blue cage, he started dancing to celebrate his victories.This tradition repeated itself time and time again, and while it was hard to understand what kind of rhythm Aldo was trying to emulate, you also laughed at the stance and moves the 145-pound kingpin performed in those times, and actually looked forward to the idea that if Aldo mauled his opponent, we'd see a dance or witness him leaving the cage to celebrate with the fans in the arena.That was the trademark of Aldo’s early days in the WEC, but once he moved to UFC and got his belt, we never saw these moves again. First, because he defended the belt twice, both by decision, and second...well, there is no second. So where exactly were those moves, Aldo?He laughs."That was part of the excitement I felt after each victory in the WEC. I wasn't like, 'if I beat the guy I'll dance like this or like that.’ I just played around with it during training, joking with my teammates, and then after the fights I did it."Aldo mentioned how pumped he was those times, with every obliteration of an opponent crowned by those funny moves, oops, the dances. That said, something happened when the champion was imported to the UFC. We didn't see knockouts, we didn't see dances; perhaps a different Aldo is now fighting for the UFC. The champion disagrees, but he does discuss the difference between the organizations."The UFC gets much more attention, and of course those who didn't know me before but went to search my footage, they saw what I did in the WEC," he said. "I feel like them, like some pieces of my game were missing. But what I can say? I'm back, hungry, very well trained, and I'll search for the KO and try to make it happen.""Plus, more publicity means more studying, more strategy, and guys come to fight avoiding my creativity,” Aldo continues. “It’s not like in the WEC times, when they were unsure of what will this guy will come out with next? So this is not just trying to knock their head off, but there is an elite opponent ready to capitalize on my mistakes and spoil things for me."That was probably what we saw during his two title defenses against Mark Hominick (UFC 129) and Kenny Florian (UFC 136). It wasn't that Aldo looked completely different from the WEC times, but for those who were used to see his flying knees and combos, it seemed Aldo wasn't training these showcase moves anymore. But he was."I never stopped training flying knees, and my standup game is much better than it was in the WEC, but like I mentioned, we have worthy talent standing on the other side of the cage," he says. "WEC had too, but in the UFC, the opponents have more footage and they are taking advantage of this fact. Anyway, I'm fighting in Rio de Janeiro, with the support of my fans, so I'll push the pace and get back on the road to knockouts."Fighting in Rio de Janeiro is a fuel to Aldo, as he hasn’t fought here since 2007, and when he did, the results were usually fantastic. There was a 20 second KO via soccer kicks over Aritano Barbosa in 2005, and a unanimous decision over ultra-tough Fabio Mello, just to name two. The fight against Barbosa was a memorable one, and not just for the result, but because it showed the stark contrast between fighting in Rio nearly seven years ago compared to fighting here now with the UFC in his adopted home city. "That fight was (laughs)…we were starting, the crowd was on their feet because no seats were available, and I got pumped about that,” he says. "It was a sold out place with people screaming and giving me their support, and man, I'm seeing this scene again now, but with a bigger crowd, everybody able to sit down, and I'll go for the knockout with the support of my hometown fans."What was first seen during the UFC’s return to Brazil last August will again be seen for UFC 142, and Aldo believes that the support of his Brazilian fans is going to be an extra weapon against his challenger, the powerhouse wrestler and undefeated Team Alpha Male member, Chad Mendes."After you get a belt, your dream is to headline an event like I’m doing now against Mendes," said Aldo. "I feel at home fighting in Rio, and my friends, family and of course my fans will be closer to me and it's all I need to overcome Mendes."But Aldo doesn't fool himself, as just having the crowd behind him doesn't win fights. If that was a reality, every single time people fought outside their country it would be a guaranteed defeat. So to boost his chances, the Brazilian brought aboard a high level wrestler in former UFC lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard, a worthy addition when you are going to face a great wrestler like Mendes."Training with Gray was an eye opener for my takedown defense, and our connection was great," he said. "The importance of acquiring an elite wrestler like Gray will be seen. He has been doing it since he was a kid, and his tips, his advice, and his strategy are some things I'll be using on the night of UFC RIO. I learned a lot, and now it's time to get it on."So, now it time to dance again?"He'll lose his undefeated record on January 14th; I see that happening," he says. "And if the KO happens, I'll have a surprise for the fans, indeed (laughs)."

Posted in: ufc, time, wec, dance, aldo

Read the full article at UFC

In a report this evening from the Boston Herald it was revealed that a back injury suffered by Kenny Florian last November during weight training has continued to be a serious problem. The injury, a herniated disc in Florian's lumbar (lower back) region, has left the three-time UFC title contender with tingling and numbness running down his left leg. With no signs of improvement in the last two months, Florian has been urged by both an orthopedic doctor and a neurologist to walk away from the fight game. Florian, in light of these developments, has been relatively frank about his future with the sport. From the Herald... "It’s possible, unfortunately," Florian said of his career ending. "I’ve kind of been going back-and-forth with some of the doctors, so it’s possible. I’m going to see. As of right now, obviously I can’t compete and train like I was at all. I’m just kind of doing what I can and hoping that things heal up and get better. I’m just kind of in a holding pattern. That’s why I decided to do this commentary for the time being and take this next six months to really heal up and try to make some money on the side. It sucks. The last couple of months I’ve just been figuring out what’s going on and what I’m going to do." [...] "It’s not good," Florian said. "That’s why I’m trying to stay hopeful. We’ll see. I’ve been out here in (Los Angeles) doing this show every week for ‘UFC Tonight’ for Fuel TV and doing some other things. I’m just hoping that it can heal up and get better and then see if I can go back to doing what I was doing. So far, I still need to rest. If I go to do something physical, I’m just not able to do it. That pain is coming back." Florian most recently fought Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title. It was his third such attempt, with previous title bids against Sean Sherk and B.J. Penn coming at lightweight. The 35-year-old was a member of the inaugural Ultimate Fighter, for which he competed at middleweight, a remarkable forty pounds above his current class. Despite a disadvantage in size, Florian fought his way to the finals, where he suffered a TKO loss to Diego Sanchez, one of only two times Florian has been finished in the cage. The second time came in his championship fight with Penn. If his October 2011 fight with Aldo were to be his last, it would cap off a career nine years long and twenty bouts deep, during which time Florian amassed a record of 14-6-0 and earned a reputation for his well-rounded offensive arsenal and admirable killer instinct.

Posted in: ufc, time, florian, irsquom, itrsquo

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

The mystery has been solved. In an interview with Fightlinker’s Matthew Polly, Gina Carano confirmed that her voice was in fact altered in Haywire. Her explanation: GINA: Yeah absolutely and I’m surprised that hasn’t come up sooner. Stephen Soderberg wanted Mallory Kane [the character she plays in the movie] to be a completely different entity than Gina Carano. So he definitely went in and I went in to AVR and he did some tweaking. We all knew that that was going to come up because people know me so well in the MMA world. But he is quite a genius in what he has created and it still was an honor to be a part of it. Even though it might not sound exactly like me, there are still parts of me that are in there. But he just wanted to make sure that that entity was completely different from myself. ME: Gotcha. And I just wanted to be clear, because TMZ was hinting that you had been dubbed over by another actress and I just wanted to clear up that that wasn’t what happened. GINA: Yeah, everyone was a little curious about that. And I don’t blame anyone for being curious about it. But if I was bald and they had given me the voice of Bill Clinton I still would have done the movie. Funny enough, Gina’s publicist immediately jumped in and stopped the interview after she answered the question. Maybe it was just coincidence, but it sure seemed like they don’t want her saying too much about it. I personally think changing her voice is kind of lame, but I haven’t seen the movie yet so maybe it was the right call. Switching topics, Gina also commented on Cris Cyborg’s positive steroid test. Understandably, the news makes Gina wonder if Cyborg had an unfair advantage when they fought. I definitely could have lived without hearing the news that she had tested positive. You know, it kind of hurts. For me that was one of my biggest moments. That was my biggest moment in mixed martial arts… It was huge. And of course people were saying that around me and I didn’t want to take anything away from her so I would steer clear of that question. But now that it’s positive years later, it really kind of hurts. But at the same time it could be some misguided direction. Someone around her was telling her that was a good idea. Obviously it isn’t something an athlete like her needs to do. She’s already a phenomenal athlete without it. I’m not going to sit here and rejoice in the hard time she’s going to have to fight back into the hearts of the fans to, you know, not be considered a cheater. I know she’s a great person and she’s going to get past this hard time and use it to make a better person out of herself. I know that because I’ve been around her, the little I have. It’s unfortunate that someone around her was telling her she needed it. That hurts my heart for her. But at the same time, there is this other part of me that’s like, “Dammit, I don’t want to hear that, because that was the biggest moment in my life.” I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it felt like a stab in the heart. Gina basically went off the grid after that loss, however she said she would have “absolutely” continued fighting and working for a rematch if the movie hadn’t come along. But since it did, she has some major decisions ahead of her. Given the opportunity she says she would do “another film over and over and over” in a “heartbeat,” but she doesn’t want to completely abandon her MMA career. She’s not giving any concrete answers on her future, but it sounds like acting is probably going to take priority in her professional life if those opportunities are there, and similar to Cung Le, we could see her take sporadic one-off fights in between roles. Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime

Posted in: time, ’t, i ’m, gina, voice

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Before she became a Hollywood movie star, rubbing elbows with a couple of A-list actors in her upcoming "Haywire" feature film, female fighting sensation Gina Carano was "the face of women's MMA," as well as the Strikeforce champion in the ladies' 145-pound division. Until the day she ran headfirst into a Brazilian roadblock named Cristiane Santos. "Cyborg" stopped the former American Gladiator via first round technical knockout, in a lopsided affair that was enough to keep Carano out of the fight game since the crushing loss way back in Aug. 2009. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. That's because Carano has since embarked on a prosperous new endeavor, and early Haywire reviews indicate her "Conviction" could lead her to even bigger and better opportunities inside Tinseltown. And best of all, it doesn't require getting punched in the face. In her absence, Santos went on a path of destruction, laying waste to her division and violently finishing her next three opponents. In the process, she may have also finished herself, as a post-fight drug test for her Dec. 17, 2011, fight against Hiroko Yamanaka came back dirty. "Cyborg" tested positive for steroids. But was it an isolated incident? Or was Santos simple doing a more effective job of masking her abuse use in previous fights, including the one against Carano? Here's what Gina told our own Tommy Myers in a recent conversation with MMAmania.com: "I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't hurt by the whole thing. That fight with her was definitely the biggest moment of my mixed martial arts (MMA) career and at that time I had people around me telling me she was on steroids and everything. But, if there was a chance that she wasn't, I never wanted to take anything away from her [win]. She is a wonderful athlete, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't sting a little. In fact, I could have gone the rest of my life without hearing that. But, at the same time, she's a human being and a phenomenal athlete, so maybe someone around her was telling her she needed to do that when she really didn't. Maybe it was someone around her telling her the wrong things, I don't know. I kind of feel bad for her. Like I said, I could have definitely gone without hearing that because it makes me think well, you know, she just got caught with it this time, but what about all the other times? It's a bummer. I do feel bad to even have to say that, but I have to be honest: It really stung. It was the biggest moment in my life at the time. Then again, everything happens for a reason. After that I got to go through this beautiful experience making 'Haywire,' but even still, it stings." Carano flirted with the idea of coming back to combat sports and even went so far as to book herself in a return fight against Sarah D'Alelio last June; however, she was subsequently forced off the card for undisclosed medical reasons. Like her former rival, Santos will also be taking time off from the fight game. The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) suspended her license for one year and reversed her most recent Strikeforce win over Yamanaka to a "no contest." Just over two years ago, Carano and Santos went head-to-head, with "Cyborg" coming out on top. Now, in 2012, the pair once again share the headlines, although this time, it's "Conviction" who proves victorious. In fact, it's no contest. For more on the upcoming Haywire movie, hitting theaters on Jan. 20, 2012, click here and here.

Posted in: fight, time, haywire, carano, cyborg

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC 142 pay-per-view will air in its usual 10 p.m. ET time slot in North America, which means the main card will only begin at 1 a.m. BRST local time in Rio de Janeiro. That also means that by the time Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes step into the cage for their UFC featherweight title fight, it could be as late as 3:30 a.m. BRST. The unusual schedule shouldn't be too much of a problem for the challenger Mendes, who arrived in Brazil on Tuesday, and who trains out of Sacramento, Calif., where it will be approximately 9:30 p.m. PST by the time the fight gets underway. It may affect the champion Aldo, who lives and trains in Brazil. However, Aldo quickly put those concerns to rest on a recent conference, saying he trained in the middle of the night to get his body ready to fight at that hour. "It really doesn't make a difference," Aldo said through a translator. "You're always going to be training around the time that you're going to be fighting, so if you're fighting around noon, or be it midnight or three o'clock in the morning, it really doesn't make a difference. "It all comes down to being well-trained and being prepared to step in there on fight night." When the UFC last visited Brazil in August the time difference wasn't so great. But since North American clocks were turned back an hour in November, signaling the end of Daylight Savings time, and Brazilian clocks were turned forward an hour in anticipation of their summer season, it created a greater time difference between Brazil and North America. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, difference, brazil, aldo

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: UFCUFC lightweight Jacob Volkmann was on his way to coach wrestling practice at White Bear Lake High School in Minnesota last week when the school's athletic director called him in for an impromptu meeting. If he didn't know where this was headed based on past experience, he probably should have. In early 2011 Volkmann was placed on administrative leave from his job as an assistant wrestling coach at White Bear Lake High School after telling MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani that he wanted to fight President Barack Obama in his next bout because "someone's got to knock some sense into that idiot." Following his most recent bout -- a unanimous decision win over Efrain Escudero at UFC 141 in December -- he again veered into political commentary in his post-fight remarks, this time telling UFC color commentator Joe Rogan that he wanted Obama to call him about scheduling a "glass-ectomy," which, according to Volkmann, "is when you cut your belly button out and put a piece of glass in there so when you have your head up your butt you can see where you're going." Once again, White Bear Lake High administrators were not amused. And once again, Volkmann was placed on paid administrative leave. But this time, he told MMA Fighting, he thought he had followed the rules that school officials had given him, thanks to some intentionally clever wording. "They gave me four rules to follow, and I thought I followed them," said Volkmann. "The first was, you've got to be respectful of people when you do your interviews, which is very vague. The second was, no interviews on school property. The third was, no White Bear Lake clothes during interviews, which is easy to follow. And the fourth was, I can't tell people to go attack the [White Bear Lake High School Athletic Director] or the human resources lady, which is kind of a foolish rule." The way Volkmann saw it, the athletic director was wrong to accuse him of offering to give Obama a glass-ectomy. "I said 'Call me so we can schedule a glass-ectomy.' Not saying for him, not saying for who. ...I was trying to cover my butt. I purposely did that," he said. It apparently made little difference to school officials, who told Volkmann he'd be placed on administrative leave while they investigated the matter and decided what to do next. For Volkmann, it's just the latest chapter in the strange pseudo-political tale that's come to define the last year of his MMA career. He's become the guy fans know not so much for his fights, but for his statements afterward. The clip of his initial callout of Obama landed on "The Tonight Show," and he was even visited by the Secret Service. He's chosen to run with the attention, wearing a "Volkmann for President" t-shirt down to the cage and carving out time in his post-fight interviews to take shots at President Obama. And for those who don't like politics mixed in with their sports? "Too bad," Volkmann said. "This is working, so I'm going to stick with it." But yet again Volkmann is finding that what works as an attention-getting routine in the UFC doesn't always go over so well with his employers at a public high school, even if the two are entirely separate in his mind. "The thing with my coaching job is, I don't teach the kids politics; I teach them wrestling," he said. "I do my best to teach them what I can with wrestling. And they don't understand, I need to do and say what I can to get fans. Sometimes you have to say some kind of weird stuff to get people to notice you. Because you only have, what, 30 seconds out there with Joe Rogan? I have to say what I can in that 30 seconds to try and get people interested so they'll look me up afterwards to figure out why I was saying it." Once you actually sit down and talk to him, however, it becomes clear that Volkmann's anti-Obama routine isn't just schtick. Ask him what, exactly, he dislikes about our current president, and he gives a heavy sigh before asking, "You ready?" The tone itself tells you that you might as well get comfortable. From the Obama administration's mortgage refinancing policy to health care reform to government grants for green energy, Volkmann can hold court on any number of political topics, and he can event tell you how he was personally affected by many of those issues as a homeowner, a chiropractor, and Minnesotan. His political views aren't limited to just jokes and quips, in other words, so why not make those the centerpiece of his public persona, rather than vaguely threatening statements that only earn him visits from the Secret Service and headaches at his coaching job? Because, Volkmann explained, substantive political statements aren't known for captivating the attention of the average sports fan. And that is, after all, the goal. "I think I did it the right way, because who cares if I have a problem with a policy? That would have never made any news." You have to admit that he has a point. Clever sound bytes always get more airtime than policy discussion, and his way has generated its share of headlines so far. Of course, it's also generated some problems, as his current predicament demonstrates. The last time he was put on administrative leave from his coaching job, he said, it was over in a couple of weeks. This time he hopes to be back in the wrestling room even sooner, but school officials have given him no timeframe for a decision. In the meantime, he can't have any contact with the wrestlers he coaches -- not even to explain to them in his own words why he can't be at practice. Sure, he still gets paid, but with a yearly assistant coach's salary of $1,800, the job was never about money to begin with. "I don't make very much," said Volkmann. "I do it more to give back to wrestling. I had so many coaches who helped me out, so I figured maybe this is a good way for me to give back and help some other kids out." Only now that he can't do that -- and now that his political views are threatening to overshadow his fighting ability in the eyes of many fans -- even Volkmann thinks it might be time to give it a rest. "To be honest, I'm probably not going to bring it up again unless Joe Rogan does, because it's kind of like beating a dead horse at this point. I kind of made a comedy thing of it...and it's kind of getting old." Then again, if someone puts a political question to him directly, Volkmann admitted, "I'm going to be honest, no matter what." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, school, volkmann, obama, coaching job

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

If anyone had earned a vacation from mixed martial arts, it was Gabriel Gonzaga. For years, the heavyweight standout had fought a wide selection of the best heavyweights of this era, from Randy Couture and Mirko Cro Cop to Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos. He won some, lost some, and challenged for the UFC heavyweight crown over the course of nearly five years in the Octagon, but after a UFC 121 defeat to Brendan Schaub, his third loss in four fights, he was released from the organization, and many believed he had fought for the last time.On October 28, 2010, Gonzaga, a married father of two, tweeted “Official now - Out of UFC - Thanks for all your support - back to normal life and BJJ forever.”More than a year later, when asked about that time and the idea of retirement, he says, “Yes, I was thinking about it, but I also knew that I have more fights in me.”Almost immediately, Gonzaga was back in the gym, not training for a fight, but teaching and working with his students in the finer points of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. “I never stopped training,” he said. “I run my school in Worcester, Massachusetts and I train daily with my students and I have fun doing it.”But the itch was already starting for the Rio de Janeiro native, and that wasn’t a surprise, considering that he was only 31 at the time (prime for a heavyweight), and that his six losses had only come against the elite of the sport. There was definitely another title run in his body, and even though a comeback was on the lips of everyone he ran into, he wasn’t ready to pull the trigger until February of 2011.“I was training regularly and my students and my family were all the time asking me when I was going to come back because they want to see me fighting,” Gonzaga recalled. “It was definitely a lot of motivation. So I went to corner a teammate, Alexandre Moreno, at some fight at Mohegan Sun Casino and (coach and friend) Marco (Alvan) joked with me and told me to watch the heavyweight championship match because I was going to fight the champ. I told him go ahead and set it up.” Alvan looked at his friend quizzically. “Seriously?” he asked.“Yes, man, I am ready to come back,” replied Gonzaga.Just like that, “Napao” was back in the fight business, and on October 8th of last year, he was matched up with Parker Porter, the winner of the fight that Alvan had wanted him to watch earlier. Gonzaga won the bout, submitting Porter in the third round at Mohegan Sun.“It was great,” said Gonzaga, who upped his record to 12-6 with the victory. “The event was about one hour from my school and it was the first time that I fought around here. We estimate over 600 people from my team went to that fight and I appreciated the opportunity that they gave me to fight for the belt.”There were bigger fish to fry though, and the question was whether Gonzaga would have to continue to work on the local circuit to earn a return call to the UFC. But when England’s Rob Broughton was forced out of his UFC 142 bout against Ednaldo Oliveira due to injury in December, Gonzaga didn’t have to answer that question, as Alvan got a call from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva asking if the big man from Ludlow was ready to step in on short notice.“I was happy for sure,” said Gonzaga. “I got a call from Marco and he asked if I was ready to have another big run starting at UFC Rio and I jumped on it. I felt that I never left the UFC. It was a matter of time for me to refocus on my MMA career and I appreciate Joe Silva having me back.”As a bonus, Gonzaga will be fighting in his hometown for the first time since his second bout against Branden Lee Hinkle in 2003, and he can’t wait to walk out of the tunnel at HSBC Arena and hear the roar of the crowd – his crowd.“I want to hear my friends and family calling my name,” he said. “I want to see the crowd going crazy when I am walking to the cage. I want to let them know that I will be fighting for them, and I want to take all that energy and have it with me. I want to let them know that I will give my all and at the end celebrate it with them.” Salvador’s Oliveira will not be an easy mark. He has a height advantage over the veteran, he has yet to lose in MMA, and he’s been the lead training partner of current heavyweight champion dos Santos, who knows a thing or two about Gonzaga from their 2010 bout.“He presents a lot of difficulties,” said Gonzaga of the 13-0-1 (1 NC) Oliveira. “He is a tall guy, has great boxing skills, and comes from a great camp. But I believe I have more time there and I think I will impose my game.”In addition to his advantage in world-class experience in the UFC, Gonzaga believes that he comes equipped for his second trip to the Octagon with a new level of maturity.“I believe I am the same fighter but more mature,” said Gonzaga, who trains with Alvan and the rest of Team Link, which includes another UFC 142 returnee, Ricardo Funch. “I know where my strengths are and I will capitalize on it. I think I am still improving in all aspects and we will see a “Napao” even more hungry for knockouts and submissions.”From a short retirement to a UFC return, it’s been a wild 15 months for Gabriel Gonzaga, but now that he’s back, he wants to make it as if he never left.“You know that I am a fighter that respects the fans so much, and we are all here because of them,” he said. “In 2012 my fans can expect a focused Gonzaga, very well-trained and with a mindset to give them great performances, and I want to have another big run in the UFC starting in Brazil.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, heavyweight, gonzaga

Read the full article at UFC

If you're looking to identify a weakness in Anthony Johnson's game, it sure as heck isn't going to be his confidence. The former gargantuan welterweight, who needed the Papillon diet to make his cut, is finally moving up a division to compete at a more natural (and likely healthier) weight of 185-pounds. Unfortunately, his first opponent is former number one contender Vitor Belfort, who welcomes "Rumble" to the middleweight division in the co-main event of UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes" this Saturday night (Jan. 14, 2012) at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It's about as stiff a test as you can get at 185, but that doesn't mean boo to Johnson, who told fans in his latest video diary that "Vitor don't want none of this." "Jiu-jitsu. I'm gonna submit his ass. Knock him out and submit him, all at the same time. Vitor don't want none of this on the ground. Elbows, baby! Kicks, punches, from my back. I do spinning back kicks from the guard! It's gonna be a good night in Brazil and it's gonna be a bad night in Brazil, all at the same time." Hear more from Johnson as he trains with the Blackzilians, after the jump. Alright Maniacs, who's taking "Rumble" in this middleweight mash-up? More on their upcoming fight at UFC 142 right here.

Posted in: time, johnson, vitor, hsbc arena, papillon diet

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Fighters get the credit for knockouts, but oftentimes an unsung hero drew up the game-ending play. I have witnessed numerous instances where a cornerman has yelled a striking sequence and then, a second or two later, an unconscious fighter crashes to the canvas. Trainer Duke Roufus is the king of this “I bark instructions, the other guy falls” phenomenon. Another mastermind who blazed one helluva track record in that regard: the late Shawn Tompkins. “I can’t even count how many times he’s done that,” said UFC veteran Sam Stout, who spent 11 and ½ years as a Tompkins protégé. The last time that Tompkins called the perfect play at the perfect time was back in June 2011. Stout had no advance warning that, after 11 UFC bouts with his inseparable mentor by his side and in his ear, UFC 131 would represent finality: The final time Tompkins would walk Stout down the aisle and help him navigate the dangers that lurked inside of the Octagon. On that special night, deep in the first round, Tompkins issued a command: Double up on the right cross. Left hook over the top. Without thought or deliberation, Stout fired off the prescribed punch sequence in the blink of an eye. The first right cross, aimed at Yves Edwards’ head, missed. The second right cross struck Edwards’ body, with minimal damage. But the left hook … well, it was nearly a perfect punch. It whiplashed Edwards’ chin, and the veteran was out before he hit the canvas. The knockout was as frightening as it was spectacular, the kind of knockout people who witnessed it will never forget, the kind of knockout you mention to friends, the kind of knockout that you rewind dozens of times and watch over and over again. It was the signature win of Stout’s eight-year career, a knockout for the ages. For the man nicknamed “Hands of Stone,” it was a relief of sorts. In 10 previous UFC fights, many of them riveting barnburners, Stout had never finished an opponent. So he soaked in the glory of the moment, jumping on the cage to hug an elated Tompkins. “I had a real good ability to hear his voice and take direction from him very well,” Stout said in the days leading up to his UFC 142 clash with Brazilian Thiago Tavares. “Hopefully I can keep that going with (Mark) Hominick in my corner and he’ll be able to see those things and call them out. But that’s one of the things that will be different about this fight.” The 27-year-old Canadian answers that question a lot these days. He’s been answering it since August of last year, when 37-year-old Tompkins perished in his sleep from cardiac arrest. Stout didn’t just lose his trainer since the age of 17. He lost a confidante, a brother-in-law, the man who taught him “90 percent” of what he knew about the mixed martial arts game. “He’s the biggest influence I’ve ever had in my life. It’s an interesting adjustment period that I’m having but I feel like I’m coping with it really well,” said Stout (18-6-1). “I spent so much time with him and we were so close that I feel like I can really look inside myself and realize what he would be telling me. I just have to remember all of the lessons he taught me over the years. Just because I don’t hear him in my ear doesn’t mean I can’t look inside of myself to the things he used to inspire me.” Part of Stout’s change of scenery involves conducting his training sessions in Ontario, as opposed to Las Vegas, Nev., where Tompkins lived. “For the past 11 and ½ years, geez, I had Shawn there to make sure I didn’t get lazy or complacent. Now I have to do that myself,” Stout said. “I have to dig deeper inside myself. The mornings that I don’t feel like waking up and training, I’ve got to go do it, even though Shawn’s not there kicking my ass to get out of bed. So I’ve had to become a lot more self-motivated. “I was really nervous going into this training camp about how it was going to go and how these changes we’ve made would affect me. In Vegas none of my friends were bothering me or asking me to do things so I could focus solely on the fight. So I was worried about distractions at home, people seeing me getting ready for a fight but not realizing I would be a lot less accessible. But people have been really good about it. Sometimes I have to be a little selfish and tell people I can’t do one thing or another. Usually they are understanding about it, and if they aren’t I don’t really care. So it’s been nice to go home and sleep in my own bed during training camp.” Tavares is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, yet Stout’s submission defense has lived up to his last name; he’s only been submitted once in the UFC – five years ago against Kenny Florian. Armed with stingy takedown defense, Stout isn’t shy when conceding he prefers a standup battle.  “His aggressiveness and his top control are the two things I’m most worried about,” Stout said of Tavares (20-4-1). “He’s a powerful, explosive fighter who will come and bring it. He’s not scared; he’s very aggressive. So I have to be ready to work a very fast pace and be ready to work off my back and get back up if I do get taken down.” On Stout’s right shin, there is a tattoo that carries greater meaning today than the permanent ink did nine years ago when it was embedded on his flesh. “Shawn gave me a tattoo on my shin that myself and Mark (Hominick) have – Chris Horodecki doesn’t like tattoos, so he didn’t get one, but we’re working on that,” Stout said. “The tattoo is in Japanese letters and says “Fight, spirit, pride.” It’s a tattoo that Shawn had on his shin that once a guy got to a certain level Shawn would trace it off of his shin onto their shin. I have it, Mark has it, the most elite guys from Team Tompkins all have it. It was a big moment for me. It was early in the spring and I was wearing shorts every day after that. I wanted to show it off. That’s something that I’ll carry with me every day and I will for the rest of my life. That was a gift he gave me.” Some say that while Canadians are MMA-obsessed, and great fans, Brazilians might be even more passionate in the stands. A proud Canadian, Stout welcomes the chance to fight in such a raucous and extraordinary environment, even though almost everyone in the house will be rooting against him. “There’s nothing I love more than going into an arena and you can feel that electricity in the air,” he said. “I’m sure that’s how it will be in Brazil. The first couple fights in Canada were like that. You can feel that rumbling of the arena and it’s an amazing feeling. It sucks that it won’t be for me this time, but it’s still something I’m going to enjoy. Hopefully I win over some of the Brazilian fans by the end of the night. I feel really good about this fight. Shawn gave me all the tools I needed to allow me to win this fight. It’s just a matter now of implementing them myself and not waiting to hear Shawn’s voice telling me what to do.”

Posted in: fight, time, ’t, shawn, tompkin

Read the full article at UFC

Hello, Mopping the Mats is a weekly Monday feature meant to wrap up the weekend that was in Mixed Martial Arts. Last week I focused on the final UFC event of 2011, which saw heavyweight superstars Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar do battle. Today's edition is all about Strikeforce, as their Saturday night event was accompanied a day earlier by the news that Cristiane Santos, the female 145 pound champion better known as "Cyborg", had tested positive for banned substances following her bout on December 17th and would be suspended for one year. THE EVENT: Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine The first Zuffa event of 2012 was a Strikeforce joint, featuring a fighter that is quickly becoming one of the top middleweights in the world, in Luke Rockhold. Don't believe me? That's fine, but I'll be saying I told you so soon enough. Rockhold burst onto the scene last fall when he defeated Jacare Souza to become the Strikeforce middleweight champion. Not many people gave him a chance against Souza, long considered one of the top 10 grapplers in the world at any weight class. Why would they have? Rockhold grew up training wrestling and jiu jitsu, ultimately leaving the wrestling behind to focus on the gentle art. If grappling was his strong suit, surely he would be eaten up by the man they call "Crocodile"? This would not be the case, as Rockhold not only out-struck the champion, he also out-grappled him en route to a five round decision victory. Rockhold has a lot going for him: He is a large middleweight, standing at 6'3. He is young, having just turned 27 years old and he trains with a great camp in American Kickboxing Academy. Ironically the only thing holding him back from the bigtime might just be his championship belt, which he defended against Keith Jardine on Saturday. Follow the jump for the event results and some takeaways from the weekend, including my thoughts on Cyborg's positive drug test. THE RESULTS: AKA gets back on track and vacant title pictures start to clear up. Rockhold got a quick win over Jardine, stopping the former UFC light heavyweight via strikes in the very first round. For the second straight main event I felt like I was watching two men headed in vastly different directions. Rockhold, like Overeem, moving towards the top of the fighting world while Jardine, like Lesnar, moving towards the end of the line. In my opinion, the most under-reported storyline currently flowing through MMA is the lack of fights at the highest level between two fighters from the next generation. Jon Jones' entire 2011, which has been trumpeted as the greatest year of all time by many (including our own David Castillo), consisted of beating three fighters whose glory days were firmly in the rear view by the time he took them out. Yes, Lyoto Machida, Quinton Jackson and Shogun Rua are still considered upper echelon fighters but that is largely because no one else has been allowed to move them along. I can understand why Zuffa is reticent to put two young guys in together: They don't move the needle nearly as much as the Pride era stars do. We had Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard combine for two spectacular title fights last year but, according to the MMAPayout.com Blue Book, the cards they headlined were the two lowest buy rates of the year. Contrast that to the cards featuring Jones and the old lions, which had the 4th, 5th and 6th highest buy rates, behind cards featuring GSP, Anderson Silva and Brock Lesnar. Until they signed the seven year deal with Fox, the UFC had been dependant on the revenue stream coming from pay per view events, so they had to make fights that sold. At the same time though, it's frustrating to see two fighters at such different points in their careers competing together. The way to build stars and make rivalries is to have young champions face young challengers! The stars of yesterday were all older when they started, but when Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell fought each other for the first time they both had less than 15 fights. There is reason to be optimistic on the horizon though: Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes are both new generation fighters and they'll face off for the 145 lb title this weekend. The star power of Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz will never have been higher for either man when they meet at UFC 143. Those are the kind of fights I want to see and I hope we get more like them this year. Back to Rockhold and Strikeforce though. His victory over Jardine did little for him other than give him a little boost in recognition. He wants to fight someone in the top 10, which means someone in the UFC and he said so after the victory. He should fight Tim Kennedy first though, as Kennedy has far more to offer than Jardine did and Tim has actually beaten a Strikeforce middleweight. If Rockhold gets past him, which I expect he will, then we can hear his argument for moving to the number one promotion. As for the rest of the big names on the card, Rockhold's stablemate at AKA King Mo Lawal dispatched Lorenz Larkin with a second round TKO in a light heavyweight bout, while Tyron Woodley won a close but somewhat lackluster decision over Jordan Mein in the welterweight division. Both divisions are currently without a champion and Mo and Woodley are front runners for the vacant titles. I'd like to see Strikeforce work a little bit at building up the legitimacy of their championships before they put on those title fights. At 205, Gegard Mousasi, Feijao and Mike Kyle join Lawal as the best of the bunch. I'd like to see those four square off in some combination of matches before a championship fight is made. As for the welterweight division, Woodley looks like he is in a class by himself. There was talk of him facing Tarec Saffiedine (who was also on the card, defeating Tyler Stinson by decision) for the strap but he already beat Saffiedine just one year ago. He's already beaten Paul Daley too. A fight with Jason High makes some sense, but not for a title. Woodley and Melendez are probably the two Strikeforce fighters that deserve to me in the UFC the most right now both because of their accomplishments and the lack of competition for them. I'll be following their next moves very closely. THE TAKEAWAYS: Strikeforce is the home of fun, if not particularly relevant, fights. Out of competition testing is a must for mainstream legitimacy. The main card featured three knockouts: Joining Rockhold and King Mo was Robbie Lawler, who finished main card newcomer Adlan Amagov in just under two minutes. Amagov took Lawler down early in the fight and proceeded to hit him with an illegal knee to the face while Lawler was in the process of getting back to his feet. Lawler responded with a flying knee of his own, clipping the Russian on the top of the head and finishing him with precision strikes. All in all it was a pretty exciting event, which is something I've come to expect from Strikeforce going back to the days of Nick Diaz throwing middle fingers at anyone and everyone who crossed his path. The promotion seems to be quite good at making matches that produce knockouts. Numbers for Nerds, my Wednesday feature, will be looking at this in the near future. As long as they keep making fights with exciting finishes they'll keep their head above water, which is why I don't mind them taking some time to find new champions. This exciting style of matchmaking is what (to me) led them to be purchased by Zuffa in the first place, so I would say keep doing what you are doing. As for Cyborg, I don't want to rehash what others have said about it, but I liked these three articles the most: Cory Braiterman looks at the positive aspect. Ben Thapa gives an insightful look at the reality of the situation. Female fighter Rosi Sexton pleads for higher testing standards To me, the only answer to the performance enhancing drug issue is out of competition testing. Currently the testing is mostly limited to pre and post fight testing. The Nevada State Athletic Commission has a random drug testing program, but they barely have enough funding to keep it running at all times. It's far too easy for fighters to use drugs during their off time. Most of the drugs will be out of their system by the time their fight roles around. If the state athletic commissions can't afford to test year round I'd love to see the UFC institute a testing system of their own. I'm thinking three tests per year, at random, in order to get a license to fight for the promotion would be just fine. This would be the type of forward thinking that Dana White and Zuffa have become known for. They are already ahead of the other pro sports leagues in terms of social media and using it to their benefit. Why not lead the way in the field of drug testing? Alas, I'm not sure that it's really on the Zuffa agenda. As Thapa notes, sports are focused on the here and now, and drug cheats are usually welcomed back once they have served their time. Thiago Silva is just up off suspension. Anyone not excited for his next fight? I hate to admit that I am, but the 205 pound division needs contenders and he fits the bill. So unfortunately I think it'll be business as usual on this front. Thanks for reading. As always, any comments or criticisms are welcome.

Posted in: fight, time, strikeforce, rockhold, year

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

Longtime fans of MMA undoubtedly remember Karo Parisyan’s impressive run in the Octagon from 2004-2007 when the talented judoka picked up wins over a number of respected adversaries such as Nick Diaz, Chris Lytle, and Matt Serra. In fact, Parisyan was on the cusp of contendership before an injury sidelined him. However, since then it has been a downward spiral for the Armenian-American competitor including a battle with addiction, an anxiety disorder, and subpar performances. Since 2008 Parisyan is 1-4 including losses in his last three fights, the most recent of which came this past September where he fell by Split Decision to rising prospect Jordan Smith. Another chapter to the sad story of an athlete who seemingly peeked in his early 20s was written recently in an interview with Fightline where Parisyan opened up about the current state of his life where he frankly admitted his head/heart haven’t been in MMA for some time and said things in general are rough at the moment. “I’m known for doing interviews, opening up to people and telling them what the hell’s going on, but it’s not going to change anything if I have five more people feel f–king sorry for me,” Parisyan began before continuing, “Man, it’s pretty bad. I don’t even care anymore. Right now, I’m in the worst time of my life. With Christmas and New Year’s…I’m in the worst time financially – but, you know what? It’s gonna be good. I never cry about it, I’m not gonna cry about it. I’m gonna do what I have to do to come back. I’m a grown ass man and enough is enough. For the time being, my head is just with the family. Trying to get by, trying to have a Christmas and trying to have a New Year’s and see what 2012 f***ing brings.” “I guess enough is enough,” Parisyan said of his stalled career. “I’ve got to either come back and really give it my all, or f***ing hang up the gloves and stop embarrassing myself.” Asked to elaborate, Parisyan explained, “For the first time in three and a half years, I would have to look at everything in a serious way again. Before, I looked at it in a very serious fashion. It was my lifestyle. This sport was my lifestyle, it wasn’t my job. When it becomes your job, that’s when you start hating it. Who the f*** likes their job? I mean, you can say, ‘I love my job,’ but when it comes down to it, eventually you’re going to be like, ‘Ugh, I don’t want to go to work today.’ When it comes down to a job, I don’t want to do this sh*t no more. I’ve just gotta turn it into a lifestyle.” “Back in the day, this sport was a lifestyle for me,” the 19-8 Parisyan reflected. “I’d wake up in the morning and it’s, ‘Hey, do you wanna go run for seven miles?’ ‘Yeah, let’s go.’ And we’d go run for seven f**kin’ miles. Why? Because that’s all we knew how to do, is to train. It was bred into us since we were kids, eight years old – bred. Everyday, training, hurting your opponent, dismantle, hit, hit, break – it was all we did, it was a lifestyle. We did all this stuff because we wanted to, not because we had to. When it started to get to the point where I have to, is when I started not liking it.” Parisyan concluded things by stating he hoped to fight in February or March with the possibility of his involvement in a yet-to-be-announced tournament but stated nothing official had been signed while also praising Ronda Rousey for bringing judo back to the forefront of fans’ collective conscience. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: time, job, parisyan, ” parisyan, lifestyle

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Filed under: StrikeforceNews that Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos tested positive for steroids following her last Strikeforce 145-pound title defense provoked a wide range of responses last week, but shock wasn't one of them. Some reacted with bitter disappointment, others with cynical detachment, but no one who's ever so much as seen a picture of the Brazilian fighter can say that they haven't at least considered the possibility that her biceps might have gotten that way via some not-so-natural processes. For as long as she's been in the spotlight, that's kind of been Santos' thing. She's the woman with the muscles, the female fighter who looks every bit as terrifying as she fights. The positive steroid test just confirmed what most fans already suspected: there's a reason you don't see more women like "Cyborg" running around. Maybe that's what's so disappointing about this whole story. It just seems so obvious. It reminds us once again that the MMA world isn't some magical, mystical place. Instead, it's just like the rest of the world. When you suspect someone is a cheater, you eventually find out that you were right. Then you wonder why you ever gave them the benefit of the doubt to begin with. That's the real problem for Santos here. When Tim Sylvia popped positive and explained that he just wanted to look good with his shirt off, you could believe him. You took one look at his soggy, pasty torso and thought, yeah, if I had to go topless on TV I might be tempted to do something about that too. But because Santos has long been known as the heavily muscled, über-aggressive women's champ, one failed drug test provides an all-too convenient explanation for her exceptionalism and, rightly or wrongly, taints everything she's ever done. It makes it seem as if this is merely the first time she's been caught, but far from the first time she's ever used. Not that she's admitted to pumping herself up with stanozolol, of course. Instead she blamed it on an unnamed "dietary supplement" and copped to nothing more serious than a failure to fully investigate the banned substances list. If she were Roy Nelson, that explanation might fly. But Cyborg is Cyborg. When you look like she does, even the mere hint of guilt is more than enough to convict you in the court of public opinion. Naturally, people will wonder what this means for the future of the women's division. They wonder the same thing whenever anything interesting happens to a female fighter, and sometimes even when nothing happens at all. For now, Santos has been stripped of the title and the 145-pound division put on hold. And honestly? That's probably a good thing. For the past couple years, Santos wasn't just the champ in that division -- she was the division. How can you tell? For starters, it's a division that might as well not exist while she's suspended, as UFC president Dana White more or less admitted. Think about it: how many times have you watched a women's 145-pound bout in Strikeforce that wasn't a title fight? There aren't enough women at that weight to have a real division. It's just Santos beating up one fresh victim after another, many of whom have been cajoled into gaining weight just to get their faces smashed on TV. The real action in the women's division is at 135 pounds. Between Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Sarah Kaufman, and Marloes Coenen (among others), there's a wealth of existing talent with more coming up all the time. Santos might have had a certain circus appeal -- again, probably for the very same reasons she now finds herself suspended -- but the competition is in the 135-pound class, where the fighters sport credible physiques and the interest isn't limited to one dominant champ. White loves to brag that he never gave in to the siren's song of freak show fights, even when his company was struggling. And while matching Santos up against one undersized opponent after another isn't exactly a freak show, neither is it indicative of a genuine interest in women's MMA. It's a sideshow. It's the scary lady with the muscles against whichever brave soul would take the fight. Now that that option has been eliminated, at least for the time being, White and his crew would be smart to move the spotlight further down the scale, where there's an actual division taking shape. Santos' current predicament is still disappointing, even if it's not surprising, but it doesn't have to be a negative for MMA. If the absence of Santos means a bigger share of the pie for the women who are (hopefully) competing clean against opponents their own size, it might just be the best thing that could have happened. And who knows, maybe Santos can use the forced vacation time to slim down and join her colleagues at a lower weight class. Tossing that "dietary supplement" in the trash might be a good way to start. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: pound, time, division, women, she

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

It looks like UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is going to back in action sooner than expected. Jones had planned to take a long vacation after fighting four times in 2011, but it seems he has changed his mind. In an interview with ESPN 1100 Radio, Dana White said Jones is cutting his vacation short to get back in the cage as soon as possible. “[Jones] called about four days ago and said ‘okay let’s go, I’m done with vacation.’” UFC president Dana White said on “The MMA Insiders” on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas (12:37 mark). “He said he wanted to take all this time off and then they were calling me four days ago saying he wants to fight as soon as possible. He’s ready to go.” In light of the news, it appears Rashad Evans is no longer a lock to get the first light heavyweight title shot in 2012 if he beats Phil Davis at UFC on FOX 2 later this month. It’s still a possibility, however Dana says Dan Henderson could snag the shot depending on how the timing works out. “What could end up happening is Dan Henderson fights Jon Jones first, and then [Jones' subsequent fight] would be close to the time that Rashad fights. Or we see how things go with Rashad [versus Phil Davis] and Rashad fights him first,” said White. I would think it would be difficult for the UFC to pass on Jones vs. Evans if Rashad comes out of the FOX victorious and healthy, but I don’t think anyone would be too surprised if it didn’t happen either considering how many times it’s fallen through before. It’ll happen eventually but the UFC should definitely strike while the iron’s hot if the stars actually align this time. If not, Jones vs. Hendo is a pretty darn good consolation fight. Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, jone, rashad

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Shortly after it was announced Cris “Cyborg” Santos tested positive for a banned substance, the female MMA superstar issued an official statement. Cyborg said she doesn’t take PEDs, and directed blame towards a supplement, though didn’t identify the product used. “While I was preparing myself for my last fight I was having a difficult time cutting weight and used a dietary supplement that I was assured was safe and not prohibited from use in sports competition. It was never my intention to obtain an unfair advantage over Hiroko, mislead StrikeForce, the Commission or my fans. I train harder than any fighter in MMA and do not need drugs to win in the cage, and I have proven this time and time again! My only mistake is not verifying the diet aid with my doctor beforehand, and understanding that it was not approved for use in the ring. Unfortunately in the end I suffer the consequences and must accept the responsibility for my actions.” If her story is true, it’s still important for professional athletes to always know what they are putting into their bodies at all times. Cyborg also issued an apology: “I would like to sincerely apologize to StrikeForce, the Zuffa organization, Hiroko Yamanaka and my fans for my failed drug test. I am ultimately responsible for everything I put in my body, and at the end of the day, there is no excuse for having a prohibited substance in my system.” Unless Cyborg appeals and has her sentence reduced, the Brazilian Muay Thai specialist will have to serve a one-year suspension handed down by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).

Posted in: time, drug, cyborg, need drugs, end i

Read the full article at MMA Opinion

Georges St. Pierre is out due to injury, Brock Lesnar has retired and even Anderson Silva is rehabbing a shoulder issue. With those big stars out of action, the UFC desperately needs some big fights and, according to Dana White on ESPN Radio in Vegas, Jon Jones is ready to step up and do his part. Via Yahoo! Sports: "[Jones] called about four days ago and said 'okay let's go, I'm done with vacation.'" UFC president Dana White said on "The MMA Insiders" on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas (12:37 mark). "He said he wanted to take all this time off and then they were calling me four days ago saying he wants to fight as soon as possible. He's ready to go." ... "What could end up happening is Dan Henderson fights Jon Jones first, and then [Jones' subsequent fight] would be close to the time that Rashad fights. Or we see how things go with Rashad [versus Phil Davis] and Rashad fights him first," said White. While I've been pushing for Jones vs. Evans to finally happen for some time, with the way the UFC needs big main events and the way Rashad is already booked for the UFC on Fox 2 card, Jones vs. Henderson is probably the right direction to go. If Jones actually does fight four times in 2012 he'll have plenty of time to clear out the division and maybe focus in on a superfight against Anderson Silva or move to heavyweight. Of course, by then we'll probably have a new list of challengers we want to see Jones against (King Mo, Gustaffson and others).

Posted in: fight, time, jone, rashad, rashad fights

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The furor over Cristiane Santos and the CSAC proceedings regarding her positive test for stanozolol metabolites has triggered quite a bit of commentary from all kinds of people with wildly divergent perspectives on Cris Cyborg, steroids, women's mixed martial arts and even sports themselves. One of the more common things I see in the writings here and there, formal and informal, (even from MMA-specific writers) is the idea that the career of Cris Cyborg can be declared "dead" and that she will never fight again in a prominent MMA organization. I do not agree with that one bit nor do I agree with the logic that leads to such conclusions. That type of "never" has a short half life with people like Ben Johnson, Michael Vick and the many other steroid users or athletes with a violent crime on their permanent record that we soon ignore or forget about. The anger of the sporting public fades, even if memories and records do not. Suspensions end. People are let back in their sports. The positive test and subsequent suspension of Cris Cyborg for one year by the California State Athletic Commission is destined to be a simple footnote in the endless battle for athletic achievement, fame and fortune. The rage of the sporting public burns hot, but it burns short. We let the Michael Vick dog-fighting debacle simmer down. The bizarre Evander Holyfield ear-bitings are a faded memory for those familiar with Mike Tyson. In time, the Penn State cover-ups will recede into dim recollection despite being the biggest and worst scandal in college sports history. Time passes and as it does, disgraced athletes are allowed to work their way back into the limelight and to clean up their acts. Many do not, but the opportunity is there for them. That is how things should be for Cris Cyborg. The same opportunity accorded the male mixed martial arts athletes who test positive for steroids to work to improve themselves, their adherence to the rules and to redeem themselves should be given to her. This is a steroids bust - not a Margarito-style loaded wraps deal. If the latter were to occur in MMA, I would be among the forefront of those looking for the imposition of severe penalties as far up to a life ban. This "death blow" for the women's 145 division was already coming. Cyborg has nobody else to fight within that division and there was building talk of her dropping down to the 135 lb division (however feasible that may have been). What this positive test does is accelerate the end of that particular division - not WMMA in its entirety. As for her career, people pay attention to Cyborg Santos. The ratings during Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal peaked during her 16 second beatdown of Yamanaka. Gina Carano might have been the flash in the pan of all flash in the pans not named Kimbo Slice or James Toney, but Cyborg has more staying power, more fights and is the most dominant champion in all of mixed martial arts. The ratings for Cyborg, for Ronda Rousey, for Miesha Tate, for Sarah Kaufman and for Marloes Coenen look like they say that people are willing to tune into WMMA if a quality fight is on or if a beatdown is about to occur. Which is exactly the same pattern male MMA generally follows. If Cyborg takes the year off as an opportunity for positive change (as she said she would), actually hits 135 lbs in a healthy manner and provides clean tests, I believe that she will be right back in the thick of things. Look at how many male fighters test positive and work their way back into Zuffa good graces, let alone other fight organizations. In a year, very few people will care with the passion being thrown about now and the accidental beauty about this process is that it allows the opportunity for redemption. Let's have a bet on how Cyborg is treated a year from now. I say "Essentially no change from just before steroids story", you say "MMA pariah with an irrevocably ruined career." Who do you think is closer to being right? After the jump, a look at the many women athletes who have been caught using steroids like Marion Jones, the East German women back in the 1970s and 1980s, a professional boxer who subsequently fought seven title bouts and a Chinese heavyweight judo champ, as well as more thoughts on Cyborg Santos. Elite sports has long been a place where competitors use every edge legally possible to inch ahead. Every year, we hear of athletes using controlled, banned, illegal or criminalized substances as performance enhancers or plainly to abuse them. The steroids debate has been going on for decades and will continue to be a topic of discussion among competitors and regulators long after we are dust. In the here and now, performance enhancing steroids are banned from most forms of regulated sporting competition - including MMA. When athletes get caught crossing that fine line between legal and illegal actions, they take the punishment meted out and life moves on. Catching these cheaters is the tough part. Way back in the 1970s, the East German state athletic programs made steroids a nearly universal part of the training regimen for pre-teens on up to Olympic athletes. East German athletes in track and field, swimming, skiing and all the other less famous Olympic sports were basically training on steroids under state supervision and then cycled off before the big competitions. Due to the state support, very few East German athletes were officially identified as submitting a hot drug test - but the majority of the ones who were caught were women. Heidi Krieger, a shot-putter, claimed that she was on so much steroids since she was 16 that it was the cause of her eventual sex reassignment surgery (and name change to Andreas Krieger). Many East German athletes claimed the cycles were administered unknowingly, but several defectors came out and publicly stated their regimens or even presented some of the drugs they were using in East Germany. This went on for decades and bushels of world records were set by the East Germans. Some of those records still stand. The Olympics responded over time by instituting stricter drug testing, which includes rules like an automatic four year ban for track and field athletes missing a demanded random drug test. Of course, Olympic athletes still cross that line between "acceptable" and "really bad idea" and use steroids. Many get caught too. We hear many more cases of men testing positive, but women athletes as a group are not innocent of this. In the arms race between cheater and tester, athletes of both genders commit themselves to shaky nights worrying about random drug tests, whether the masking agents worked or if they cycled off in time and they concoct absurd-sounding excuses to employ if caught. MMA is sadly not free of this and many rumors float around about the percentage of people on and off the gear. Instead of focusing on the women athletes who tested positive (too many to discuss in depth), I decided to look at the women athletes who decided not to leave their athletic careers permanently and chose to make a serious attempt at getting back to the competition level they were at before their career-jeopardizing positive drug test, which is a smaller crowd. "Hotstuff" Hollie Dunaway is a boxer fighting in the lighter weight classes. She tested positive after a WIBF flyweight title bout in Germany during April of 2005. She was hit with a one year suspension from WIBF and chose to continue fighting. Since 2005, she has fought ten times for a title in various weight classes - including for the WIBF again in 2007. Dunaway went 4-6 in those title fights and appears to be boxing as long as the promoters and managers let her. Marion Jones is maybe the highest profile female athlete to admit steroid use - admitting to the illegal usage after years denying the constant questions and rumors. Jones was married to C.J. Hunter, a shot-putter who failed four tests for nandrolone, in a romantic relationship with Tim Montgomery, a sprinter who was stripped of nearly his entire career's achievements for his involvement with BALCO and coached by Trevor Graham, who was given a life ban from track and field and house arrest for lying to the federal investigators about his role in drug cheating. She still spent years denying the use of any performance enhancing drugs and made herself the face of the USA contingent in the 2000 Olympics. After admitting in 2007 that she had used the "clear" product supplied by BALCO, Jones was retroactively stripped of all titles, medals, wins and records all the way back to before her five medal winning effort in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Jones received a two year suspension from her sport, but chose to retire from track and field entirely and served a short time in jail for perjury and check fraud. Jones was 31 at the time and no longer the dominant figure in women's sprinting like she once was. After her release in 2008, Jones decided to try for a WNBA career and tried out for several teams. The Tulsa Shock picked her up in early 2010 and kept her until July of 2011. Marta Bastianelli was a promising Italian cyclist who'd won what they call a world championship within the sport and was preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In mid-2008, she tested positive for fenfluramine, a banned anorectic drug. Bastianelli received a two year suspension and missed the Beijing Games. After serving her suspension, she came back to professional cycling in 2011 and is now riding for an elite team run by Mario Cipollini. Jessica Hardy, a U.S. swimmer, had a sample that tested positive for clenbuterol in 2008. She left the Olympic team, blaming a supplement and served a one year suspension from the sport. In 2009, she came back and promptly broke the world record in the 50 and 100 meter breaststrokes. Today, she is still an elite swimmer and wins world championship medals in her events. Tong Wen, the female Chinese heavyweight judoka and multiple time world champion, as well as the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, tested positive for clenbuterol in mid-2010. Most famously, she blamed roided up Chinese pork chops for her troubles. Wen was forced to hand back her 2009 World Championship gold medal and began serving a two year suspension. However, thanks to some smart and dedicated legal work by her attorneys, Wen was able to get the Court for Arbitration of Sport to overturn her suspension on a procedural failure, reinstate her 2009 gold medal and render no opinion on whether or not she used clenbuterol in a rule-breaking way. Wen went out and won the 2011 Judo Worlds, the Moscow Grand Slam and the Qingdao Grand Prix too. Dunaway was about 22 at the time of the positive test and will turn 28 in 2012. Bastianelli was 22 at the time of her bust and is now 24. Hardy is 24 now and was 21 in 2008. Wen is nearly 29 now and was 27 at the time of her allegedly porcine-related problems. Jones is the only one of these four other women athletes to be caught past the age of 30. Cyborg Santos is 26 years old. She is not in a desperate sprint against the ticking clock of age to get all her fights in before the finish line of "Too Late" is past. There is time to address the problems making the lower weight class of 135 lbs. Her commitment to legal sporting competition can be reforged. Her technical skills in striking and grappling can be vastly improved in that one year span. Perhaps she can win more medals in Brazilian jiu jitsu or submission grappling competitions. Perhaps she can focus on training fighters at her gym. Perhaps she can take up yoga or the Dolce Diet. The possibilities for her are not super-limited. Cyborg has the opportunity to change for the better and I see very little reason why her career should be called to an end - even after this disheartening revelation. By all means, be disappointed over the steroids usage, but treat Cristiane Santos as the talented, young and exciting mixed martial arts athlete she is. Allow her to use this time wisely if she can and give her the opportunity to return a wiser, better fighter. And nobody give her Chinese pork chops either.

Posted in: time, year, athlete, steroid, cyborg

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

We’ve almost reached the end of the 2011 unofficial awards season, and after counting down the imports, newcomers, upsets, knockouts, and submissions, it’s time to pick the fights that defined the past year and made you say ‘this is why I’m a mixed martial arts fan.’10 – Edson Barbosa-Anthony NjokuaniIt says something about Anthony Njokuani’s character that after watching Edson Barboza finish Mike Lullo with leg kicks that he would step up to the plate and offer himself up for the same type of punishment. But hey, that’s what a real Muay Thai fighter would do against one of his peers, and his willingness to do so at UFC 128 in March led to one of the purest displays of the Art of Eight Limbs that you will ever see in the Octagon. For striking aficionados, this bout, won by Barboza via close, but unanimous, decision, was gold.9 – Kyle Kingsbury-Fabio MaldonadoFormer college football player Kyle Kingsbury wasn’t the most highly-touted prospect to emerge from the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, but quietly and steadily, “KingsBu” began to make his mark, most notably with a Fight of the Night win over Jared Hamman and a 21 second destruction of Ricardo Romero. But against Brazil’s Fabio Maldonado, an undefeated pro boxer, in June, Kingsbury showed not only his growing skill set, but his heart, as he and Maldonado engaged in one of those grueling, blood and spit flying brawls that make you want to stand up and cheer when it’s all over. Kingsbury won the bout via unanimous decision, and while you would love to see the light heavyweights do it again, you get the impression that after their 15 minute blood and guts scrap, they’ll want a little break from each other for the moment.8 – Wanderlei Silva-Cung LeYes, all true mixed martial arts fans can appreciate a tense ground battle or the ability of top-level wrestlers to control where and how a fight takes place, but when it comes to pure savage beauty, nothing compares to the visceral thrill 30-something veterans Cung Le and Wanderlei Silva bring to the table, Le with his action movie moves and Silva with his pure aggression and callous disregard for defense once the fists start flying. At UFC 139, both delivered the only way they know how, and after Le turned in a strong first round, Silva roared back and finished the former Strikeforce champ in the second. Who said MMA was just for the young kids?7 – Diego Sanchez-Martin KampmannIn talking to one of Diego Sanchez’ peers last year, he said that the fearless Albuquerque warrior has engaged in so many wars that his “cuts are starting to have conversations with each other.” This was never more evident than in Sanchez’ March battle with pinpoint striker Martin Kampmann, who opened his opponent’s face up by the middle of the second round and appeared to be on his way to a possible stoppage victory. But Sanchez refused to back down, and his rapid fire flurries and relentless attack not only inflicted damage on his opponent as well, but allowed him to eke out an exciting unanimous decision victory in a bout that proved why fans never get disappointed when “The Dream” takes to the Octagon. UFC President Dana White agreed, giving $160,000 bonus to both fighters.6 – Nate Diaz-Donald CerroneFrom the time this one was signed, the anticipation began for what couldn’t help but be an exciting fight, and lightweights Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone didn’t disappoint. From the press conference to the weigh-in to the final bell, this one was all fire, and while Diaz took the decision, controlling the majority of the bout with his pinpoint striking accuracy, as soon as Cerrone warmed up in the second round, it became a fight, and one that lived up to the hype to boot.5– Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard IIIMany times when you say something was a carbon copy of an earlier event, that’s an insult. Not here. At UFC 136 in October, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard met for the third time, and as was the case in their second fight last January (which you know is coming further up the list), Edgar got rocked and almost finished in the first round by “The Bully,” only to shake off the cobwebs and get himself back in the fight. This time though, he wasn’t going to let the judges decide his fate. New Jersey’s finest had his fists do the talking, and in the fourth round, he stunned the Houston crowd with a knockout of Maynard, capping off one of MMA’s great series in emphatic fashion.4 – Dominick Cruz-Urijah Faber IIThe grudge between bantamweight stars Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber was real, so before their UFC 132 main event earlier in July, there was a fear that the fighters wanted so badly not to lose to their rival that they would be too cautious. Not a chance. Instead, Cruz and Faber fired off all their tricks at one another, fought at the insanely high pace 135-pounders are known for, and gave the fans a 25 minute fight to remember that Cruz won by unanimous decision. In the process, he evened the score with the only man to ever beat him, and also set the stage for an Ultimate Fighter 15 coaching stint for both, as well as a third fight later in 2012.3 – Ben Henderson-Clay GuidaCardio machines Ben Henderson and Clay Guida met in November for a shot at the lightweight championship, and both fought for 15 minutes as if THAT was their title fight. Filled with fast paced grappling, knockdowns scored by each, and submission attempts that once again put Henderson’s rubber neck to the test, this was high level stuff that showed why this sport is continuing to set the standard in combat sports. When it was all over, Henderson secured the win and his February shot at Frankie Edgar, but when he’s finished with that business, no one would complain if they saw “Smooth” and “The Carpenter” run it back one more time.2 – Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard 2 This UFC 125 bout between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and number one contender Gray Maynard nearly ended in the first round when “The Bully” rocked and dropped the champ and nearly finished him. But Edgar remarkably made it out of the opening frame and began the task of not just surviving, but getting back on track to retain his title. And he did just that, stunning the Las Vegas crowd with a show of resilience that cemented his place on top of the 155-pound weight class. And kudos go to Maynard as well, who battled past a gas tank depleted by his frenzied first round attack to continue to go after Edgar in a quest to repeat his first win over “The Answer” and take home the championship belt. In the end, the two fighters were disappointed by the five round draw verdict, but no one who saw that 25 minute bout would ever say that they felt the same way.1 – Dan Henderson-Mauricio “Shogun” RuaIf you watch a fight and you get to see top-level technique or an action-packed brawl or an amazing display of heart, you’ll undoubtedly be happy to see at least one of the three. Two? That’s a Fight of the Year candidate. All three, like we saw in the UFC 139 bout between Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in November? That’s all-time great territory right there, and that’s what this fight was. From start to finish, you saw everything that makes mixed martial arts great, and you saw two of the sport’s superstars doing it, fighting as if there was more than a win on the line in San Jose. To add to the intrigue, the bout was five rounds, only the second non-title fight in UFC history to be scheduled for that length of time, and the first to succeed in going 25 minutes. So for nearly half an hour, Henderson and Rua traded blows that would have knocked out lesser men, pulled off amazing escapes and comebacks, and truly left everything they had in the Octagon. Even before Henderson left the Octagon with the decision victory, it was clear that we had our 2011 Fight of the Year, and it may be safe to say that every year from here on out will have a tough act to follow.Honorable Mention - Cheick Kongo-Pat Barry, Chris Lytle-Dan Hardy, Nam Phan-Leonard Garcia II, Renan Barao-Brad Pickett, Diego Brandao-Dennis Bermudez, Nick Diaz-BJ Penn, Jon Jones-Lyoto Machida, Matt Wiman-Mac Danzig, Jose Aldo-Mark Hominick, Michael McDonald-Edwin Figueroa

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, bout, round

Read the full article at UFC

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones said he wanted a vacation after his busy but highly successful 2011 fight campaign. The young phenom fought four times in total last year, earning a crack at the 205-pound strap before winning it and then defending it twice against two former champions. In nearly every publication, he was awarded "Fighter of the Year" honors, including right here on MMAmania.com. Following his impressive second round guillotine submission victory over Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 on Dec. 10 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Jones vowed to take some time off to allow his body to rest up. After all, the dude was in training camp almost all of last year. Now, though, "Bones" has changed his tune. He's ready to get back in action and he's ready to do so ASAP. That's what UFC President Dana White said, at least, in a recent interview (via Cagewriter): "[Jones] called about four days ago and said 'okay let's go, I'm done with vacation.' He said he wanted to take all this time off and then they were calling me four days ago saying he wants to fight as soon as possible. He's ready to go. What could end up happening is Dan Henderson fights Jon Jones first, and then [Jones' subsequent fight] would be close to the time that Rashad fights. Or we see how things go with Rashad [versus Phil Davis] and Rashad fights him first." A light heavyweight champion who wants to stay active -- as evidenced by his declaration that he's been thinking of competing four times in 2012 -- and two top challengers who both present interesting match-ups. Sounds like a pretty good problem to have. Essentially we could be looking at Jones vs. Henderson with Evans waiting in the wings or Jones vs. Evans with Henderson taking one more fight on the same card and earning the title shot with in a win in that fight. Either scenario, I'm sure, is fine with you Maniacs, right?

Posted in: fight, time, jone, henderson, rashad fights

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Female featherweight champion, or former as the case may now be, Cristiane Santos has finally come forward to discuss her recent suspension for steroid use stemming from a December bout against Hiroko Yamanaka. And, surprisingly, she has not denied the possibility of having used an illegal substance though made it clear she did not do so willfully. “I am ultimately responsible for everything I put in my body, and at the end of the day, there is no excuse for having a prohibited substance in my system,” said Santos in a statement to MMAPrime. “I do not condone the use of any performance enhancing drugs by myself or any other professional athlete, and willingly accept the penalties and fines that have been handed down to me by the California State Athletic Commission and those of the Strikeforce/Zuffa organization.” In addition to the CSAC suspending Santos for a year she also had her win turned into a No Contest and was fined $2,500 for the infraction. UFC President Dana White also stated the 26-year old would be stripped of her Strikeforce title. “While I was preparing myself for my last fight I was having a difficult time cutting weight and used a dietary supplement that I was assured was safe and not prohibited from use in sports competition,” Santos continued in her statement. “It was never my intention to obtain an unfair advantage over Hiroko, mislead Strikeforce, the Commission or my fans. I train harder than any fighter in MMA and do not need drugs to win in the cage, and I have proven this time and time again! My only mistake is not verifying the diet aid with my doctor beforehand, and understanding that it was not approved for use in the ring.” “Unfortunately in the end I suffer the consequences and must accept the responsibility for my actions,” she solemnly concluded. “I will do everything I can to show my fans that I can still compete at the professional level without the use of any prohibited substances, and ask God’s forgiveness for my mistake.” PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: time, “ i, everything i, use, body ”

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

After fighting six times in 12 months, Paul Daley is entitled to a rest but instead he is in Tiger Muay Thai & MMA in Thailand, sharpening up his skills in preparation for a busy 2012. Semtex likes to fight, that's all he is really interested in, and his explosive Muay Thai based style means that fans like to see him fight even more. They should be getting to do that in the next few months as Daley does have a fight coming up although for the moment at least the details are shrouded in mystery, "I have a fight coming up, nothings set in stone but it will be around March time, that’s as much as I can say. It should be a big fight and I’m looking forward to it but I’m not even allowed to say which organization I will be fighting for." He wouldn't give any indication as to where the fight was taking place or who the opponent would be but he did express a willingness to fight former UFC middleweight contender Nate Marquardt, with this match up widely expected to take place at some stage under the BAMMA banner, "The fight with Nate Marquardt has been offered to me numerous times and if it is offered at a convenient time I’ll take it. I’m not one to back away from fights and it will be held in the UK where I have a lot of family and friends. It’s a very good matchup, he’s a former top ten middleweight and a big name to come down to the welterweight division and a big name for BAMMA to have signed." One of the advantages of being outside the UFC is that Daley is allowed to fight for multiple promotions, allowing him to remain more active and, of course, get paid more regularly. He says he does not know whether he would be welcomed back after being unceremoniously cut for striking Josh Koscheck after the bell, "I have no idea whether the UFC would take me back. I just need to keep winning and improving. Last year there was a poll with Michael Bisping, Dan Hardy and the other UK MMA stand outs and I won UK fighter of the year with over 60,000 votes which was considerably more than the other guys which, considering they are big names in the UFC, and a guy like me who was kicked out of the UFC is still a favourite among the fans is something no promotion can ignore so hopefully…. We’ll see what happens." He repeatedly states during the interview that his focus is purely on fighting, winning and improving hence the trip to Tiger Muay Thai. Daley has trained at the Sitsongpeenong Muay Thai camp in Bangkok but this is his first time training at an MMA facility in Thailand and he is enjoying the experience, "The set up is quite unique, there are a lot of great Muay Thai camps in Thailand but not so many that have MMA, Jiu Jitsu and wrestling and all that and the catering for the fighters here is pretty much second to none. There are so many high level coaches and guys with over 400 Muay Thai fights and they also have MMA fighters like JJ Ambrose, Felipe Enomoto and Ray Elbe. I think this is definitely going to be a place I come back to in the future." Catering is an issue which is particularly pertinent for Daley, who has missed weight in two of his last five fights, although a broken sauna was to blame for his failure to make the 170 lbs limit at BAMMA 7 last September. He is adamant that his future lies in the welterweight division and is taking steps to ensure that he has no further issues with the scales in 2012, "Diet is one of the areas that I have been focuccing on and that will be a vital part of my training camp in the build up to my next fight. I'm very strict on what foods I'm eating." Daley's highest profile outing in 2011 came in April when he challenged Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce Welterweight title. In one of the rounds of the year he repeatedly rocked the champion who was able to recuperate and bounce back to stop the Brit with just three seconds remaining in the round. Diaz is now one of the brightest stars in the UFC where he is riding an 11 fight win streak all the way to a title shot but Daley gave him a tougher test than any other recent opponent and believes that had circumstances not conspired against him he might well have won that fight, "I think a rematch with Nick Diaz would be a very interesting match up and I think I could beat him. He got lucky the first time we fought and if the fight took place somewhere else with a different referee I could have been the Strikeforce Champion." Despite his disappointment over the timing of the stoppage when they fought Daley has plenty of respect for Diaz and expects him to go on and win the UFC welterweight title, "We knew he was very good so nothing came a as a surprise, I got caught early on and he is a pressure fighter so you have to be able to withstand the pressure, the fight was so close that there’s not too much that I need to critique I just need to improve continually and if I fight him again it will be different. Diaz is a very good and talented fighter and I wish him all the best, I think he will be the UFC champion and my focus is just to continue to improve so that I will be in the same position sometime soon." Given how much success Semtex has enjoyed and the amount of money he has made in the process he could easily have had his head turned and succumbed to distractions. Refreshingly the veteran of 41 MMA fights is still completely focused on his MMA career and has absolutely no intention to slow down or quit, "I’m hoping to get as many fights in as possible, some big fights this year would be nice. As long as I keep doing well and winning and the fans want to see me fight I’ll keep fighting for a long, long time. I'm still only 28 and I've got another six or seven years at least. I'm passionate about martial arts and as long as I can feed my family and pay the bills and get to train full time that’s enough for me." You get the impression that even if Daley hadn't made it to the pinnacle of the sport he would still probably be training every day after work and getting fights in whenever he could. After fighting non stop for eight years he still has a burning desire to compete which none of the setbacks he has suffered so far in his career can diminish, "I want people to be able to continuosly see improvements in me, whether that’s conducting myself in interviews, whether that’s knocking more people, putting on more entertaining fights or just making the weight. I want to fulfill my potential and a lot of people look up to me and appreciate what I do and I owe it to them to be the best that I can possibly be and that’s what I want to do in 2012." For up to date news on Paul Daley visit: www.semtex.tv.

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, daley

Read the full article at MMA Mania

It was revealed just yesterday that Cristiane Santos failed her drug test for anabolic steroids for her fight against Hiroko Yamanaka on Dec. 16, 2011, in San Diego, California. "Cyborg" was stripped of her Strikeforce women's featherweight championshipp and the entire 145-pound division is now up in the air. Now, she's released a statement to MMAPrime.TV regarding her failed test. Her claim? That she had a tough weight cut and was taking a dietary supplement that caused the positive test. Here's her side of it: "I am ultimately responsible for everything I put in my body, and at the end of the day, there is no excuse for having a prohibited substance in my system. I do not condone the use of any performance enhancing drugs by myself or any other professional athlete, and willingly accept the penalties and fines that have been handed down to me by the California State Athletic Commission and those of the StrikeForce/Zuffa organization. While I was preparing myself for my last fight I was having a difficult time cutting weight and used a dietary supplement that I was assured was safe and not prohibited from use in sports competition. It was never my intention to obtain an unfair advantage over Hiroko, mislead StrikeForce, the Commission or my fans. I train harder than any fighter in MMA and do not need drugs to win in the cage, and I have proven this time and time again! My only mistake is not verifying the diet aid with my doctor beforehand, and understanding that it was not approved for use in the ring. Unfortunately in the end I suffer the consequences and must accept the responsibility for my actions. I will do everything I can to show my fans that I can still compete at the professional level without the use of any prohibited substances, and ask God's forgiveness for my mistake." More on this in just a bit.

Posted in: time, test, drug, everything i, use

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: StrikeforceStrikeforce returns on Showtime tonight, and thanks to the free preview weekend it's available even for you non-subscribers out there. So what are you going to be looking at when you accidentally stumble onto the channel that you usually breeze right past on your way to Nat Geo Wild? Here are just a few of the major storylines and pressing concerns heading into Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. I. For the sake of argument, let's try and justify the decision to give Keith Jardine a middleweight title shot: a) For starters, there's Scott Coker's 'anything can happen' defense, which suggests that because it's not impossible for Jardine to win, it must therefore be reasonable for him to get the chance. That has a certain simplistic beauty to it, but if you accept that you must also accept that any fight would, by that logic, be acceptable. Rockhold vs. a bloated Tyron Woodley? Yep, that works. Rockhold vs. a dangerously emaciated Bobby Lashley? That too. As long as we're at it, I could make 185 pounds no problem. So why didn't my phone ring with an offer, forcing me to immediately fake a staph infection? You get the point. b) Then there's what I like to call the cumulative effect defense. This argues that when you look at Jardine's entire history as a fighter -- from his 2006 TKO of Forrest Griffin to his recent draw with Gegard Mousasi -- it's not too shabby. And that's true. Taken as a whole, Jardine's career is pretty solid. It's just the last few years -- including the 2-5-1 record his last eight bouts -- that have been pretty dismal. But hey, if we're giving out title shots as lifetime achievement awards now, I assume Wanderlei Silva's shot at Anderson Silva must be coming up any day now. c) Finally, the old 'he was the best we could find on short notice' defense. What it lacks in poetic flourish, it makes up for with cold, hard pragmatism. Tim Kennedy was hurt, according to Coker. Robbie Lawler was coming off two straight losses. 'Mayhem' Miller, Jake Shields, and Dan Henderson had all fled the organization, and 'Jacare' Souza just fought Rockhold back in September. Who else is left to take this fight? The answer, apparently, is Jardine. And so here we are. II. But no matter what you think of the matchmaking, don't blame Jardine. He's been saying he wants to drop down to middleweight for a while now, and from his perspective, why not say yes to a title shot in his first fight there? He's got nothing to lose. If he wins, he's the Strikeforce champ and his career is revitalized. Even if he loses he can still earn some brownie points for making a fight out of it. Really, the only way he comes off looking bad is if he gets knocked out or submitted in the first two minutes. That's always a possibility -- the old 'anything can happen' saw cuts both ways -- but let's just say the bar is set very low for him here. He made the weight, which is a good start. Now it's up to him to see if he can't justify this bizarre matchmaking and get his name back in the news for the right reasons. III. Luke Rockhold summed up his reaction to the Jardine fight in one word: "dumbfounded." At least he's honest. It's the kind of fight a rising young champ absolutely cannot lose. It's also the kind where he can't afford to be anything but totally and completely dominant. Basically, it's a bad fight for Rockhold, and he knows it. But hey, what could he do besides sign on the dotted line and make the best of it? As his management no doubt told him, now is not the time to be making waves in Strikeforce. IV. Number that will continue to blow my mind every time I'm given a reason to look it up: 29. That's how old Robbie Lawler is heading into his 28th professional bout. How is that even possible? The guy's been a pro fighter since 2001. He debuted in the UFC in 2002. He's been doing this since back when Dana White had hair, and you're telling me he's not even 30 years old yet? If he were a Cuban Little League pitcher, no one would believe it. Lawler seems like he was born with a thousand-yard stare and a laconic nonchalance about his own ability to knock people stiff with one punch, and not much has changed over the years. He's still more or less the same fighter he's always been. His game plan for his 28th fight will probably be roughly the same as it was for his tenth. He still makes interviews more difficult than they have to be, and still has the same general disdain for all the non-fighting aspects of the fight game. At least Adlan Amagov knows what he's up against. But then, so have a lot of people who ended up flat on their backs at the end of the night. V. Only one person can beat Mo Lawal on Saturday night, and it's Mo Lawal. I know, I know -- anything can happen -- but let's stick to what's likely to happen. He's a good enough striker that he doesn't have to dive in for a takedown right away, and yet his takedowns are such a constant threat that Lorenz Larkin will have to worry about them every time he opens up with an attack. Lawal's best chance to lose this fight is to decide to keep it standing for too long in some misguided attempt to prove a point. That would be dumb, but it also might be the kind of thing a guy with an oversized ego would do. From the outside Lawal might seem like a Ric Flair-esque narcissist, but he's actually a pretty savvy student of the game. At least, most of the time. Like most pro fighters, no matter how sober his analysis is when he's watching others, his vision gets a little hazy when he turns his focus upon himself. The only way he doesn't win this fight is if he gets to thinking too highly of his own striking skills and not highly enough of Larkin's. Even the best wrestler is going to have trouble scoring takedowns if he only shoots after he's been stung on the feet. VI. Fun fact about Jordan Mein: seven fights into his pro career, he had a losing record. He began his pro career with a loss, in fact, to Rory MacDonald. That one must have started to look better as time went by, but Mein also dropped fights to several guys who didn't go on to become UFC standouts. After back-to-back losses at the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007, he was a very mediocre 3-4 as a pro. A lot of guys might have quit then, maybe decided to take their family's advice and finally entered that management trainee program at the rental car place. Mein kept at it, and just a few years later he's poised to take the leap from Strikeforce prelim fighter to solid undercard performer. It's almost fitting that he should take on Tyron Woodley, the former Mizzou wrestler who seemed destined for big things in MMA right off the bat, and has been groomed as such in his time with Strikeforce. You never know from its beginning what a guy's career will look like by the end. Sometimes those early struggles prove helpful later on. VII. Know where to find Showtime Extreme in the premium cable labyrinth? If so, then you can watch the prelim bouts before the main card gets underway. While the old Strikeforce used to treat those fights as if they weren't even worth turning the cameras on for, the new Strikeforce seems to realize that you might as well do something with them, even if probably not a whole lot of people will be ignoring the Lions-Saints NFL playoff game to watch Trevor Smith and Gian Villante go at it. Still, it's a step in the right direction, as is the decision to time this event to coincide with a Showtime free preview weekend. If Showtime wants to be in the MMA business, it needs to get all the way in. Just like I first made the decision to pony up for HBO so I could watch the last season of The Wire in real time, I'll admit that I never felt the urge to get Showtime until they had Strikeforce. I can't be the only MMA fan who feels that way, so why not get behind it and push it as the asset that it is? Besides, with the avalanche of commercials that accompany any NFL playoff game, we'll have plenty of chances to switch back and forth and check on how Villante is doing.  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, time, strikeforce, jardine, he

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

For most regular folks, the day they can retire and cash in on those 401K benefits can't come soon enough. Normally, retirement comes when one is in their 60's, some sooner, some later. For a professional fighter, though, it usually comes sooner rather than later. Whether it's an injury or age that forces a fighter to hang up their gloves for good, the decision to walk away from the sport they have dedicated blood, sweat and tears to is, undoubtedly, a very hard one to make. Often times, a pro fighter tries to hang on to the glory days of yesteryear and takes one too many fights, such as the case of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer Dan Severn, who, at the age of 53, is still competing, losing back-to-back fights in 2011. Via a post on "The Underground", UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, who has been around MMA for over 14 years and has developed relationships with a lot of yesterdays and today's top stars, gives his insight on just how hard it can be for a professional fighter to reach the decision to step away from the sport: "One of the things I think about sometimes with all the great fighters that I've seen come and go is just how difficult it must be for some of them to leave behind the incredible excitement and intensity of the world of being a professional fighter and then reset your life and find yourself something else to dedicate your time and interest to. Fighting is such an all-encompassing job. It really has to be, especially at the highest levels for you to be successful. The competition is so steep that to compete at the top of the sport of MMA you really need to be completely dedicated to training and improving all day every day. When it's time to move past that and into a new phase of life I would think that for some it must be incredibly difficult. And that's not even taking into consideration how difficult it is for some of these ultra competitive guys to know when it's time to step away. What got many of them to be successful at fighting is an incredible belief in themselves that defied the odds and the doubters. In their mind often only they know what they're capable of, and in the long run they've often proven people wrong many times on the way to being a professional. It must be very difficult to judge exactly when you want to end your career. One of the many things I love that the UFC does is they use a lot of fighters as commentators, they've got Chuck Liddell an awesome position in the company - they help these guys have options. I really enjoy watching guys step away from competing and become great coaches as well. All in all, a fighter stepping away from the sport must be a tough decision for some. " 2011 was a year that saw several tops stars walk away from competing in MMA, namely B.J. Penn after his loss at UFC 137 to Nick Diaz and Matt Hughes after his first round loss to Josh Koscheck at UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage, though he says he is simply "on the shelf" for the time being. Most recently, Brock Lesnar, who battled diverticulitis on two separate occasions, walked away from MMA at the age of 34 after his first round loss to Alistair Overeem last weekend (Dec., 30. 2011) at UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem." After 14 years in the game, Tito Ortiz came to the decision that he will retire this year once he competes one more time this summer. Another star who may be in the twilight of his career is Wanderlei Silva. Though he has no plans of calling it a day anytime soon, UFC President Dana White has stated he wouldn't mind seeing "The Axe Murderer" hang up his gloves. Regardless of what leads to the tough decision, the day will come when a professional fighter has to cross that bridge and realize it is simply time to walk way. It won't always be easy, but it will always be necessary.

Posted in: ufc, time, fighter, day, decision

Read the full article at MMA Mania

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones hopes to fight four times in 2012 following a busy 2011 that also saw him fight four times, including winning the title on short-notice from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and defending it over former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida. Jones had planned on taking up to five months off to start the year after submitting Machida at UFC 140 in December, but recently told ESPN that he now hopes to fight three or four times this year. “My goal is to finish every fight in 2012. If I do that, a lot of other things will fall into place naturally. I want to finish every opponent,” Jones said “I’ve been thinking recently about trying to compete four times in the year again. I grew so much as a person that by doing that again in 2012 will just make me a better athlete. “Originally I said I wanted to take off four or five months, but I may reconsider and come back sooner and have three or four fights this year.” Jones’ next challenger will likely be decided when former champ Rashad Evans and undefeated prospect Phil Davis meet in the main event of UFC on Fox 2 on January 28. For the latest UFC news stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com. Pictured: Jon Jones

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, jone, year

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

Dave Meltzer's history in covering pro wrestling may be the reason that he's had some of the most insightful things to say on the retirement of Brock Lesnar, but the hits keep on coming. In his most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer newsletter, Meltzer talks about Lesnar's legacy and what he would do to champions from the UFC's past. From the newsletter: The next question is Lesnar's legacy. Most have been positive about it. The reality is he was an amazing athlete who won the title despite inexperience and a long layoff from competitive sports, succeeding based on athletic ability and a lifetime of wrestling to beat some solid people at their own game. Others, whether blinded by their hate for Lesnar, pro wrestling, or UFC, have used this loss to say he was never any good, and discredit him. Some have written he was the worst UFC heavyweight champion in history, which is beyond laughable. If you line up every UFC champion in history, when they were champion vs. what short window of prime Lesnar had, Lesnar beats most of them almost every time. He'd pound Shamrock, Severn, Coleman, Randleman, Smith, Rodriguez, Sylvia and Mir into the mat when all of them were champions. He'd struggle with Couture before beating him the majority of the time if not almost every time. He'd beat the Josh Barnett when Barnett was champion, although I'm not sure what would happen if he fought today's Barnett. He'd lose most of the time to Cain Velasquez, because that's a bad style match for him. He may not beat Junior Dos Santos either, and as the sport evolves, he wouldn't beat the majority of the champions of the future. He was a legitimate champion for his time, even though he had major holes in his game, and brought a ton of new fans to the sport, and drew more than anyone in history. I'm not really sure what the grand point of saying he'd beat men from a different era is. Guys like Shamrock, Mo Smith, Dan Severn and so on are hardly men that Lesnar's ability to dominate is particularly meaningful when discussing legacy. Still, Lesnar's accomplishments shouldn't be diminished. What he was able to do with his experience level was impressive. When I wrote the article questioning his retirement and legacy across all his endeavors it wasn't meant to belittle what he did achieve. That being said, I think it's fair to question how good he truly was or could have been given that we can't really know if the same results would have happened against Velasquez and Overeem had Lesnar not had the issues with diverticulitis. SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

Posted in: ufc, time, champion, lesnar, legacy

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Following his successful title defense at UFC 140 against Lyoto Machida, Jon Jones stated he wanted to take five months off. Dana White echoed this in post-fight interviews adding that the champ deserved the time off after his epic 2011. Well it appears that Jones has changed his mind regarding his plans for 2012. Jones recently appeared on Josh Gross' podcast for ESPN.com to discuss what has been described as 'the single most impressive year in MMA history' and what he hopes to accomplish in 2012. From the discussion with Josh Gross: Yeah, you know my goal is to finish every fight in 2012. It's a goal of mine. I may do that and then things just naturally fall in line. Just to finish every opponent. Fight to finish the fight. And been thinking recently to try and compete four times again in 2012. I grew so much as a person doing that and trying to do that again will make me an even better athlete and put me in a pretty awesome spot in the sport. I was saying recently that I was going to take off four to five months but I'm starting to reconsider and come back sooner. Try and get three to four fights in this year. This is great news for the UFC. After Jon's breakout year and the retirement of Brock Lesnar, they are desperate for a champion to carry the promotion. With hugely marketable fights awaiting with both Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson, Jones has the opportunity to cement himself as the PPV draw for the UFC, especially with Georges St. Pierre reportedly out for the majority of the year. In 2011 he defeated the likes of Ryan Bader, Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson, and Lyoto Machida, a literal whose who of the division. Should Jones continue his run through the light heavyweight division, it will be very difficult for his detractors to not acknowledge that he's the best fighter of all time. The only question is can the rest of the division keep up or will they be left in the proverbial dust.

Posted in: fight, time, jone, year, lyoto machida

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Which means there could be up to four light heavyweights who are about to have a very bad year. UFC 205-pound 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, capped off what could be one of the most dominant years in the promotion's history with four straight wins (and four straight finishes). That was 2011. In 2012, he hopes to do it all over again, despite his initial plans to take some time off, because the busy schedule can help him become a "better athlete," if that's even possible. "Bones" breaks it all down for ESPN: "My goal is to finish every fight in 2012. If I do that, a lot of other things will fall into place naturally. I want to finish every opponent. I've been thinking recently about trying to compete four times in the year again. I grew so much as a person that by doing that again in 2012 will just make me a better athlete. Originally I said I wanted to take off four or five months, but I may reconsider and come back sooner and have three or four fights this year." Jones kicked off his 2011 fight campaign by defeating Ryan Bader to earn a 205-pound title shot against Mauricio Rua. Just six weeks later, he made the most of his opportunity by dominating "Shogun" at UFC 128 in a way not seen before. His first title defense came against Quinton Jackson and Jones once again dominated, becoming just the second man in the history of MMA to submit "Rampage." Less than three months later, the Greg Jackson-trained phenom became the first man to submit Machida, putting him out cold with a standing guillotine choke. That's 4-0, two title defenses, all finishes, against the best competition available, namely three of the four opponents being former champions. All in one year, folks. Is this going to be a championship run not seen since the likes of Anderson Silva? Or will "Suga" Rashad Evans have something to say about his success in 2012? Thoughts?

Posted in: ufc, time, title, jone, year

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Half full, or half empty? That's the question you have to ask yourself when trying to evaluate 2011 in the world of kickboxing. There's no doubt this was the most tumultuous and news-worthy year in kickboxing in quite some time, but exactly how you view all these events depends on your own views. Let's take a look at both sides: The Glass is Half Empty: 2011 as a Year of Decline It's been a disheartening experience trying to cover kickboxing this year. Obviously, the big news of the year all centered around the collapse of K-1 - an event that has been a long time coming. For some time, we had heard stories of fighters never being paid for taking part in K-1 shows. In late 2010 and 2011 that list grew out of control, with major names like Giorgio Petrosyan and Ray Sefo coming forward and saying they were owed vast sums by the organization. K-1 went on an indefinite hiatus at the start of the year, and as the months continued, the end seemed inevitable. In summer, the company was finally sold, to a shell company whose true partners remain somewhat unclear. There was talk of a 2011 K-1 Grand Prix to be co-promoted by It's Showtime at the end of the year, but that didn't happen, and for the first time since 1992, this year will see no K-1 Grand Prix champion crowned. The loss of K-1 had a ripple effect throughout kickboxing, particularly in the Heavyweight division. K-1 had always been the main home for Heavyweights, and their absence led to a real lack of action in the division in 2011, with potentially far-reaching changes. Biggest Heavyweight news is the retirement of Badr Hari. After a mostly inactive 2010 and 2011 due to various legal issues, Hari will fight his final kickboxing fight in 2012 before moving on to a career as a boxer. Hari was a divisive figure, but there's no doubt his presence will be missed. We've also lost Kyotaro to boxing, Cosmo Alexandre to MMA, and there's talk of both Tyrone Spong and Gokhan Saki following Cosmo's lead. Amongst the K-1 legends, Semmy Schilt has been totally MIA all year, while Ray Sefo, Peter Aerts, and Jerome Le Banner have been more occupied with pro wrestling careers than with kickboxing. So no K-1, no Schilt, no Hari, no Aerts, no Grand Prix... it was a rough year. And it will take a lot for the sport to push through this rough patch. So if you want to view this as the end of the sport, you certainly have reason to. However... The Glass Is Half Full: 2011 as a Year of Transition It's important to remember that K-1 is not the same thing as kickboxing. They are a kickboxing organization - one of many. True, they are (were?) the biggest, and their loss is akin to MMA losing the UFC. But that doesn't mean the sport is dead, and in the absence of K-1, a number of organizations have stepped up their game around the world, including Krush and SuperKombat. No organization had more success in 2011 than It's Showtime. The long-time top kickboxing organization in Europe established itself as #2 to K-1 a few years ago, and took that #1 mantle this year. 2011 highlights include the year's biggest tournament (the 70kg Fast and Furious show), strong shows throughout Europe, and building up new names. 2012 looks even better with a big January 28 show headlined by Badr Hari vs. Gokhan Saki, rumblings of a major show in the spring, and planned expansion into major markets in Australia, Japan, and Brazil (still no US though!). It's Showtime has slowly built themselves up thanks partly to a more sports-oriented approach, and their hard work has now truly begun to pay off. And of course, the K-1 news isn't all bad. As 2012 begins, the chances of K-1 actually mounting a comeback are strong, with a new organization (FIKA) and leader (original K-1 founder Kazuyoshi Ishii) at the helm. They have announced plans for a full Grand Prix schedule in 2012, and rumors of shows in the spring have begun to circulate. For the first time in nearly a year, I am (cautiously) optimistic about the future of K-1, and the chances for a return of the Grand Prix. Add in new fighters like Robin van Roosmalen and Ismael Londt making a name for themselves in 2011, and you can see a lot of positives for the future, and a clear path to a better 2012. In the end, perhaps it is too early to truly tell the story of kickboxing in 2011. If the sport continues the downward slope of the year, this will likely be looked at as the beginning of the end. If it bounces back, this will be a bumpy patch in the road and a time of transition. Which will it be? No one can say for sure right now - we can only guess at what the future holds. So, half full, or half empty? Check back all week for more 2011 Kickboxing Year in Review coverage. Poll Kickboxing in 2011: Transition or Decline? Transition Decline Too soon to say   7 votes | Results

Posted in: time, year, kickboxing, organization, half

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Living in the UK (more specifically Scotland) has its advantages. Free health care, free University education and an abundance of fish and chip shops to name a few. But the major disadvantage is having such a crazy time difference from the US means the UFC main event cards dont start until 3am. At first this really made it hard for me to get into MMA at all. But now me and my friend are seasoned veterans and stay up at least every second weekend to watch this great sport. Its almost become a routine. Every time there is an event its "my house or yours?" and even if we are on a night out at the pub, we leave early to catch the Prelims! I remember a few months ago there was a UFC event on every weekend for a good few weeks running. It killed us! I'm just wondering if how many of you Americans would honestly say you would stay up for every event? Heck, I'd like to know from everyone around the world. I know for a fact we dont have the worst time difference for watching it out there! tl;dr Would you stay up for every event if it didnt finish until 5-6am where you live? Edit: I'd also like to know how the UFC's decision to move its time slot forward an hour again affected you? It was a complete nightmare for us in the UK. The main card starting at 2am made all the difference and an extra hour in bed was well appreciated!! I wish they would move it back :( submitted by Some_Friend [link] [5 comments]

Posted in: ufc, time, event, time difference, quotmy house

Read the full article at Reddit

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will visit Sydney for the third time in March, and for the third time, Australian submission specialist Anthony Perosh will be part of the show.

Posted in: time, march, perosh, sydney, specialist

Read the full article at Sherdog

“This is easy, This is going to be a lot of fun for me… Everything has come to where it needs to be right now. I’m peaking at the right time… Right now, middleweight is where I am, and that’s all I’m thinking about. I really don’t mind fighting (at) middleweight because I get to eat more now. So I feel a thousand times better than when I fought at 170. That’s why I’m so happy and want to fight really bad.” — Anthony Johnson on a UFC 142 conference call talking about fighting at middleweight It seems Anthony Johnson is finally starting to realize what everyone has been saying for years — he belongs in the middleweight division. Johnson enjoyed a considerable size advantage in the welterweight division, but it always came at a price. He was cutting ridiculous amounts of weight to make 170 and as he mentions above, his body didn’t feel like it should. Johnson says he’s done with welterweight “so far”, but that will likely hinge on how well he does at 185. Even if he loses to Vitor Belfort at UFC 142 though, I hope he gives middleweight an honest run. It’s where he belongs and where I suspect we’ll see him unlock his full potential, similar to how Alistair Overeem has since he moved to heavyweight. By the way, Johnson says he’s currently weighing 215 which means he still needs to cut 30 pounds by next Friday’s weigh-ins. Image via Johnson’s manager Glenn Robinson

Posted in: time, johnson, middleweight, vitor belfort, welterweight division

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Every time I get my pay-stub at work I go through the initial stages of grief. I first deny the reality of the miniscule amount by spending the entire thing on clothes, shoes and Starbucks instead of paying my power bill and rent. Next I become angry and begin thinking how fun it would be to walk into my boss' office and tell him to shove it. By the time I'm over the anger it is the next payday and I just continue to repeat the depressing abusive cycle. Looks like Brock Lesnar didn't spend too much time in the stage of denial after his loss at UFC 141. Brock went straight to angry after he announced his retirement and on his way out of the cage and back to the locker rooms he showed a UFC cameraman the true meaning of 'take this job and shove it'. Check it out:

Posted in: ufc, time, brock lesnar, time i, brock

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Tito Ortiz is one of the men who led the charge of getting the UFC into the mainstream spotlight. At the same time when he was on top there was a great set-up of rivals with Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. Even his bouts with Ken Shamrock, while unimpressive in competition level in retrospect, were huge to the company at the time. We're now years removed from that time on top and has only won a single fight in his last eight trips to the cage. After receiving a beating against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ortiz said he wanted one last fight in the UFC before retiring. MiddleEasy caught up with Tito to discuss his future and his goals for his final fight. From the video: July, hopefully Fourth of July weekend I will be fighting my last fight and I will be done. That's it; it's time to walk away. You know, Forrest, or I know everybody would like to see me against Chuck (Liddell) and, I don't know. We will see what Lorenzo and Dana have to offer and see what they want to do. I'll sit down with Lorenzo and Dana next week and let's see, let's make a fight, my last fight and let's make a memorable one.

Posted in: fight, time, forrest griffin, chuck liddell, july

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida is just one fighter on a long list of Brazilian combatants who have a problem with ex-UFC middleweight number one contender Chael Sonnen. In fact, he's even willing to fight him with one arm. He might not have a choice, considering he recently tweeted that injuries forced him into the shop for repairs. Unfortunately for "The Dragon," Sonnen doesn't fight people who drink their own urine. He does, however, have time to "cold cock" him and walk away. I don't have time for "pee pee" mouth. All the time I can spare him is enough to cold cock him and walk away. I'm not sure how much damage he can do with a cold cock, but the mere thought of it is enough to keep me out of harm's way. Sonnen, in addition to getting more mic time as the host of "Chael's Corner" on UFC Tonight, will try to get back into a middleweight title fight against Anderson Silva by taking on Mark Munoz at UFC on FOX 2 on Jan. 28, 2012, from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Machida, meanwhile, is still licking his wounds from a UFC 140 beatdown at the hands of Jon Jones last December. While Sonnen has teased a fight at 205-pounds in the past, it will likely take a loss at middleweight -- one that eliminates him from title contention -- to make that kind of move possible. Oh, hello, "Filipino Wrecking Machine."

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, sonnen, chael

Read the full article at MMA Mania

I may be in the minority here, but I am sad to see Brock Lesnar go. In the short period of time he competed in mixed martial arts he added so much excitement and even the negative attention he brought was a benefit to the sport. It’s easy to see by looking at the pay-per-views he fought on that he was a huge draw. When he first signed with the UFC at the end of 2007 no one gave him much of a chance to succeed, let alone become a champion as quickly as he did in the world’s biggest MMA promotion. He had one fight under his belt and that was against Min-Soo Kim, a can among cans one might say. He wasn’t looking for a handout; he certainly wasn’t looking for an easy way out either as he faced former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir in his UFC debut in February of 2008 at UFC 81. Much like his MMA career he came out like a house on fire and ran full force, going after Mir with reckless abandon. Lesnar Retires After Overeem Loss He showed tremendous speed to go along with his amazing strength and size. Although he lost via submission, Lesnar put the rest of the UFC heavyweights on alert. With some proper training and experience Lesnar was going to be a tough test for everyone he met inside the Octagon. He would go on to face 32 fight veteran Heath Herring at UFC 87 six month later. He dominated Herring from pillar to post, for fifteen minutes he abused Herrings mid-section with countless knees that had “The Texas Crazyhorse” peeing blood afterwards. Herring had faced a who’s who of top heavyweights in his day including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (3x), Fedor Emelianenko, and Mirko Filipovic, yet he had never been beaten so soundly. With Randy Couture returning the UFC saw dollar signs and matched the two division champion with the hungry young lion at UFC 91. Couture was as game as they come, but couldn’t overcome the 65-pound weight difference and the 14 year gap in age. Lesnar caught Couture in the second round and hammer-fisted the championship right off of his waist. A rematch with Mir was next at the historic UFC 100 in July. This time Lesnar showed just how far he had come as he took Mir down at will. Lesnar showed just how much he learned in less than eighteen months as he avoided Mir’s vaunted guard and punched Mir in the face over and over again. He may have shown his immaturity after the fight, but let’s not forget the amount of trash Mir talked and Lesnar felt vindicated. The downward spiral would begin after this fight as he was forced to withdraw from a title defense against Shane Carwin at UFC 108 in January of 2008 because of an unexplained illness. We all know now that he was dealing with a severe case of diverticulitis and would not fight again until a full year after defeating Mir. When Lesnar did return and faced Carwin was he even at full strength? Will we ever know if he ever was 100% in any of his fights? Carwin battered Lesnar in the first round before punching himself out and allowing Lesnar time to recover and regain his composure. The second round saw Carwin barely able to lift his arms and Lesnar took him down and locked on a Triangle Choke, a surprising move that again showed how much Lesnar had learned. Cain Velasquez was up next at UFC 121 and once again Lesnar was beaten to the punch early in the first round, but Velasquez was smart and patient. He picked his spots and stopped Lesnar with less than a minute left in the first round. Lesnar was picked apart by the fans and media for being unable to take a punch and being afraid to get hit. That will always be the one area that he never improved upon and it hurt him immensely. The UFC signed him as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter opposite Junior Dos Santos and the two were scheduled to meet at UFC 131 for the right to face Velasquez for the title. With less than a month left before the fight it was revealed that Lesnar was once again suffering from diverticulitis, this time he would have to undergo surgery to remove twelve inches of his colon. He vowed he would be back and better than ever. That brings us to this past Saturday night at UFC 141 against Alistair Overeem. The consensus was simple; if Lesnar could get Overeem to the ground he would win the fight pretty handily, but if he had any problems at all Overeem’s world class striking would end Lesnar’s night very early. Besides one half-hearted attempt at a single leg take down, Lesnar chose to stand and was abused by Overeem’s knees and a kick to the liver that not only ended the fight, but according to Lesnar his mixed martial arts career as well. Over the course of four and a half years Lesnar burst on to the MMA scene, won the UFC Heavyweight Championship and in just eight career fights fought the best heavyweights the UFC had to offer. How many other fighters can say they took on Herring, Couture, Mir (2x), Carwin, Velasquez and Overeem in such a short period of time. Say what you want about Lesnar, the man took on the very best of the best. The man averaged over a million pay-per-view buys for the cards that he was on. UFC 100 which he co-headlined with UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre had 1.6 million buys. Whether you loved him or you hated him, you damn sure tuned in to see him. Never again will another fighter make such a huge impact in such a short period of time. So long Brock, I wish you were around longer, but I’ll take the time you spent with us. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, mir, lesnar

Read the full article at Fighters.com

A media scrum is the closet thing the press world has to an information gangbang. I never thought I would start off an article like that, but it's 2012 so my time to write potentially offensive intros are limited. If this media scrum existed in the time of Genghis Khan, every press member would already be pregnant before the end of our sixteen-minute video. A few villages would have been burned along with gallons of yak blood poured on the faces of the dead. Thank God we live in 2012. Who the hell would want to live in a time in which the probability of having your entire town pillaged always hovered above 70%? That's a made-up statistic. See, that's the stuff we can do in 2012. I just pillaged your perception on reality. Check out what it's like to be involved in a sixteen-minute media scrum for Alistair Overeem in this video. Also, the director of The Reem is located somewhere in the banner. Have fun discovering who it is.

Posted in: time, media, alistair overeem, media scrum, scrum

Read the full article at Middle Easy

The New York Times and LA Times feature Gina Carano in its Sunday editions as she is starring in the new Steven Soderbergh movie “Haywire” The articles give a background on Carano’s upbringing and her experience in getting into MMA. Each article gives an account of her meeting with Soderbergh which occurred a week after losing to Cyborg Santos in July 2009. Payout Perspective: Carano and her movie, “Haywire” were prevalent in and around the Octagon on Friday night. With the press she is doing for the movie, Carano could bring positive publicity to Strikeforce and woman’s MMA. She has the looks and athleticism to be very successful in movies. We will see how her acting is in the movie. Dependent on the success of the movie, it will be interesting to see the direction of her MMA career. Will she continue her MMA career or will more movie offers come her way which would take her away from the Octagon. Arguably, Carano is one of the reasons (along with Cyborg, Tate and Rousey) Zuffa is keeping woman’s MMA. We’ll see how long it will take for her to get back.

Posted in: mma, time, mma career, carano, movie

Read the full article at MMA Payout

Filed under: UFCWell, it's over. 2011 -- arguably the biggest year for MMA and the UFC -- has come and gone. UFC 141 gave us a night to remember on the way out, and now we charge boldly on into a new year with an even more frantic fight calendar. I hope you're taking this opportunity to rest up and prepare yourselves, people. Things are only going to get busier. But before we completely turn our backs on the year that was, let us return one last time to Friday night's event for a look at the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from UFC 141. It's the least we can do. Biggest Winner: Alistair Overeem He stood in the center of the Octagon when Lesnar entered, fixing him with a cold, dispassionate stare as the former champ jogged around the perimeter. When Lesnar passed by without so much as a glance in his direction, Overeem turned to his corner and nodded as if to say, Yeah, we got this one. As it turned out, he did. Overeem showed zero fear of Lesnar. He bullied him in the clinch and made him look not just mortal, but downright vulnerable. Was this the one true test of his skills that Overeem's detractors have been waiting for? Yes and no. He took Lesnar apart "piece by piece," just like he promised he would, but he also didn't face many serious takedown threats in the short bout. That might still leave some questions about his wrestling ability, but you can't doubt that he's an elite heavyweight who deserves a crack at the title. Not all his fights have been against top competition, but this one was and The Reem looked every bit as good as advertised. It's time to give this man his due. Hopefully he can get that lawsuit with Golden Glory squared away so he can get his money, too. Biggest Loser: Brock Lesnar If he really does call it quits now, MMA history may not be terribly kind to him. His last three fights go a long way toward supporting the theory that Lesnar was the classic bully who folded under attack, and people are more likely to remember the images of him skittering backwards and crumpling to the mat than they are to recall his struggle his diverticulitis and what it may have cost him career-wise. It's still remarkable to think of what he managed to do in such a short time and with so little prior fight experience. His presence and his success in the sport brought a new level of attention and awareness to the UFC, which is the kind of rising tide that lifts all ships. Even if we don't remember him as a great heavyweight, we'll have to recognize his status as one of the true superstars of this little era. It's just a shame he couldn't have packed more actual fighting into the few years he spent inside the cage, but if he feels like he wants to retire, then he absolutely should. I just wouldn't want to be a deer anywhere in North America now that that guy has a lot of free time on his hands. Most Surprising: Johny Hendricks Usually the phrase 'puncher's chance' is code for 'almost no chance at all,' but Hendricks reminded us that there's a reason for that particular combat sports cliche. He said afterward that he was motivated by all the people who forgot about the power in his left hand and wrote him off completely in this fight, and I'll admit I was one. At the same time, the look of elation on his face as he paraded around the Octagon following the TKO stoppage seemed to be mixed with at least a little bit of surprise. He can say he expected to win, but he's kidding himself if he says he expected to win just like that. Fitch is known as a guy who can take a shot, which is part of what makes Hendricks' win so impressive. As he was quick to point out, he did what both Georges St-Pierre and B.J. Penn were unable to do. Whether that necessarily puts him among the welterweight elite, we'll have to wait and see. Most Impressive in Defeat: Anthony Njokuani His striking is sharp, but if he can be that easily outwrestled then he might as well find out now. Just a couple more stuffed takedowns here or there and he probably would have beaten Danny Castillo -- maybe even finished him. He defended himself well once the fight got to the mat, but that's not enough in that division. Every potential opponent with a double-leg that's worth a damn will look at this film and see a blueprint for victory. Njokuani's job is to make sure that the next person to try and follow it is in for a painful surprise. If he can force people to stand in front of him and play his game, he'll be in business. If he can't, he'll end up as just another striker complaining about being surrounded by wrestlers. Least Impressive in Victory: Jacob Volkmann Rarely do you see a fighter whose personality so perfectly matches his fighting style. Both in the cage and in interviews, Volkmann comes off as awkwardly off-putting and the exact opposite of entertaining. The only exciting moments of his decision win over Efrain Escudero came when he nearly got choked out, and his post-fight interview was painfully uncomfortable. Bringing politics into the cage is a risky proposition to begin with, but doing so with a bad joke poorly delivered is the worst of all possible worlds. Watching Volkmann trying to tell a joke in the presence of actual comedian Joe Rogan was like watching Jerry Seinfeld hit mitts with Greg Jackson: it just feels wrong on every level. I'm not sure who is encouraging Volkmann to continue playing this political angle, but they're doing the man a disservice. He's got enough of an image problem with his fighting style. He doesn't need to make it worse by using every interview to demonstrate why comedy should be left to the professionals. Baddest (Individual): Nate Diaz Is there anything short of an unexpected drug screening that can make one of the Diaz boys take a step backwards? Just like his brother Nick, Nate Diaz showed why pace, pressure, and a willingness to take a few to give some back is a dangerous combination. He got right in Cerrone's face and never left, peppering him with blistering punch combos that seemed on the verge of giving "Cowboy" a bad case of whiplash. After the fight, according to Cerrone, Diaz came up and apologized for knocking his $1,000 cowboy hat to the floor at the press conference, telling him, "Here, take mine." Is it just me, or is Diaz become one of the UFC's most oddly compelling characters? Whatever the UFC decides to do with him next, the one thing you know is that you could stick him in the cage against Napoleon's army and he'd at least make a fight of it. The UFC will always have a use for guys like that. Mr. Self-Awareness: Donald Cerrone He came out flat-footed and never really got his offense working, and he was the first to admit it. He was also refreshingly candid in the post-fight press conference, admitting that Diaz took it to him and made him eat his words. In a world where excuses and regrets are the preferred armor of each night's losers, it's nice to see a guy who can provide such an honest assessment of his own failings. When Cerrone intends to smash your stupid face, he'll tell you. When he instead got his own face smashed, he'll tell you that too. He didn't quite have it against Diaz on Friday night, but he still made sure that fans got their money's worth, which is why he earned his fourth bonus in five fights. Maybe it wasn't a perfect year for the "Cowboy," but it was still a memorable and profitable one. Best New Prospect: Jimy Hettes Dana White admitted that he hadn't really paid much attention to Hettes prior to UFC 141, but the skinny grappler has his attention now. Nam Phan couldn't have been more outmatched if he was going up against a tag team, and the judges' scores reflected as much. I mean, 30-25, 30-26, and 30-26? At that point, the judges might as well stop tallying the numbers and just write 'BEATDOWN' across their scorecards. Hettes could obviously use a little more polish, and he's not ready to be thrown in with the big dogs just yet, but he is someone worth keeping an eye on. If he's indicative of the next generation of MMA fighters, you can't help but be very excited about this sport's future. Hype Train with an Uncertain Destination: Alexander Gustafsson Vladimir Matyushenko may be 41 years old, but all you need to do is look at the guy's record to know that beating him still puts you in pretty solid company. Gustafsson looked more comfortable than we've ever seen him in the Octagon, and right away you got the sense that it was only a matter of time until he found a way to end this one. Still, I'm not sure if it's his size or his youth that has some people whispering about how he'd do against Jon Jones, but those people need to slow their roll. Gustafsson is a talented young fighter, but he's still a work in progress. He needs to shore up his wrestling if he's going to jump up to that next level in the light heavyweight division, and that's not going to happen overnight. All his training partners rave about him, but what he needs right now is time to grow as a fighter. By the same token, he should see if he can't hurry it up a little. At the rate Jones is slicing through challengers, Gustafsson's number might come up sooner than he thinks. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, time, he

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

"But if he really is done with the sport, will Lesnar be remembered as a great heavyweight, or simply a memorable one? There's no denying his star-power, but did he accomplish enough to be known as anything more than a lightning rod with incredible athletic ability and raw physical potential?" So asks Ben Fowlkes at MMAFighting.com. And it's a good one, though I'm not sure I have the answer. Brock Lesnar began his MMA career as a spectacle, and ended it as a sportsmen. Originally slated to fight the 7 ft kickboxer Hong-Man Choi at the K-1 Dynamite USA event in 2007, it's amazing to think his career will be defined by his brief, but significant success in the UFC. Strangely, people questioned that success at every turn. MMA fans don't take kindly to outsiders, and Lesnar was the worst kind of outsider: a former professional wrestler. What would it say about MMA if a guy cutting his teeth in the same arena as Doink the Clown managed to win UFC fights? Lesnar's UFC debut was a validation for the critics. "Thank you Frank Mir", they said in unison. But then he beat Heath Herring, and even his wins inspired skepticism. "Heath looked terrible, Brock just laid on top of him", etc. Then Randy Couture. "Randy was old", etc. Then Frank Mir. And suddenly, the critics had nothing to say. UFC 100 was a great performance, and proof that Lesnar was multidimensional. No, he couldn't strike, but his ability to neutralize Mir on the ground was a testament to his dedication to learn mixed martial arts (a fact explored brilliantly in Ben Thapa's piece the other day). There's a nice little flow chart to it all: first they questioned his skills, then they questioned his character, and now they question his legacy. The last part is worthy criticism, and I'm not trying to dismiss it. His flaws were on full display at UFC 141. As soon as the takedown wasn't automatically there, and the strikes began to fall, Lesnar looked like a deer on roller skates. But is he "a quitter", as our own Brent Brookhouse asks? I understand what Brent is asking. It's not about whether or not Brock is any less of a fighter. Only whether or not his pattern of short-lived adventures in other sports reflects the character we've seen of Brock in the cage. It's a fair question, but I disagree with those that claim Brock is a quitter, or that his legacy was all smoke and mirrors. For one, Brock entered the sport an older man, and in his 4th professional fight became the UFC HW champion. He beat Couture, who took out Tim Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga prior: two fighters who were legitimate contenders for their time. He defended his belt twice. And somewhere in there dealt with diverticulitis. While images of Brock on his "death bed" conjured up by Dana White might be hyperbolic, I'd say his sickness was an element of his deterioration. At a time when Brock was at his absolute peak, when gym time was at its most critical, Brock could neither fight nor train. 'Fever, abdominal tenderness, sudden and severe pain of the abdomen, nausea'...these are just a few symptoms you can read about from any medical cheat sheet on just what exactly was ailing Brock. And I have no doubt this took a toll. There was the obvious physical toll, in conjunction with Brock's age, but there also the toll on Brock's much-needed experience. He fought once in 2009, twice in 2010, and just once in 2011. To me, the truth about Brock is that he always had a limited window to be successful. And in that limited window, his career was halted on two important occasions. Would fighting three times a year every year until now have changed anything? Perhaps not. But at least we might have a clearer image of Brock the fighter. At the same time, Brock's success is also a reflection of the HW division. Never a division of great depth, HW will always be home to flawed fighters on the biggest scale. Brock wanted to call himself a mixed martial artist, and he became that. He wanted to call himself a UFC champion, and he did. Brock doesn't necessarily leave a legacy so much as the legacy that exists on Brock Lesnar reflects the landscape of mixed martial arts. MMA hasn't experienced its own Cambrian explosion. Like Brock's game, our sport is still raw, uncut, and relatively unevolved. But boy is it fun to watch.

Posted in: ufc, time, brock lesnar, lesnar, brock

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

It's New Years Eve, time for the annual resolution to lose that gut. You're really going to do it this time. You know, head on down to Wal Mart, buy that food steamer and really do it. There is no time like now! Our bodies are our machines and they're the only temples we have, so worship them by finally going out and joining Team Quest like you've always told yourself that you would. This is veteran WEC fighter and Oregon politician Chael Sonnen. You may remember him from Off the Record with Michael Landsberg. He's here to show you around and answer any questions that you have. Please stay together and for God's sake keep your hands to yourself. That should be your second New Years resolution...keeping your hands to yourself. Take it away Chael. [Source]

Posted in: time, hand, chael, team quest, gut youre

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Following his crushing first round technical knockout loss at the hands of Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 141 in Las Vegas last night, Brock Lesnar announced his retirement from MMA. No doubt his absence from future fight cards will deal a decidedly large blow to the pocketbooks of those in command of the world's largest fight promotion. But when it's time to go, it's time to go. Or, as UFC President Dana White put it, "guys know when it's time to retire." Indeed, Lesnar has been suffering through medical issues for years now, including a bout with diverticulitis that forced him to undergo surgery to remove 12 inches of his intestines earlier this year. It's hard enough fighting the best heavyweights in the world. Dealing with faulty equipment while attempting to do so is an exercise in futility. And so, the Brockness Monster retreats to the cold, blistery confines of his home in Minnesota to enjoy his time with his family. But there's one man who doesn't want to see him go. The man who sent him on his road to retirement, "The Reem." From the UFC 141 post-fight press conference: "I think he shouldn't walk away. Because, love him or hate him, but it's always something when Brock's fighting, like Dana said. I mean, he's a guy who goes for it. I think he achieved a lot in a short span and yeah, it would be a shame if he stops now. I think there's still more to gain for him." There's no questioning the fact that Lesnar accomplished a lot in the short amount of time he was involved in the sport. He signed a deal with the UFC in 2008, won the heavyweight championship that same year after just two fight with the promotion and successfully defended it twice over the next two years. But once he was hit with diverticulitis he was simply never the same. Cain Velasquez embarrassed him in the first round of their UFC 121 fight to take the 265-pound title and now Overeem has done the same at UFC 141 just over a year later, taking his last chance to earn a crack at winning it back. Really, this seems like the proper time for Lesnar to call it quits. Does he have more to gain in the sport? Overeem says he does but it doesn't quite seem that way to me. Maniacs, what do you think?

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, year, lesnar

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS -- He came, he fought, he left. After a career that spanned just shy of 55 months and only eight fights, Brock Lesnar is calling it quits. So he says. So he declared after a TKO loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 on Friday night. If he changes his mind once his body and his ego have both healed up, he won't be the first. But if the 34-year-old former UFC heavyweight champ really has strapped on his last pair of 4XL gloves, what does his departure mean for the UFC and the sport of MMA? How will we remember Lesnar once we don't have the former WWE star to kick around anymore? More Coverage: UFC 141 Results | UFC 141 Fighter Salaries For UFC president Dana White, the answer probably has at least a little something to do with dollars and cents. Despite his inexperience in the cage, Lesnar immediately became one of the top pay-per-view draws for the organization after signing on in 2007. Whether it was because fans wanted to see him win or desperately hoped to see him lose, he put butts in seats and money in the bank for the UFC. He may not have always been the easiest guy for the UFC brass to work with, but he was a dependable cash cow. And now, just like that, he's gone. "I had no idea he was going to do that," White told reporters at the post-fight press conference. "Am I surprised? No. Brock Lesnar's made a lot of money in his career and he's achieved a lot of things. Brock Lesnar came to me one night here at the MGM and pulled me aside and said, 'I want to fight in the UFC.' I laughed. He was 1-0, came from the WWE, and he brought a lot of excitement to the heavyweight division. What that man accomplished in a short amount of time with one [prior] fight is amazing. I get it. It doesn't shock me, but I didn't know." For the man who could turn out to be Lesnar's final opponent, the news seemed to come as more of a surprise, and maybe even a bit of disappointment. "I think he shouldn't walk away, because love him or hate him, it's always something when Brock's fighting," Overeem said. "...He's a guy who goes for it. I think he achieved a lot in a short span, and it would be a shame if he stops now." And yet, the Lesnar who got battered and beaten by Overeem didn't seem to be one who was burning up with an unquenchable competitive fire. He fought a reactive fight -- one devoid of the raw aggression he'd displayed in his earlier bouts. He never committed to getting Overeem to the mat, and a few well placed body shots sent him scurrying for cover. When Overeem whipped his shin across Lesnar's midsection, that was all it took to convince the former NCAA wrestling champ that it was time to cover up and go home, perhaps for the last time. What does that ignominious end mean for Lesnar's legacy? Odds are it will only solidify the oft-repeated criticism that he never really got comfortable with being hit. When Lesnar was on offense, he was a juggernaut that mowed down everything in his path. But when an opponent managed to turn the tables he tended to shy away from the blows, going from attack mode to full retreat in a few seconds. %VIRTUAL-Gallery-142683% Some of that can be attributed to inexperience. After a pro debut against the thoroughly forgettable Min-Soo Kim, the bulk of Lesnar's MMA education took place on the job. He fought many of the best heavyweights around without the benefit of a gradual build-up or even much cage time in which to get comfortable. He was a star from the very beginning, and he was held to an almost impossibly high standard. He was also paid accordingly, making his relatively short stint in the UFC a highly profitable one. But if he really is done with the sport, will Lesnar be remembered as a great heavyweight, or simply a memorable one? There's no denying his star-power, but did he accomplish enough to be known as anything more than a lightning rod with incredible athletic ability and raw physical potential? It's difficult to say, in part because it's hard not to wonder what he might have accomplished had he not been laid low by diverticulitis at the height of his career. Instead of challenging Junior dos Santos earlier this year, Lesnar had to go under the knife to have 12 inches of his colon removed. It might not have had any bearing on his fight with Overeem, but his health struggles almost certainly influenced his decision to hang up the gloves when he did, and deprived him of precious time to carve out more of a fighting legacy for himself. Lesnar was a man who came to MMA relatively late in life and now seems intent on leaving early. He was memorable, even if he fell short of true athletic greatness, and he brought mainstream attention to the sport at an important time in MMA's evolution. Maybe when we look back on his brief career, that's what we'll remember most. Not that he dominated or even that he stuck around long enough to find out what he was fully capable of, but that he did a lot in a very little time, and he left the sport in better condition than he found it. Maybe that's enough for him to feel satisfied in retirement. Maybe it has to be. And sure, maybe all the money he made in the process doesn't hurt either. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, mma, time, overeem, lesnar

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

The final week of 2011 has arrived, and though the year may not have delivered on the public’s long-standing dream of flying cars and laser-blasters it was certainly a period filled with memorable months from a Mixed Martial Arts viewpoint. We witnessed champions fall in dramatic fashion, prospects rise from the ranks to become divisional kings, and numerous fighters emerge victorious by the skin of their teeth. We saw shocking signings and ridiculous releases; countless classics and numerous nod-offers; moves in the ring unlike any other before and some hopefully never seen again. With the close of the year, Five Ounces of Pain is bringing you our annual awards as we wind things down and get ready for the adventures 2012 will undoubtedly bring. Over the next few days we will announce our winners in somewhat unique categories with a final batch of standard distinctions handed out on Monday, January 2, once all the year’s performances have been turned in. As always, 5 Oz. invites our readers to offer their own opinions in the “Comments” section on who should have taken home the hardware (or in this case digital love). We would not be here without you, and rest assured the Staff not only appreciates your contributions from a “page view” standpoint, but genuinely enjoys reading our community’s take on topics. Have an incredibly fun, albeit safe, NYE weekend! – Most Epic Event – UFC 139: Any event featuring one of MMA’s all time greatest bouts is surely going down as a memorable one. When an event contains not only an all time classic, but some breathtaking action from top to bottom as well, it has to go down as the best of the year. From the very first Facebook fight to the epic main event, UFC 139 delivered on every level and then some. After some terrific finishes on the prelims, the main card started somewhat slowly with Stephan Bonnar’s dominant but unspectacular win over Kyle Kingsbury. However, the pace quickly picked up once again after that, as Martin Kampmann and Rick Story battled in a highly entertaining affair that saw the Xtreme Couture product edge out his foe by the slimmest of margins. Urijah Faber then produced one of the best finishing sequence ever witnessed inside the Octagon to dispose of Brian Bowles, before Wanderlei Silva rolled back the years with a vintage cringe-inducing beating of former Strikeforce middleweight champ Cung Le. But the night would belong to Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who put on one of the most thrilling bouts in MMA history, which was later deemed by many to be the best fight of all time. While that notion is debatable, the fact that Henderson and “Shogun” produced one for the ages is anything but, making UFC 139 worthy of being called 2012’s most epic event. – Best Performance in a Losing Role – Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139: I have a hard time calling “Shogun” a loser in his fight at UFC 139 against Henderson, not only because I thought he won the fight or, at worst, it should have been ruled a draw, but when you go five rounds with “Hendo” at light heavyweight, live to tell about it, and put on what many are calling one of the best UFC fights of all-time then I think loser is a pretty harsh term. Seemingly done multiple times during the bout, Rua managed to survive multiple “H-Bombs” and, like a true warrior, fought back with Ginn-Su swords and ninja stars. Rua displayed the kind of heart that Edgar Allen Poe wrote about in his famous short-story. – Most Disappointing Moment – Georges St. Pierre’s inability to fight: GSP is one of the premier talents in MMA; a top pound-for-pound fighter whose athleticism and technique are rarely matched on any level in the sport. However, while he may possess a spectacular Superman Punch, he is in fact a mere mortal as proven by a series of injuries shelving him for more than a year. To endure the roller-coaster ride from the past few months has been rough in particular, seeing two fights with Nick Diaz laid to waste and a third against Carlos Condit experience the same fate. Heal up, champ! “Da Riddum” Nation needs you! Check back in tomorrow when we discuss the awards for Most Meteoric Rise, “Who Saw That Coming,” and Old Timer of the Year! You can also catch yesterday’s honors to see who took home the Beatdown of the Year, Trash-Talk Gone Wrong, and “Sometimes These Things Happen in MMA” trophies… PHOTO CREDIT – COMBAT LIFESTYLE

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, event, year

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Filed under: UFCIn analyzing a matchup, you look at past history as a projection tool for future performance. But what does the recent past mean for either Brock Lesnar or Alistair Overeem? Lesnar hasn't fought in over a year, time spent mostly recovering from a serious recurrence of diverticulitis that necessitated removal of a diseased 12-inch section of his colon. Life's also been fairly rocky for Overeem, who split with his longtime team Golden Glory, was temporarily released from his Zuffa contract, and most recently returned home to help his mother battle through cancer. His last time out in the cage wasn't exactly telling, either. He fought just once in 2011, a bout which he won by decision against Fabricio Werdum that is mostly remembered for lengthy stretches of inactivity. Suffice it to say, neither fighter comes into the UFC 141 main event with major momentum. Complicating the matter of predicting this fight is question marks in each man's game. For Overeem, it's his defensive wrestling. We all know that Lesnar will go for the takedown at the first available opportunity. Will Overeem be capable of stopping him? According to FightMetric, Overeem stops 76 percent of takedown tries. That's a great number, but when you look at who he's fought, how many real wrestling threats he has had to shut down? He really hasn't faced a prime functional MMA wrestler since 2003, when he lost to Chuck Liddell. At the time, Overeem was 23 years old and practically a stick figure compared to his current appearance. Since then, the only fighter he's faced with a strong wrestling background was Kaz Fujita, who was 39 years old at the time and came into the match losing four of six. Only two of his last 10 opponents have managed to put Overeem on his back: Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt. Lesnar has better wrestling credentials than any of those recent foes, and he's also bigger and stronger than them. On the other hand, it's certainly fair to wonder how Lesnar will respond to Overeem's vaunted striking game. Lesnar had big trouble against each of his last two foes, Cain Velasquez and Shane Carwin when it came to standup. A former K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Overeem is far more accomplished than either of those men, and he's KO'd three of his last four MMA opponents. Overeem is also known for his powerful knees, a technique that can be a major deterrent for a wrestler looking to go at the legs for a takedown. Lesnar once pointed out how he had a head "like a ball-peen hammer," but in each of his last two fights, he's taken a lot of punches in a short amount of time, and didn't look like he much enjoyed it. If he had spent a significant amount of time over the last few months further adjusting to standup, we might expect him to look more comfortable as he tries to close the distance, but since he was simply in a bed recovering for a lot of that time, it's unlikely to expect much change in that regard. And so this fight will be like an old-school MMA bout, the wrestler knowing he can only win by taking it to the ground, and the striker needing to stay on his feet. Which is more likely to happen? I expect this one to get off to a slow start as Lesnar decides upon the timing of an approach and Overeem comes out ready to defend the first shot. A lot of the fight's outcome will depend on their first engagement. If Lesnar quickly takes Overeem down, he gets the early momentum. And let's face it, most of Lesnar's opponents have not been able to get back up when he's gotten them to the mat. He has great positioning and can inflict some damage from the top. But Cain Velasquez showed it is possible to get back to your feet against him. Of course, Velasquez, like Lesnar, has a decorated wrestling background, so he's quite familiar with working his way up from that position. Overeem doesn't have that in his background, and as previously mentioned, he hasn't recently faced wrestlers, so we don't really know if he'll wilt under there or be able to use his athleticism to get back up. Overeem also hasn't let reporters in on his pre-fight training, so we don't know how much exposure he had to top level wrestlers. Since he had more than three months to prepare and spent some time at Xtreme Couture, we have to assume that it was a focus of his camp. And while it's not enough to completely cancel out Lesnar's experience edge there, it might enough to keep him upright long enough to hurt the former UFC champion. UFC president Dana White likes to point out that "styles make fights," and that's exactly what's riveting about this one. Generally speaking, a good wrestler beats a good striker 75 percent of the time because he can control position, but heavyweights bring so much power to the table that one strike can change the outcome in a flash. Overeem's récent troubles are enough to keep a man unfocused, but Lesnar wasn't even working out for most of 2011, and that seems far more problematic. His surgery was seven months ago, and he only began training again in September. That may have provided him enough time to return to normal physically, but it didn't allow him any time to expand his arsenal or even shake off ring rust. Overeem has been more active and doesn't have any lingering doubt about his body betraying him. If Lesnar still has doubts about his own health, we'll see them. Overeem may only need to stop one takedown to turn the tide for good. I'm betting he's able to stay upright long enough to win. Overeem in a second-round TKO. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, overeem, lesnar, he, wrestler

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on DstryrSG, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Quickly ... Merry Christmas, grappler.  Don't worry.  This won't take long.  There's plenty of time for you to get back to playing with all your video games and Lego sets and excessive dessert consumption.  But, for now and in this moment, it's Jiu Jitsu time. Now that we've gotten all the pleasantries aside and you know we care about you, lets time to get to the important stuff.  What better way to enjoy your holiday time than with a solid bread 'n butter technique from the Kurt Osiander, the man who pretty much owns the term "move of the week" (we think, at least).  In this week's video, he's showing a very proper way to defeat the defensive mounted opponent. Read More and Watch the Video...

Posted in: time, video,   theres plenty, term move, lego sets

Read the full article at Middle Easy

The last time fans saw Fabricio Werdum inside the ring it resulted in a lackluster, at times confusing, performance against Alistair Overeem in the semifinal round of the Strikeforce World Grand Prix. During the bout Werdum repeatedly pulled guard rather than engage the hard-hitting Dutchman and never truly tried to force the issue through grappling. When Werdum steps into the Octagon at UFC 143 against Roy Nelson he will attempt to erase memories of the match-up from the public’s conscience by turning in a far better showing. And, according to the 34-year old submission-specialist, he’s confident in his ability to do so based on some adjustments to his training schedule since then. Werdum Lobbies for UFC Return “Back then I was training too much and I suffered from overtraining,” Werdum revealed in a conversation with TATAME. “The fight was cancelled twice. I don’t give excuses when I lose, but it was different this time. I went through the line. Now I got in my mind I gotta speak less and do more. UFC and the fans want shows. I’ll get in the ring to knockout or be knocked out, there’s no other way. I’ll do my best in there.” “After my last defeat I focused on weight lifting and conditioning trainings because I guess I lacked strength against Overeem,” he continued. “I’m training Jiu-Jitsu with the gi again, which is very important. Joao Assis is helping me a lot.” Werdum also explained he understand putting away a tricky opponent like Nelson is easier said than done, stating, “There’s no easy fight anymore. Everybody knows a little bit of everything: Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Boxing, Muay Thai. It’s a different time we’re living in. Nelson knocked Mirko Filipovic out, he has a very strong right hand, sharp Boxing, but I’ll impose my rhythm and play by my game plan until I tire him out. Knocking out or submitting, I want to make it a good show.” Fans can catch the two big men battle it out on February 4 as part of a card featuring Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit in the main event with an interim welterweight title on the line. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: time, alistair overeem, werdum, fabricio werdum, i ’ll

Read the full article at Fighters.com

There are three certainties in life: death, taxes and Matt Riddle smiling and grinning wherever life takes him. Outside of the cage -- and inside of it. Whether being hugged by a loved one, or punched in the face by a foe. In victory, and in defeat.“If you watch a tape of me wrestling in high school you’ll see me with a big Kool-Aid grin on my face,” the 25-year-old Pennsylvania native recently said before a training session at Throwdown Training Center in Las Vegas. “Whether it was at states or nationals, I had a smile on my face. Even when I competed in Grappler’s Quest, I beat (world-class grappler) Ryan Hall and I’m smiling the entire time, having a good time, and he’s getting frustrated. That’s when I’m most dangerous, when I have a big grin on my face. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to be standing on the other side of that.”As it turns out, Brazil’s Luis Ramos (19-7) will be the one “standing on the other side” of Riddle’s grin this Friday at UFC 141. The undercard bout comes at an interesting time for Riddle: He tied the knot with his fiancée, Lisa, two weeks ago. If you’re thinking the wedding may have distracted Riddle, or disrupted his preparation, think again. Riddle wanted the wedding and an Octagon appearance to be bunched together. “There was already a date for the wedding but I actually asked Joe Silva if I could fight December 30th. I figured that if I get the fight AFTER the wedding, then I wouldn’t have any bruises or cuts for the wedding,” said Riddle. “We wanted to get married before the end of the year so it worked out perfect.”Before giving Riddle too much credit, realize that he didn’t have it so hard other than his three-a-day workouts. A wedding planner he was not.  “All Lisa,” he said. “The only thing I picked was the food and the booze. And I couldn’t drink or eat, so it was kind of torturous.” With a honeymoon on the horizon, Riddle (5-3) is for now completely focused on Ramos, who trains at one of the best camps in the world under trainer Andre Pederneiras. “He’s a really good jiu-jitsu and judo practitioner,” Riddle said. “He likes to take people down and control them. He really doesn’t make too many mistakes. The thing is, I haven’t seen him really trying to finish the fight, and I’m going to be there to finish the fight. I’m going to try to knock him out or submit him. I hit really hard, so I’m pretty sure I can knock him out. That’s how he usually loses. I respect everything about him but I’m pretty sure I’m going to come out there and stuff the takedown. It’s my time now. His time is up.” Clearly back-to-back decision losses have had little effect on Riddle’s confidence. “My last two fights I’ve lost, but I’ve also learned more and become more confident and gained more experience,” he explained. “And I’ve put on great performances and had a blast in my last two fights. I didn’t go out there to win; I went out there to have fun. The last two guys I fought got cut up, went to the hospital and looked way worse than me.”With durability as one of his hallmarks, Riddle is trying to become more of a technician and a strategist. “You can’t fight at that pace all the time and I don’t plan on fighting at that pace all of the time. It’s impossible and it’s not good for you,” Riddle said. “But at the same time I like to pressure my opponents and push the pace to get people tired. Sometimes you have to take a little damage to dish out a little damage. It’s part of the game. That helps me because when somebody hits you as hard as they can, and you get back up and still keep coming at them, they get tired and start to think less of themselves. I know if I hit somebody as hard as I can and they just keep coming forward – it worries me. Because when I hit somebody as hard as I can I think they should drop.” A father of twin girls, Allison and Amy, Riddle said parenting has lit a fire under him. “When I get in there it just makes me a meaner person,” he said. “I need to take care of these kids and my wife. When I first started fighting in the UFC I was a pretty nice guy. Over the years I’ve gotten meaner and I think that’s a good thing. That’s the one thing that has changed about me a lot.”

Posted in: time, ’t, i ’m, riddle, ’m

Read the full article at UFC

After months of experimenting with an earlier start time, UFC 141 returns to the old start time of 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, although it is on a different day than normal for PPVs.

Posted in: ufc, time, day, pm, return

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Whatever you think Nick Diaz is doing at this exact moment, he's not doing it. That's just using applied statistics. The probability of a person doing or thinking the same thing as you during the same moment is astronomically against you. The best anyone can do is cull historical data and use it to predict what a person is doing at any given time. That's basically we did in our new list of 'The Top Ten Curiously Interesting Videos Nick Diaz has Favorited on YouTube.' Nick Diaz hasn't exactly embraced social media with open arms. Not at all. It's more like he's been taunting social media and slapped it in its face a couple times. However, the 209er has been an active participant of YouTube for nearly five years. We decided to dive into the NickDiaz209 channel and see what we can truly find out about the former Strikeforce welterweight champion. It's a shame that I have to explain the science of 'Blaster Master' to an entire generation of kids that's never stepped foot in an arcade or even methodically blew into a NES cartridge in hopes that it would work. Before Kinect, Xbox 360 and Runescape, there was Blaster Master. It was revolutionary simply because it provided the player an option to experience the game both within a vehicle and on foot. That's right, back in 1988 you didn't really have to do much to make our heads ignite in amazement. Blaster Master follows the storyline of every young kid in the late-80s: Boy is in love with frog, frog escapes the oppressive glass container the boy put him in, frog jumps into a radioactive container conveniently placed in the boy's backyard, frog grows to mythic proportions and burrows deep within the earth, boy irresponsibly jumps in the hole only to find a fully equipped armored vehicle with a giant gun attached and armor in the driver seat. Granted it's no ordinary gun. Not at all. This one has the unique ability of 360 degree firing for the sake of conquering evil. I've never finished the game. It still remains as an unwritten chapter in my life. What I remember is using an exploit where you shoot a grenade at the first boss, push pause, and while the game is frozen, the boss still takes damage and eventually dies. Perhaps Nick Diaz favorited this video in order to reacquaint himself with perhaps the greatest theme music that's ever been placed in an 8-bit game. That music is the stuff gods are made out of. That music will make you want to strap on a headband and climb a really tall tree.   This guy I know from the 209 named 'Brock' told me that at some point in their life, all 209ers will be handcuffed for a brief period of time. It must be one of those 'rites of passages' things that you see on the Discovery channel when tribes force kids to endure incredibly difficult tasks just to be considered a man. The art of escaping handcuffs is something that any reasonable citizen should learn. We're not saying Nick Diaz has been shackled before, but he's taking preventive measures -- and that should be admired. It's impossible to 'be scared, homie' when you're 'prepared, homie.' Take note, and explore the techniques of escaping handcuffs. Nick Diaz has, and he's riding an 11-0 winning streak. Coincidence? I think not.   If you're not familiar with Alex Grey, then you've deprived yourself from staring at one of his psychedelic masterpieces while listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. If you've never done ayahuasca, then you've deprived yourself from actually visiting the dark side of the moon while being a psychedelic masterpiece. I'll try to write the rest of this without consulting Wikipedia or Erowid since I've spent the better part of my life listening to every Terence McKenna lecture that's been released on tape. Back in the days before modern transportation and television, the shamans of South America used to keep busy by consuming massive amounts of hallucinogenics. These substances would transport the shamans to radically new planes of existence and when they finally 'return' back to earth, they will have extracted some sort of esoteric knowledge to bring back to their tribe. This could be anything from finding an apparent cure to an illness, or something as insignificant as recognizing that the back of one's hand looks mindblowing under the influence of psychedelics. Through endlessly wandering through the Amazon rainforest, shamans found a vine that was incredibly dense in 5-MeO-Dimethyltryptamine (perhaps the strongest hallucinogenic ever discovered, a derivative of regular DMT which is actually found within your body). However, in order to experience the substance, one would need to combine the vine with an MAO inhibitor so that the psychedelic properties won't get destroyed in digestion. Somehow these shamans randomly found a leaf that serves as the perfect MAO inhibitor, which was naturally grown hundreds of miles away on the opposite end of the Amazon rainforest. Once both substances are combined, the result is called 'ayahuasca' and it will literally transport you to another time and place -- just ask Robin Quivers. For Nick Diaz to favorite this video on YouTube, we're assuming he already knows the process of ayahuasca -- and that's amazing.   Stop for one second and imagine a thirteen-year-old Nick Diaz jamming out to Sneaker Pimps' debut album inside his room in Stockton, California. I share the same birthday with Diaz, so I was most likely be doing the same thing. While Portishead may have given birth to the trip-hop movement in the early 90s, Sneaker Pimps undoubtedly defined the genre for years to come. With Kelli Dayton's vampirish vocals and Liam Howe's electronica-inspired production, Sneaker Pimps' 'Becoming X' had six singles from the album rise to the top of US, UK and Australian dance charts. The album even went gold, and the video for '6 Underground' became a MTV staple in the mid/late 90s. So what do you do when you have an incredibly successful album with a singer that every teenager in high-school crushed on? Well, you kick the singer out of the band on your sophomore album and replace her vocals with your androgynous guitar player. There's nothing necessarily bad with 'Splinter,' Sneaker Pimps' second album. The video for 'Low Five' even starts off with a little slow-motion jiu-jitsu. However, everyone seems to overlook that it's an incredibly dick thing to kick out the lead singer of the band just because every photographer wanted to feature Kelli Dayton as the focus of every photo captured of Sneaker Pimps. She can't help it if she's uniquely attractive (and she still is). The band went on to create 'Bloodsport,' an album that is actually on par with Becoming X. Since this is MiddleEasy and we have a strong fascination with going deep into details that some may deem insignificant, Sneaker Pimps eventually disbanded in 2005 and Chris Corner went on to create IAMX. The inspiration for IAMX's debut album seemed to be derived from an exploration in depression, promiscuous sexual practices, casual drug use, the death of religion and a strong questioning against authority. It's basically a manifesto for everyone in the 209. Unfortunately, Nick Diaz's musical interests has never ventured to the many projects that spawned from Sneaker Pimps, including Kelli Dayton's 2008 album 'Rocking Horse' which is so far from the music she created on Becoming X. I'm assuming Nick Diaz favorited 'Six Underground' in hopes that the band will one day reunite and reignite trip-hop. Either that, or he's still obsessed with Kelli Dayton. Both explanations I can totally understand.   If Jon Bones Jones admits to learning moves from fight scenes he's watched on YouTube, the MMA world can only hope that for his next fight, Nick Diaz will rock a Jheri curl while simultaneously ripping off his shirt and screaming for no apparent reason. This following fight scene is from a 1993 movie called 'Undefeatable' (yes, that's actually the name of the movie) and according to IMDB, the storyline is equally as complex. "Kristi Jones (Cynthia Rothrock) avenges her sister's death at the hands of a crazed martial arts rapist." As Miguel Torres and Forrest Griffin taught us, there's nothing funny with 'rape' and 'martial arts.' However, when you throw in two grunting men that would much rather prefer to lick knives and forcefully remove their shirts instead of actually fighting, then it's downright hilarious. Check out the 'best fight scene of all time' from Undefeatable, a clip that Diaz has probably laughed at an innumerable amount of times.   Ayn Rand's theory of objectivism is so perfect of a philosophy, that it will never be widely accepted in Western culture. According to Rand, the acceptance of God gives humans the right to act irrationally and that by not believing in God, it forces humanity to follow an objective path of reason. I just granted every college student 6-9 credits towards their bachelors in philosophy with that explanation. Essentially, every question that could ever be asked regarding Ayn Rand is just another variation of the answer that I just provided. Don't believe me, go ahead and try. Judging from other videos Nick Diaz favorited on YouTube, he appears to be an atheist on the constant exploration of disapproving his own belief. Ayn Rand would appreciate that, and so would every philosophy professor that gave me a 'C' at The University of Arizona. Check out this clip of the smartest woman who has ever lived going head-to-head with Phil Donahue in the early 80s.   When I was in after-school daycare, I would lug around a pirated tape of this movie and convince the supervisors to throw 'Bloodsport' in the VCR and let our entire class watch it. They didn't care about the gratuitous violence nor did they worry about the entire premise of the movie, which essentially involves a no-ruled fighting tournament in which the loser is executed by his opponent. The only thing they were concerned about was nudity within the film, and fortunately Bloodsport's only nude scene is a very brief portion where Jean-Claude Van Damme's rear-end shows as he pulls up his underwear. Granted, that's more of a miraculous moment in cinema history than it is 'nudity.' Nick Diaz grew up with the same fascination of Frank Dux that everyone else had in our generation. The only thing is, he followed his dreams whereas everyone else settled for a second-rate existence trapped in a cubicle at some job they don't even like. It's safe to assume that if Nick Diaz had a theme song for every time he made a public appearance, 'Fight to Survive' would be playing in the background.   The fact that Nick Diaz sat in front of his computer and watched this mundane interview regarding antidepressant studies is so incredible -- that it's depressing in itself. Perhaps the greatest thing is if you look at the comment section on the YouTube page, it's filled with stuff like 'Stockton 209 bitches!' and 'Nick Diaz!' I'm sure this isn't what iHealthTube intended, but at the end of the day, if Nick Diaz didn't favorite this video, no one out there would even know it existed.   When I worked in the produce department of Albertsons just before college, my manager was a stout believer this planet has no core. He believed that it was actually hollow inside and one must enter the inside of earth from the North Pole. There's actually a name for it. It's called 'Hollow Earth Theory' and some people believe that explorers in the past have actually visited the 'inner earth' and discovered a race of giants that lived in lush gardens in very sustainable temperature. Sure it's a theory that could be proven through rudimentary topographical data of the North Pole, however believers in the Hollow Earth Theory claim that no such evidence exists. The reason for the 'North Pole passage' is to 'neutralize the pressure' between the outer earth and the inner earth. Look, I can't pretend like I understand any of this stuff. You should probably watch this video explaining the theory, something that Nick Diaz has watched one afternoon in Stockton, California.   100 years from now, Dan Quinn's Youtube clips will be studied by historians and they will all collectively agree that he was ahead of his time. Way ahead of his time. Dan Quinn claims that he's discovered an elixir for eternal youth which also doubles as a fuel source that can save the earth. It's all based on a cocktail of Stevia, marijuana and 'pure-h20'. Apparently this mixture has enabled Dan Quinn to have an MMA record of 5-6-1. Now the dude has aimed his bong inspired Youtube rants directly at Nick Diaz. Originally, my plan was to present you guys with the completed 'The Saint of Stevia' film, something that we started on in November 2010. Around this time last year, we released a trailer with the promise that the feature documentary would soon follow. Well, a year later we're still not done with the project. It's coming, but so is a lot of other stuff at MiddleEasy. Hopefully this video of Dan Quinn directly addressing Nick Diaz will hold you over until then.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, time, nick, video

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Yesterday we talked about Chael Sonnen's return to TSN's Off the Record to speak with Michael Landsberg. The first time the men talked, Sonnen stormed off after a rather smug performance by Landsberg. This time the interview actually has some length to it. Here's the full video: Again, here is the best quote from the interview: "I'm done with the guy. He and I have no business. He's cold product. He's like jheri curls and Pepsi Clear. He's yesterday's news. I destroyed this guy back when he was tough. That was years ago. He's so far over the hill and so far past his prime that it's not worth talking about. I'm going to become the No. 1 contender on January 28th and despite what you may think, I'm not going to use that voucher to fight Anderson Silva. I'll be looking at (Jon) Jones, (Junior) dos Santos and possibly (Georges) St. Pierre. I will take that voucher to Dana White and pick one of those three guys. My time with Anderson is done."

Posted in: time, guy, he, michael landsberg, product hes

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

In the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and its parent company, ZUFFA LLC, have a stranglehold on the best fighters in the world. The promotion/company has literally made millions since its dubious inception, bringing the sport to the limelight. Fighters have went from having one raw style in the early days to now having three or more at their disposal by the time they enter the hallowed Octagon. We have seen true legends of the sport emerge like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva and Fedor Emelianenko, to the current champions (and future legends) such as Georges St. PIerre and Anderson Silva. But as far as MMA goes, there are many more fighters than just those competing in the UFC. Indeed, there are great fighters who -- in many peoples opinions -- will go down as some of the greatest even if they compete in the UFC. That raises the burning question: Are the best in the sport decided by the fans or an organization that claims to have to best fighters in the world? Regardless of your opinion, which you are encourage to share in the comments section below, there are many greats outside of the UFC. Check out the new and improved list after the jump: 10.) Cole Konrad NCAA champion and current Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Cole Konrad is a powerhouse wrestler with solid ground and pound and top control. Why is he ranked so low? Konrad has yet to be tested against a solid heavyweight with more than a puncher's chance. He struggled with Paul Buentello once he tried to strike. but Konrad has the potential to evolve and become a great fighter in the near future. 9.) "Crusher" Tatsuya Kawajiri Tatsuya Kawajiri was a top lightweight fighter and is now perfect (1-0) in the featherweight division. He boasts solid TDD, brutal ground and pound, solid striking and is one of the best Japanese wrestlers today. Why is he ranked so low? "Crusher" has fought some tough lightweights, but unfortunately, has come out on the losing end of those fights. He was stopped by Takanori Gomi in his prime, Gilbert Melendez and Shinya Aoki. Kawajiri's status at lightweight was becoming nothing more than a gatekeeper; however, at featherweight, Kawajiri's status is highly likely to improve. 8.) Glover Teixeira Teixeira is a very durable striker with vicious knockout power in both hands, he has very solid submissions and takedown defense and is without a doubt one of the scariest looking dudes in MMA today. He possesses a ton of natural potential and may very well be the best light heavyweights outside of ZUFFA. Why is he ranked so low? Teixeira's last victory was over Ricco Rodriguez by knockout, which now isn't as hard a task as it was six or seven years ago. Teixeira hasn't fought a solid veteran or someone coming off of a dominant win streak in quite some time. 7.) Michael Chandler Michael Chandler proved against Eddie Alvarez that he was the "chosen one" to bring gold back to Xtreme Couture, showing incredible wrestling, improved boxing, punching power and the heart to be a champion. Not to mention he put on one of the best fights in recent memory. Why is he ranked so low? Name his last opponents prior to the "Pitbull" win? Chandler showed weaknesses in the Alvarez fight and seemed to be slowing down as the fight went on. He has all the potential in the world right now and hopefully we will see this man rematch Alvarez sooner rather than later. 6.) Mamed Khalidov Khalidov has brutal knockout power in both hands, high level kickboxing, brutal submissions and a vastly improving all around game. Khalidov may not be fighting the cream of the crop at middleweight and light heavyweight, but the way he is winning and how easily he is doing it deserves recognition. Why is he ranked low? Well, as stated before, Khalidov just isn't fighting the cream of the crop, and he has two losses to Jorge Santiago, who had an extremely unimpressive UFC run. 5.) Nate Marquardt Nate Marquardt -- although inactive since -- March still holds impressive highlight-reel knockouts and submissions over top fighters while he was in the UFC. Marquardt now competes at welterweight, posing a significant threat to any welterweight or middleweight fighter outside Zuffa. Why is he ranked low? Marquardt has been inactive for a while and unheard from for quite some time. Marquardt's unimpressive losses that many, most notably Dana White, believe he because of choking have hindered him from being ranked higher. 4.) Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko The King is no longer with Zuffa! Fedor Emelianenko will go down in history as one the greatest fighters to ever walk the face of this Earth. Despite his recent setbacks, Fedor is a dangerous opponent for any heavyweight fighter and has proven this time and time again. Why is he ranked low? Fedor had an unimpressive run in Strikeforce, losing to Antonio Silva, Fabricio Werdum and Dan Henderson, who all cannot be overlooked. Fedor was the favorite in all three of those fights, which he lost by being finished by all three of those men. Fedor's dominant aura has been slowed up and he may not be the fighter he once was. Regardless, he's still a dangerous dude. 3.) Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki Shinya Aoki has collected more arms than Ronda Rousey, more legs than Paul Sass and more necks than Kenny Florian. He is a dangerous Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who can get the fight to the ground at any chance given and may just be the best MMA grappler on the planet. Why is he ranked low? Aoki stepped up on the big scene and lost to Gilbert Melendez in a fight where "El Nino" shut himi down from start to finish. He also got defeated by a pure kickboxer in a "SPECIAL RULES" MMA bout. Aoki needs to work on his striking defense and offense if he hopes to someday rematch Melendez and/or compete in the UFC. 2.) Jussier Da Silva Jussier Da Silva was the top dog before his loss to Ian McCall; however, since then he's rebounded with three wins over top 10 flyweight competitors, showcasing high-level jiu-jitsu and an ever improving striking game Why isn't he number 1? Mainly because exposure to the flyweight division isn't all that good. He has struggled in the past and is lacking in the stand up area. However, if he continues to dominate, he will be in the UFC no time. 1.) Hector Lombard Now that Eddie Alvarez has took a fall from grace, Lombard continues to reign over Bellator and the Independent region of middleweights. Why is he number 1? Lombard looks unstoppable. He has dangerous striking and knockout power, solid submissions, good take downs and has proven to be one of the most dominant figures outside of ZUFFA for a long time. He is virtually a problem for any fighter at 185 pounds today. Thanks for joining me guys and your NON ZUFFA Top 10 comments below and share opinions and thoughts, also don't forget to leave your votes on the poll. Who did I miss? Honorable Mentions: Eddie Alvarez, Ben Askren, Jay Hieron, Bibiano Fernandes, Christian M'Pumbu, Daniel Weichel, Joe Warren and Patricio Freire. Poll Who is the best Fighter not under the ZUFFA umbrella Hector Lombard Glover Teixeira J.D Silva Fedor Emelianenko Mike Chandler Mamed Khalidov Nate Marquardt Shinya Aoki Tatsuya Kawajiri Cole Konrad Bob Sapp Other/express in comment section   189 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, time, fighter, zuffa, fedor

Read the full article at MMA Mania

It’s the holiday season and after fighting off crazed moms who just have to get that last bottle of Justin Bieber shampoo, I finally finished my MMA Christmas shopping. I couldn’t find a gift for everyone but I think I did well and hopefully all the fighters and MMA personalities appreciate all the thought and money I put into their gifts. Lets have a look under the tree and see what we have, shall we? To Dana White: A filter. This isn’t a filter that goes in your hot tub or pool though; this filter goes between your brain and your mouth. It catches anything stupid that you might be thinking of saying, like burying your former and current heavyweight champion in front of 8 million viewers or responding to trolls on twitter. To Gilbert Melendez: Two more fences. Right now Melendez competes in a hexagonal cage. Add two more fences and he’ll be in an octagon, which is exactly where he should be. Melendez has proven himself in Strikeforce and he needs to be moved up before people start to sour on him for not finishing opponents or he ends up dropping a fight. To Mike Goldberg: A thesaurus. I’ve harped on this for a very long time, but I’m pretty sure Goldberg only knows two adjectives to describe women; beautiful and lovely. There are three ring girls, can he not come up with another adjective to describe them? Or at least mix it up a bit? Brittney can be lovely, Chandella can be beautiful. To Jon Jones: A replica UFC title. Will you sign this, please? A Samer Kadi Stocking Stuffer – To Jones: Some fans. To Jose Aldo: 5 less feet. For some reason Aldo has lost that killer instinct in the UFC. I’m just going to blame it the fact that the WEC cage was only 25 feet while the UFC cage is 30 feet. So for all Aldo fights, we’re just going to remove five feet of cage so Aldo starts finishing guys in spectacular fashion again. To Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem: A game plan. Make sure you follow it. We can’t have the last PPV of the year and the #1 contender fight for the heavyweight title ending in 64 seconds because one of you guys didn’t follow the game plan. A Samer Kadi Stocking Stuffer – To Lesnar and Overeem: A negative drug test. To Any Average Heavyweight: Two less minutes. I vote that every heavyweight fight that doesn’t involve one of the top ten heavyweights in the world only have three minute rounds. That way guys don’t have to be carried back to their corner at the end of 10 minutes and still have to fight for 5 more minutes. To Chael Sonnen: A free trip to Brazil. Go there to fight Anderson Silva, go there for a nice vacation, or give it to someone you hate. Just make sure you don’t bow upon arrival. To Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre: A clean bill of health. These two men fought a combined three times in 2011. Jon Jones fought four times. They are two of the best fighters of all-time, one is the most exciting champion is the sport, one is the most purchased (PPV buys) champion in the sport, and yet neither of them saw enough cage time in 2011. To Jon Fitch: Some respect. Because of his style, Fitch is often overlooked in the welterweight division. He’s only lost once in the UFC, to GSP, and he seems to be stuck in the same position he’s been at for years now. When a big time 170 fight opens up, Fitch usually isn’t the one getting the call. To B.J. Penn and Forrest Griffin: Some matches. I don’t know what it is with these two but when they’re into the fight and feeling it, you know you’re in for a great fight. But when they’re not feeling it or they’re taken out of the fight by their opponent, it’s just sad to watch these former champions pack it in. Hopefully some matches help them regain that fire. To Michael Bisping: Tuition. Now that I’ve paid for your tuition, you can finally get some class. To Muhammed Lawal and Jason High: Pads and time. We always see those cut ins during broadcasts of fighters hitting pads with their coaches. Well High and Lawal have promised to imitate Kevin Hart imitating Floyd Mayweather Jr. if they’re ever cut to during the broadcast. To Fedor Emelianenko: The chance to fight anyone in the world, no M-1 Global attached. I just want to know whom he’d choose. Not his management, but him. Is he content on fighting guys like Satoshi Ishii or does he want to battle against Junior dos Santos? Honestly, I have no clue how Fedor thinks since he’s so protected by M-1 Global but I’d hope he’d take on top competition. To Junior dos Santos: Some cardio because, according to Dana White, you have none. To Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar: A spotlight. That’s what should be on these two in February. Unfortunately, due to the lack of lightweight drawing power and UFC 144 being in Japan (overseas shows never draw well), only 300,000 people will see this fight live, which would be a shame since it has the potential to be the best fight of the year. To Gray Maynard: A sticky note that says, “There are four more rounds.” That way he remembers to keep fighting after the first round. To Quinton Jackson: Some leg kicks. So Joe Rogan will shut up about you never throwing leg kicks. In all seriousness, it would be nice to see Jackson add some new wrinkles to his game because, no matter how good of shape he’s in, if he’s still the same counter boxer, it really doesn’t make a difference. To Frank Mir: A Sudoku puzzle. Mir is the most puzzling fighter in the world to figure out in terms of skill because of how he wins and loses. So while I try to figure out just how good he is, he can figure out where all these numbers go. To Mike Chandler: An Amazon.com gift card. This is an inside joke. Spend it wisely Mike. To Wanderlei Silva: Any role that Morgan Freeman passes on. If Morgan Freeman doesn’t want to narrate a documentary about birds flying south for the winter or is over the Batman franchise, I demand that Wanderlei be given his role. Just imagine Wanderlei and his glorious accent talking about birds for an hour and a half or telling Christian Bale about his latest invention. Box office gold. To Arianny Celeste: Super glue. It was just a cut. To Clay Guida: Sympathy. If you don’t understand this gift, watch The Big Lebowski. I also do have some sympathy for Clay because he’s only one win away from a title shot but just can’t pull it off. To Nick Diaz: An alarm clock. Hopefully he won’t miss anymore media appearances. To Rashad Evans: A special night. Now stop ruining Jon Jones’ evenings. To Donald Cerrone: Some. NOW YOU GOT SOME DONALD CER-RO-NE! To Leonard Garcia: A baseball. Maybe you’ll find more success as a pitcher. To Tito Ortiz: Goggles. Since you get poked in the eye in every fight, including fights where you’re on the ground getting hit in the body, these goggles should help you out. Mike Goldberg can call you the Kareem Abdul Jabar of MMA as well. To Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz: Each other. Whether they want to admit it or not, these two bring out the best in each other. Without Faber, Cruz is fighting on free TV instead of headlining PPVs. Without Cruz, Faber isn’t fighting for the title and building up the division. To Brittney Palmer: @jeremylambert88. I don’t need to know you better, you Tweet at me once, we go together. Happy Holidays everyone.

Posted in: fight, time, fighter, ’t, ’re

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

It's that time of year when people leave their jobs and spend time sitting around the fireplace interacting with their families. That means you don't need us to get you through your workday, so we'll be in xmas mode from now until the 28th. That doesn't mean stuff won't be going up, it just won't be going up like clockwork, as has been the case since our Overlords got the trains running on time. Other than Fightlinker, I don't really have a lot of things to do with my time. Cry. Masturbrate. Cry while masturbating. Post a little. Cry. Post. Masturbate. You get the idea.

Posted in: time, cry, masturbating post, xmas mode, dont need

Read the full article at Fightlinker

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

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

With the UFC light heavyweight division spending a great deal of time in the spotlight this year, it's surprising that Alexander Gustafsson hasn't garnered more attention.Not that the 24-year-old from Stockholm is complaining.Despite a three-fight winning streak that includes a televised second round technical knockout win over Matt Hamill at UFC 133 in August, Gustafsson has remained outside of the torrent of media coverage generated by Jon Jones' climb to the top of the 205-pound division. While various others have been drawn into the storm, the 12-1 talent has not, leaving him plenty of time to focus on more important things."For me, the focus is always my training and my fight; that's what I have in my head all the time — training and training and training. It doesn't really matter how much attention I get."If I have a lot of media, for me it doesn't really matter; I just train and that is my focus. A little media is also very good though, but I stay focused all the time."For the second time this year, "The Mauler" has set his focus on veteran Vladimir Matyushenko.Originally scheduled to meet at UFC 133, Matyushenko was forced to withdraw from the contest due to injury, setting up the aforementioned bout with Hamill. Following Gustafsson's destruction of the former Ultimate Fighter standout, the UFC re-booked the wily veteran and the promising youngster, slotting them on the pay-per-view portion of the final event of the year."For me it's an honor," Gustafsson said of the chance to make his pay-per-view debut. "I've wanted to fight on pay-per-view for so long, and now I have the chance, so I'm just happy to fight on the main card. I'm really looking forward to it."Arguably the top prospect in the talent-rich light heavyweight division, Gustafsson has serious knockout power, as exhibited in his UFC debut against Jared Hamman and his second-round victory over Hamill in August. Equally impressive has been the dedication he's shown to his ground game and the results those efforts have already started to yield.After suffering the only loss of his career in a bout again Phil Davis at UFC 112, Gustafsson started training with the unbeaten former Penn State wrestling standout and the team at Alliance MMA in San Diego, California. In each of his next two outings, the knockout artist finished the fight on the ground, submitting both Cyrille Diabate and James Te Huna by rear naked choke."I'm a striker — that's my bread and butter. I keep the fight on my feet and trade, but like everything else — all the other skills — you need to be good at them, and that's something I need to train."I train everything, even my striking, and that's something you need to have with you all the time. Not just train what you're good at, but also what you're bad at — that's how you get better."Gustafsson has continued to train both at home in Sweden and with the team at Alliance alongside the likes of Davis, UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, heavyweight Joey Beltran, and fellow UFC 141 competitor Ross Pearson. The soft-spoken and humble 24-year-old is grateful to have the opportunity, and recognizes the evolution of his talents."I'm based in Stockholm; that's where I'm training most of the time. When I have a fight coming up, I go to Alliance with Eric del Fierro and the guys there. I go forth-and-back all the time. I like it a lot — it's something I'm really glad I get to do."I've had a lot of improvements. I feel much better in every category; I'm getting better every day, and improving every day. It's the best coaches in the world, the best fighters in the world, and the best team in the world, so I'm just honored to be a part of the team, have a good time, and train hard."Gustafsson is also grateful the opportunity to step into the cage with a talented veteran like Matyushenko."Finally I can fight him; it's been so long now. He's a really tough guy, and I want to fight the best, so I'm really looking forward to the fight. I think it will be a really tough, tough fight."This fight is a litmus test for Gustafsson, one that has the potential to propel him to new heights entering 2012.As UFC President Dana White is quick to remind people, Matyushenko is a tough out for anyone. The man who fought Tito Ortiz for the light heavyweight title at UFC 33 is a powerful wrestler with "old man strength" who has used his experience, guile, and a underrated striking to garner four wins in five fights since returning to the UFC following a six-year hiatus in 2009.The only man to topple Matyushenko since his return was Jon Jones, who capped off his 2010 campaign with a win over "The Janitor" before embarking on his championship run this past year. While Gustafsson might not follow the same path as the current light heavyweight champion if he's able to come away from UFC 141 with a victory, securing a fourth consecutive win against a well-respected veteran like Matyushenko will open some eyes, and elevate the soon-to-be 25-year-old from prospect to contender.Just as he hasn't been caught up in all the attention surrounding his division over the last year, Gustafsson isn't worried about where this fight will take him and what's next in his career either. He prefers to keep things simple instead."Just have fun — have fun training, take one fight at a time, and try to win all my fights. That's my goal right now — to win this fight and have fun doing it."

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, gustafsson, training

Read the full article at UFC

"I stay in shape, I stay ready and I stay in the gym. So, yeah, I'm 100-percent confident coming into this fight. I will be in shape. In confidence, man, you look good, you feel good, you fight good. He's got good stand-up, if the fight goes to the ground, jiu-jitsu's very good. All that aside, motherf*ckers are game. Right now if I bumped into the parking lot and said, 'what's up?' We're throwing down. And to me, I like that mentality, man. You can't teach that. They come to fight. Me too. I'm just as game as you are. You don't have to be from Stockton to be tough. I am the best striker in the 155-pound division, I know that. That's 100-percent, I know that. So I'm going to kick him, I'm going to knee him, I'm going to elbow him, I'm going to punch him. If he wants to stand, let's stand. Come fight night, let's go, motherf*cker, I don't care where it goes. But if you want to talk sh*t to me, you're just going to raise me and piss me off and make me a better fire. So feed my f*cking flame. That's how I say let's go. Hell or high water, I'll be there to fight Nate. At the end of the night, I'll have my hand raised. I can tell you that." -- Go get some, Donald Cerronaay! As "Cowboy" prepares to do just that against Nate Diaz at UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" on Fri., Dec. 30, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada, he gets more and more worked up (via UFC.com) at the prospect of throwing down with a fellow fighter who shares the same mentality. Both men are tough as nails and willing to scrap at any time in any place and against anyone. They're also both great strikers with equally as potent jiu-jitsu games. Fortunately for fight fans, they've been paired up for a bout that could go a very long way in determining the next contender to the 155-pound title. Cerrone, especially, is on his way to a crack at the division crown, thanks to his willingness to take short notice fights and look just as dominant within them. He's already fought four times this year, in fact, his first four bouts inside the Octagon. He emerged victorious each time out and has already run the gamut of fight night bonus awards for fight, knockout and submission. Dude, is pretty good at his job. But so is Diaz. And now that the two have exchanged a bit of trash talking, all parties are cocked, locked and ready to rock. Are you?

Posted in: fight, time, nate diaz, im, flame i

Read the full article at MMA Mania

The holidays are upon us, and whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa or Tiamat’s birthday (dust off your old Monsters Manual, son; she’s the queen of the Chromatic dragons), it’s hopefully a time for giving and receiving.  Well, I’ve given a lot to the sport of MMA this year – a book on underground fighting, articles for MMA Convert four to six times a week, blog posts on the local MMA scene and enough Tweeted results from live shows to sink a battleship.  Plus, I painstakingly sat through every episode of the Ultimate Fighter, and my monthly bill for UFC pay-per-views is through the roof.  I think it’s time I enumerate to Santa exactly what it is I wish for in return.  And yeah, sure, the obligatory “peace on Earth, goodwill towards men” should be on there, but this is my list, dammit.  Ultimately, I don’t think jolly Saint Nick/Hanukah Harry/Zeus/the Great Pumpkin cares. -I wish promoters would stop giving Jens Pulver fights.  At this point, it’s clear the former UFC lightweight champ isn’t angling so much for a graceful retirement as a painful and debilitating permanent exit from the cage.  Which means it’s up to the promoters of the world to stop giving Pulver fights.  Yes, he’s beloved and charismatic, and at one point his name was synonymous with “stand and bang”.  But alas, those days when he could be competitive – and take a punch – are gone.  So please, anyone out there with matchmaking duties, just cut it out.  Let the man ride off into the sunset in peace. -I wish MMA would get sanctioned in New York.  Don’t get me wrong, I love underground fight shows.  But there comes a time when you look around at the other states with athletic commissions and wonder how the in the hell your supposedly “progressive” state is so behind when it comes to sanctioned mixed martial arts.  Seriously, it’s embarrassing.  I want a UFC at Madison Square Garden, a Strikeforce at Nassau Coliseum, a Bellator in the ballroom at the Crowne Plaza in Times Square and a Ring of Combat at the Beacon Theater.  Is that so much to ask for? -I wish “Big Nog” would tap more often.  Yes, I get it, the Brazilian legend is so durable, not even getting run over by a truck as a child can slow him down.  However, watching the man get his arm snapped, and knowing that he’s going to need so many pins and screws to put it back together that he can legally be considered a cyborg… that’s… that’s too much.  And I say this is a fan.  Dude, just tap next time. -I wish for more cheesy C-grade promotions on pay-per-view.  Remember Moosin?  MMA Pit Fight?  All these one-off pay-per-view offerings that cost like 24 bucks a shot, they’re good for weekends when there’s no UFC soaking up your dollars.  And they’re GREAT for laughs.  I swear, I think Bas Rutten was drunk when he commentated for Moosin.  Or at least he should have been. -I wish for good health for Daniel James Miller.  UFC middleweight Dan Miller’s son Daniel James was born with a host of medical issues, and like a trooper (and like his dad would in the cage), the little guy has been battling them back.  To help defray some of the costs of his treatment, Zuffa ponied up, and Dan Sr.’s team helped out with a fundraising seminar – all of which is a credit to the MMA community.  But in the end, I just want Junior to keep smiling.  And folks, I’ve seen his smile.  It’s precious. -I wish for a fresher TUF.  Supposedly, with the UFC’s marriage to FOX, we’re going to get this.  Supposedly.  However, if we get more lameness… I might just go Travis Bickle on the FOX studios. -I wish some UFC lightweights would pay Strikeforce a visit so Gilbert Melendez can be challenged.  Right now, the only person on the Strikeforce roster who has a chance at defeating Melendez is Cris “Cyborg” Santos.  And the word on the street is Scott Coker offered Melendez that fight and he wisely turned it down.  (Just kidding.) -I wish for Eddie Alvarez and Mike Chandler to rematch.  I love Bellator’s whole tournament motif.  To death.  But they caught lightning in a bottle with Alvarez/Chandler I; that rematch needs to happen immediately.

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, melendez

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira may have lost to Frank Mir once again at UFC 140, but up until the final moments of the fight when Mir cranked his arm to its breaking point, Big Nog actually looked really good. He took command of the fight early on and even rocked Mir to the point where a few more punches probably would have finished him off. But instead of continuing to hammer Mir as he laid motionless on the canvas after a desperate takedown attempt, Big Nog transitioned to a guillotine which ultimately led to Mir snatching up the fight-ending kimura. It was a critical mistake that left many wondering what a veteran fighter like Big Nog was thinking. Well, if you ask Nogueira, he only stopped because referee Herb Dean mistakenly told him to stop punching Mir in the neck. “Last Saturday I fought and lost via submission for the first time in my career; it was a bad feeling, but it’s part of the sport. Everything that happens in a fight is quick and the fighter acts most based on his instincts and reflexes than [what's] on his mind. I knew I made a mistake as I tried to submit [my opponent] on a fight where I could have won by KO,” Nogueira wrote. “But when Frank Mir was practically knocked out I heard the referee tell me to stop punching him at the neck and that is when I tried to choke him. Mir put himself together and must be congratulated for submitting me. I checked the videos and I wasn’t hitting him on the neck, but on Mir’s side of the head, which is allowed.” For what it’s worth, the replay shows pretty clearly that Big Nog was not punching Mir in the neck. In hindsight, he obviously should have just ignored Dean and kept punching, but he made a split-second judgement call in the heat of battle. I’m sure it seemed like the right one at the time, but Mir was apparently still coherent enough to put some slick grappling moves on the PRIDE legend. Kudos to Mir. Herb Dean hasn’t commented on the story yet, but he did talk to Sherdog about the stoppage. He never wanted to see his arm break, but he felt like he should let it go because of Big Nog’s ability to overcome seemingly impossible situations. “In my mind, I was hoping that he would tap. Like, ‘Please, please make this easy for me. That looks like it’s on.’ I definitely [had a] heightened awareness at that time. I was really focused on that arm. But that’s how Antonio became who he is — he didn’t get there by giving up. That guy’s done things that everyone thought was impossible time and time again because he never gives up.” “I stopped it because I saw the arm break. The tap came after. I don’t stop it when I believe it’s locked on or even if I believe the guy’s in jeopardy because I don’t know what that person can take. I don’t know what their limits are, but if I see an injury that is too dangerous for the fight to continue, that’s when I’m going to stop the fight. Or if I see the fighter tap.” If only he would have kept punching… Image via Tracy Lee for Yahoo! Sports

Posted in: fight, time, mir, ’t, nog

Read the full article at MMA Convert

For all the flack he may take for being an "alpha male" almost to a fault, that part of Brock Lesnar's personality is just as responsible for his competitive drive as it is for that gruff persona. That drive is what has Lesnar still looking to compete in the UFC despite a beating in his last fight and multiple times being sidelined with complications due to diverticulitis. According to coach Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros, fans should not expect to see a faded, damaged Lesnar in the Octagon on December 30 (via Graciemag): "Brock is in great shape. Undergoing surgery was the best decision he could have made. I believe we'll be seeing Brock at full potential for the first time," Comprido told reporter Nalty Junior. "I'm truly excited about this fight. They're two giants, two monsters on a collision course-I don't think I've ever seen two guys as big and skillful as they are. If Alistair isn't 100%, he'd best not show up, because Brock is super well prepared; I guarantee it," added Comprido. It's hard to say exactly what to expect in the end. Preparation is important but much of what Lesnar faces is beyond simply preparing. His body and mind have taken some damage over the past year and we won't know for sure until UFC 141 and his bout with Alistair Overeem to know if he truly is "back." SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

Posted in: ufc, time, alistair overeem, lesnar, brock

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

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

Read the full article at Fighters.com

"In my mind, I was hoping that he would tap. Like, ‘Please, please make this easy for me. That looks like it’s on.’ I definitely [had a] heightened awareness at that time. I was really focused on that arm. But that’s how Antonio became who he is -- he didn’t get there by giving up. That guy’s done things that everyone thought was impossible time and time again because he never gives up. I stopped it because I saw the arm break. The tap came after. I don’t stop it when I believe it’s locked on or even if I believe the guy’s in jeopardy because I don’t know what that person can take. I don’t know what their limits are, but if I see an injury that is too dangerous for the fight to continue, that’s when I’m going to stop the fight. Or if I see the fighter tap. He was very calm. He’s an exceptional person. Even during that, with coordinating with the physicians and him getting out of there, at some point he started taking an active role. ‘OK, Herb, I want you to help me up.’ He was pretty calm through it." Longtime mixed martial arts referee Herb Dean (via Sherdog.com), like most of the people watching the UFC 140 co-main event between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, was hoping to see "Minotauro" submit to the painful-looking Kimura slapped on by the former division champion. Regrettably, he did not, and left the Air Canada Centre back on Dec. 10 with his arm in a sling, which later required 16 screws and a titanium plate to correct. How about it Maniacs, anyone think Dean has an obligation to stop the fight before the tap to save the snap? Or is he simply an unbiased observer at the mercy of a fighter's judgment? Opinions, please.

Posted in: time, herb, i donrsquot, antonio, maniacs anyone

Read the full article at MMA Mania

At this point in time, it is safe to say that if there is something on Vinny Magalhaes's mind, he is going to let everyone know. Magalhaes is the reigning M-1 light heavyweight champion and an elite submission grappler with many prestigious titles in his past. Earlier this year, he made a stellar run to the finals of the +99 kg division of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club submission grappling tournament, where he out-pointed Fabricio Werdum in a legendary match. In a recent interview with Kid Peligro, Vinny opens up about his ADCC experience - in particular, surviving the locked-on armbar Werdum had on him in the finals - and makes some very pointed comments about his M-1 experience. Kid Peligro - In 2009 you had a very good performance, but this time you won and is a champion, what was the difference this time around? Vinny Magalhaes - In 2009 I had a dream tournament; I had beautiful matches, I had spectacular submissions in some matches and I took home two medals (third palace weight and absolute) that was my first ADCC! But I didn't conquer the Gold Medal which is the one everyone desires. And that is the one people remember the most. This time I came in with the idea of fighting to win, that it would better to fight ugly and to win than to fight beautifully and leave without the Gold. For sure my performance in ADCC 2009 will be remembered one way or another for the flying arm-locks that I did and other submission, as in my fight with Cavaca and against Glover, but none of that is worth more to me than the Gold medal I conquered this year. Hitr the jump for more ADCC talk and the eyebrow raising M-1 tidbits Vinny drops. En route to the +99 kg title, Vinny beat acclaimed grapplers like Gerardi Rinaldi (the Cornell wrestling product who competed with the likes of Phil Davis and Chris Weidman), Bruno Bastos, Jose Junior and Fabricio Werdum. Only Werdum scored points during that run and Vinny would go on to compete in the Absolute, losing out by a narrow referee's decision to Murilo Santana. In short, Vinny grapples real good. His MMA career is now his focus and the interview excerpts below reflect that. Make sure to read the entire interview, as Vinny is always entertaining when speaking his mind. Kid Peligro - At that moment on the final your arm was stretched out to the max, how did you overcome that? Vinny Magalhaes - I simply put in my head that I couldn't tap, because it was the finals of ADCC and I was ahead on points. I thought about letting the arm break, if necessary, because I would never give up, after all winning ADCC is like winning the Olympics, not only that but winning ADCC is the highest achievement a grappler can get in their career. If I tapped I would be ruining a great opportunity of making a name for myself. KP- You were in the U.F.C., you did the Ultimate Fighter and competed a few times in the main event, now what would it be like to return to the UFC Octagon? VM- My dreams go beyond "returning" to the UFC, I dream of returning to stay and to become a Champion. In my first time in UFC I was too inexperienced, I wasn't training correctly and all I wanted was to be there, in UFC, But I wasn't training and preparing with the ambition and desire that I have today. I wasn't fighting with the passion that I fight today! Today, I believe that when I return to the UFC I will have a much better and stronger presence than before. You can call me crazy but my desire is to have that belt no matter what the costs are and I am going after reaching that dream! KP- What do you believe it will take for you to return to the UFC? VM- The only thing missing is for my contract with M1 needs to expire. I believe that as soon as I am free of any contract with M-1 I will have my foot on the door of UFC, after all, of the 12 wins that I have in MMA they are all by submission or KO. I don't have a single win by decision, on top of that, the fans have recognized my efforts, because I was a part of TUF, and now ADCC Champion. So I believe that perhaps not immediately but with one or two more wins the UFC is going to be calling me back. What do you readers think? Is Vinny's MMA career going to keep climbing upwards to international stardom, riches and rewards? Would it be best for Vinny to put aside the anger and get a few more exciting finishes for M-1? Where do you see him in the 205 division in a few years? Poll Where will Vinny Magalhaes be ranked within the 205 division in two years? Top Five Top Ten You Crazy - Nowhere Near the Top   14 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, time, submission, vinny, adcc

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Filed under: UFCFor both participants in the UFC 141 main event, life outside the cage has been even more hectic than the limited time spent inside it of late. Maybe that's why neither is terribly thrilled about the prospect of talking about it at length. With former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar getting back into action for the first time since having twelve inches of his colon removed, and Alistair Overeem in the midst of a battle with the Nevada State Athletic Commission over licensing issues -- all while also trying to see to his ailing mother back home in the Netherlands -- the year-end pay-per-view could have easily been dubbed UFC 141: Outside Distractions. But with the two men set to square off in Las Vegas on December 30, at least they can relate to one another's struggles on some level. Take, for instance, Lesnar's response to Overeem's drug-testing woes on Monday's UFC 141 media call. Though the former champion said he's remained blissfully ignorant of most of Overeem's issues with the NSAC, thanks in part to his isolated training camp and general disdain of the internet, Lesnar said he knows what it's like to have people peppering him with questions about drug tests and suspicious muscle mass. "I've been dealing with the same accusations my whole life," Lesnar said, calling it "part of the lifestyle...I've been used to it for many years now." Overeem, too, seems to have become numb to the questions and whispers about his weight gain and almost cartoonish physique, even if he's known to be a little more congenial about those questions than Lesnar. "Everybody has a right to ask whatever they want, and I have a right to respond or to ignore," said Overeem. "The thing is, I'm very busy with my career. It's not only just training, it's a lot of other stuff on top of it, which is assembling the team, PR, doing all these interviews, so I'm very occupied with that. I simply don't have the time to get into all these allegations. Usually they're done over [the] internet, people I don't even know and have never even met." Both men also seem to have to their own unique no-go lists when it comes to pre-fight questions from media. For Lesnar, it's the repetitive questions about his health, his surgery, and his comeback from diverticulitis that he only has so much patience for these days. He played along for a little while on Monday's call, admitting that there was "nothing easy" about his recent struggles, but when asked to expand on those issues he quickly found his breaking point. "I've answered a million questions about my health here," he snapped at one reporter. "That's the best you can come up with today? I feel great. I feel very, very good." Overeem, on the other hand, continued to guard any and all information about his life inside the gym as if it were a matter of national security. The Dutch heavyweight instantly shut down any question about who he was training with or how he'd adjusted to moving his camp from Vegas to Holland in order to be closer to his mother, who is still recovering from cancer treatments. It got to the point where UFC PR man Dave Sholler essentially asked reporters to stop wasting their own time by asking Lesnar about his health or Overeem about his preparation. Too bad those still seem like the most interesting topics less than two weeks out from the fight. But if you're keeping score of outside distractions in the lead-up to this bout, it would seem to be Overeem who's far ahead. Lesnar's health issues might be more serious than some wrangling with the NSAC, but he's also had more time to deal with them. Overeem's had to move his training camp, deal with the emotional drain of a sick mother, and jump from one doctor's office to the next just to get the commission a drug test that it will accept. Through it all he's kept a remarkably calm public appearance, maybe because he's used to the chaos after such a tumultuous career in both Japan and North America. "I've been through a lot in my career," he said. "I have like, I don't know, I think like 65 or 70 fights, so you learn how to deal with distractions, setbacks. I mean, I'm a three-time champion, and I've been through a lot. It's all about adaptation. I'm pretty good at that, I think." Lesnar also touched on the challenge of "trying to live a somewhat normal life" while also competing as a world-famous UFC heavyweight, but in the end there might be only one thing they agree on, and it's that neither is expecting to have to put in 25 minutes of work on fight night. "I don't see it really going past the second round," said Overeem. "First or second round, maximum." Lesnar concurred, saying, "I feel the same. This is a heavyweight fight that, you know, we're both going in to finish this fight. I don't foresee it going five rounds." Whether that's more of a prediction or a hope, we'll have to wait and see. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, overeem, question, lesnar

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Back again with another blog after an excitement-filled week. As far as UFC 140, Chan Sung Jung’s knockout was very impressive, not only because of the time but who he knocked out. Mark Hominick is known for a great chin. He had a war against Jose Aldo and had a hematoma on his head but didn’t come close to getting knocked out. He was hurt but he was never out of it. In the fight game though, anything can happen and sometimes the shot you least expect knocks you out. I hope he shrugs it off and comes back fully confident because he’s one of the best in the division and that could happen to anyone. If they fought ten more times I don’t think that happens again and I actually favor him to win more often than not. Even though I picked Tito Ortiz to win, I said that I’m not a big fan of his striking defense because he brings his hands close and his elbows tight to his head, which opens the body. If the opponent knows to take advantage of it then body shots and knees like Antonio Rogerio Nogueira landed are going to be there for anybody. I thought Frank Mir was in trouble at first. He looked hurt and I thought “Minotauro was going to finish him but Frank showed tons of heart and why he’s one of the best. He kept his composure and stayed calm. He’s one of the best on the ground and once he had his opportunity, he locked it in and didn’t let go. I would have liked to see Nogueira tap when he was in trouble because now he’s out for a few months. I saw some X-Rays and the bone broke which could have actually relieved the pressure of his shoulder and prevented damage there. I’ve been saying this for a long time but it’s going to be hard for anybody to beat Jon Jones. He’s new at this but it doesn’t seem like anything fazes him. He’s faced top level opponents and even if it takes him a round or two, he figures them out and ends up with the win and impressively. It’s not a boring decision or anything. I’m very impressed with him and it’s not going to be easy to beat him. A Closer Look at UFC 140 I think it was just a matter of time for UFC to open their doors to the flyweight division. With as many shows as they’re having and the way the sport is growing, they’re going to need as many fighters as possible to fill the cards. Even though these guys are smaller, they put on some great fights. You’re going to see a lot of guys fighting at 135 dropping to 125, so they won’t have trouble finding talent for the weight class. It gives the UFC another great division and should make for some great fights. I just started working with welterweight Jorge Lopez and I see a lot of potential in him. It may not all show in his next fight but eventually he’ll work his way up to the top of the division. He’s very talented and hopefully we can develop a good chemistry. If so, he’ll be another guy I’ll be raving about in the near future. As far as what else is going on around Vegas, I have a couple of amateur boxers fighting Saturday night. About three weeks ago I had two guys fight and both of them stopped their opponents. The guys are training hard and we come to win. I feel good and confident about the fights. It’s a little crazy with Vitor Belfort too at the moment. He rented out a section of the TapouT gym in order to train when he wants so I find myself having to go back and forth to help him. I’m trying to figure out his schedule and work things out with him. We talked a bit about me being an assistant with him on TUF Brazil, but I have to see who is fighting first before committing. For example, if Mike Chandler is fighting, I have to be here for him. Like I said, I just started working with Lopez and he’s fighting Amir Sadollah in February so I have to be here for him also. It’s going to be a tough decision. 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: ufc, fight, time, guy, ’t

Read the full article at Fighters.com

KJ Noons' mentality is simple – put on the best fight of the night, every time he steps in the cage. But the Strikeforce lightweight now realizes he's got to win, too.

Posted in: time, strikeforce, kj noons, noon, kj

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

For some reason, many people weren't certain that Gilbert Melendez would stand and trade strikes with Jorge Masvidal last night (December 17, 2011) while defending his Strikeforce lightweight title in the main event of Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal" in San Diego. In all, the 25 minute bout spent less than 10 seconds on the canvas as both men looked to showcase their striking skills. It turns out that Melendez was more than game enough to handle his taller, lengthier opponent on the feet as he turned in a strong performance which resulted in a clean sweep of nearly every scorecard. So what did 'El Nino" do correctly to help him earn the decision? And what's next for both fighters? Both men had very set plans of attack and they would primarily implement them over the course of the five round battle. Melendez looked to move forward, cut off Masvidal against the fence and lead the way with his punches, either snapping his left jab or throwing big 1-2 combinations in succession. He was also looking to throw a big lead uppercut as his primary power attack, either looking to land it to the head or the body. Masvidal, however, was able to primarily ignore the uppercut because he utilized a more upright-centered stance. He kept his hands high in a defensive position and would occasionally flash his jab, which actually did cause some swelling on Melendez's face. Masvidal's secret weapon appeared to be his jumping knee attack as he tried to catch it with Melendez about one time each round but he never caught the champion napping. For a significant portion of the bout, the following scenario would play out: Melendez would push forward forcing "Gamebred" towards the fence and then he would lunge inside throwing 1-2 combinations. He repeatedly landed his right hand to close off the combo and whenever Masvidal would get hit, he'd showboat, dropping his hands and moving his head around as if to say, "That was nothing. The problem with this was he did it so many times that it actually could have been used by the judges ringside as proof that Masvidal had been hit hard. This scenario basically played out for the course of five rounds. Masvidal seemed content to lose the decision, never picking up the pace despite clearly being down in every round. There were only about 6 seconds of ground time and barely any clinch as both men were content to stand. The problem is that neither man was actually able to do enough damage or land anything significant enough to make the fight compelling or dramatic. It was jab, hook, back off, 1-2, over and over and over again. The judges officially scored it 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46 for Melendez to give him his third official title defense ever since he unified the belts with Josh Thomson. For Jorge Masvidal, he proved he could hang with Melendez, but that appears all he was content on doing. Other than very few brief spurts of action, he was very defensive for much of the night. He worked his leg kicks pretty well early but the second Melendez caught a kick and took him down for a few seconds, he completely went away from them. Worst of all was that despite being down badly on the scorecards, he showed no sense of urgency whatsoever in the fifth round when he needed a home run. Instead, he actually spent the last 15 seconds of the fight pressing Melendez into the fence and looking for a takedown as if he thought he could steal the round and the fight. He either was being delusional or was getting very bad advice from his corner who told him he was winning. Expect Masvidal to step in against someone along the lines of Gesias Cavalcante for his next bout, or perhaps fellow event loser Justin Wilcox. If he's finally healthy, they could also throw him in against former champion Josh Thomson. For Gilbert Melendez, he put on a strong, aggressive showing but it wasn't the type of victory that will be getting people talking about him as the number one lightweight on the planet. Jorge Masvidal was number 24 in the consensus lightweight rankings. If the UFC did similar matchmaking, it would be as if Frankie Edgar took on Sam Stout for the title. One would expect a blowout, most likely a stoppage but Melendez just didn't seem like he could pull the trigger when he had Masvidal cornered. Every time the American Top Team fighter started bobbing and weaving goofily after getting hit hard, it seemed to force Melendez to back off. He should have punished Masvidal for his bravado but he simply didn't. Who's next for a shot at Melendez's title is a mystery. If the promotion wants to give a title shot to someone from within, there are a couple options. Pat Healy is coming off a big win this past September over Maximo Blanco. Caros Fodor scored a huge 13 second knockout on the undercard last night against Justin Wilcox which gives him a 5-0 record in the promotion. Another intriguing option could be Gray Maynard, who fought for the UFC lightweight title twice this year against Edgar, drawing once and losing once. It's very unlikely he'll get another shot at the belt in the next two years so why not give him a shot against Melendez? That's about as relevant a fight as could be made but we'll just have to wait and see if it's a viable option. So what did you think, Maniacs? Were you impressed by Melendez's strong showing, or did you want more? Why do you believe Masvidal never kicked it up a notch event as time was winding down? Opinions, please. For complete Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal" results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire pay-per-view (PPV) event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.

Posted in: time, title, round, masvidal, melendez

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Jens Pulver headlined the RFA card in Nebraska and faced off against Tim Elliot, an undersized bantamweight with a 6-2-1 record against not-so-stellar competition. Despite people calling for him to end his career on a high note after earning a decent win over Coty Wheeler last August, he still stepped in the cage once again last night. Like most of the fights he's had these past few years, things didn't go well again for the former UFC champion. This time, it ended up worse than his other losses. It was truly a sad scene as the 37-year-old Pulver clearly looked like he doesn't have much left in the tank. He survived getting dropped by a left hook during the first round, but as the 2nd round went on, Pulver got tagged repeatedly and eventually got brutally knocked out with a huge knee. Pulver laid there motionless for an extended period of time. The knockout loss marks his 9th defeat in his last 13 fights. It's time to stop pretending that those other losses were simply due to submission skills that he had to shore up. Let's hope Pulver finally hangs up the gloves and moves on to other things that wouldn't do serious damage to his long term health. Watch the footage of the second round below (finish is at 2:25): Check out video of the first round after the jump.

Posted in: time, loss, round, ufc champion, pulver

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Over the past few days, I was starting to suspect that the Gypsy Curse Lady had started leaving the secret ingredient out of her potions (I guess she ran out of Gary Shaw’s semen). Although the remorseless, decrepit hag with scraggly old cunt hair did her best to ruin UFC 141, her plans were foiled, as Alistair Overeem was granted a license by the NSAC even though he skipped a drug test and Brock Lesnar's court date for letting deer meat spoil got pushed back to January. But now everyone’s least favorite gorgon is at it again, proving that she hasn’t lost the zing in her spells. This time she’s working triple time to ruin the lives of MMA fans, taking out three UFC 142 fighters in one week: First off, heavyweight Rob Brougton has been forced off the Brazil card and out of his fight against Ednaldo Oliveira. Feared striker Siyar Bahadurzada is the next fighter to fall prey to injury. He is now out of his scheduled bout against rising Brazilian phenom Erick Silva. Finally, Stanislav Nedkov has been forced out of his fight against Fabio Maldonado due to visa issues coming to Brazil. The UFC is actively searching for replacements for all three fighters and new bouts should be made in the coming days. It’s nice that this shrivelled up old biddy has lost some confidence in her powers and is taking a break from targeting main events, but I was really looking forward to seeing how Bahadurzada would do in the UFC. Would he continue kicking asses, or is the title of United Glory World Series Tournament Champion just window dressing? I want answers, goddamnit, but with this raging, nomadic whore taking her revenge on us all the time, I might die waiting. If I’m guessing correctly as to what this is all about, GCL, I’m sorry I didn’t sleep with you, and at this point I’d be willing to reconsider and take one for the team. I take back everything I said about your odor.

Posted in: ufc, time, fighter, time i, potions i

Read the full article at Fightlinker

Randy Couture knows a little something about fighting Brock Lesnar. At UFC 91, Lesnar pounded out Couture with strikes in the second round. Couture talked to ESPN and said that he does not expect a damaged, less dangerous version of Lesnar to show up to face Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 despite not having fought for over a year due to continued issues with diverticulitis: "I don't think his difficulties will affect his ability to fight. If anything, the time off has given him time to develop more tools and add new skills, rather than trial by fire the hard way in the cage," Couture told ESPN. "I think he's going to be better having had, for the first time, the time to change and realise his potential." ... "Something about being stood in front of a guy who is that size, but can still move as fluidly as he moves is a very unique thing," The Natural explained. "You don't find guys like that, he's an anomaly. Lesnar certainly doesn't look to have shrunk down in size quite as much as most thought coming off the illness, and he certainly is talking the talk again. If he can close distance and get Overeem to the ground, it could be a very successful night for the former champ. SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

Posted in: ufc, time, overeem, brock lesnar, lesnar

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Earlier this year, a 52-year-old Dan Severn was knocked out badly in an effort to earn his 100th victory. It was a sad scene that played out in front of a small audience. Fans in Lincoln, California, got their own "Severn moment" as 46-year-old Don Frye returned to action for the first time in over two years in a rematch against 41-year-old Ruben Villareal last Sunday.The match was for the Gladiator Challenge promotion and their light heavyweight title. The two first fought to a draw for King Of The Cage back in 2006 and Villareal was an injury sub for the 5-6 Mike Gonzalez this time around. Villareal (19-23-3) has been a bit more active than Frye, fighting four times this year...except he lost all four and has dropped five of his last seven. He did get back on the winning track in quick fashion last weekend though: It was the first action for Frye (20-8-1-1) since he lost to Dave Herman in sixty seconds by first round KO.

Posted in: time, frye, yearold, severn moment, audience fans

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Filed under: UFCUFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem flew from the Netherlands to London late last night all for -- depending on how well hydrated he is -- what will probably amount to less than a few minutes of work. That's because priority number one for Overeem this week is to take a drug test that the Nevada State Athletic Commission will accept, and then to return to training as soon as possible. And he does mean as soon as possible. Speaking from his hotel room in London late last night, Overeem outlined his plan to take the test and then immediately return to his training camp in the Netherlands, where he'll remain until just after Christmas in order to spend as much time with his ailing mother as possible before he meets Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 on December 30. "It is unfortunate that all this stuff is happening at the same time, but then again, if you operate on this level it's hardly ever perfect," Overeem said of a hectic week that included defending his recent travels to the NSAC on Monday and battling questions about whether he'd intentionally tried to avoid a drug test. "There's always something going on." NSAC executive director Keith Kizer confirmed to MMA Fighting that Overeem had taken the drug screening at approximately noon London time on Wednesday. Kizer also said the NSAC had never dealt with an issue quite like this one, though the commission is still expecting to receive the results of Overeem's December 7 screening -- a test deemed insufficient because it was taken through Overeem's personal doctor in the Netherlands and then sent to a lab in Germany -- some time later this week. Though Overeem was granted a conditional license by the NSAC, it's contingent on his drug screenings coming back clear before his UFC debut, and on him taking two more random tests at his own expense in the next six months -- a schedule that will make him "the most tested fighter," Overeem said. At Monday's hearing, much of the blame for the communication breakdown that resulted in Overeem missing his original drug test deadline was heaped on Overeem's assistant, Collin Lam. But now that he's had a chance to assess the situation more fully, Overeem said, he stands by Lam's efforts. "I've recently seen the communications, and in my opinion, my assistant was working to the best of his ability. I didn't have a direct line of communication with the commission. They could have contacted me directly and given me instructions." It's just one distraction of many for Overeem of late. The Dutch heavyweight split with his longtime management at Golden Glory in September over what he termed a "breach of trust," and then moved his training camp to Las Vegas' Xtreme Couture gym to prepare for Lesnar. In November, however, Overeem left Vegas to return home to the Netherlands to see to his ailing mother, who he said is dealing with the after-effects of "harsh treatments" for cancer. "My mother's situation, of course, it's hard," said Overeem. "She had cancer before two times. Two tumors, the worst ones, were the most aggressive ones. She had the most harsh treatment you can imagine. But the thing is, physically she's not fully recovered, [and] mentally...she had a test recently where they found some suspicious cells, so mentally she's very nervous. That's a little bit hard. That alone is a bit of a distraction, but I have gotten all my training in." Of course, it's not easy to prepare for a fight with a former NCAA wrestling champion back home in Holland, Overeem admitted. There might be plenty of skilled kickboxers hanging around, but the former Strikeforce heavyweight champ had to fly in some other sparring partners, he said. It's a lot to deal with, and all less than three weeks before what will likely be one of the biggest fights of his career. But then, Overeem said, he asked for this. The UFC gave him the option of sitting out and facing the winner of the Junior dos Santos-Cain Velasquez fight in November, but Overeem chose to fight Lesnar instead, simply because he wants to "be active," he said. "I want to get in there. That's the way the fans see you do your thing." Now that the latest round of tests are complete, all he can do now is wait for the NSAC to get the results while he tries to make the most of the time he has left in the gym. MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani contributed to this report. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, overeem, test, training, drug

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

With all of the riveting, hard-hitting news surfacing in the last day or so, such as Alistair Overeem having an awesome excuse to not be tested for steroids and Chael Sonnen NOT acting like a penisface to Arianny Celeste, it was hard to select a topic to write about for the day. I was going to produce lots of funnies about violence against women after reading that Junie Browning started ANOTHER fight in a hospital (Junie chose the right place to do this, as I heard that the ladyboys in Thai prison are fabulous), but that was before I read that Phillipe Nover decided to film himself draining his elbow following his fight with Marcin Held at Bellator 59. Let me just say that I am quite the enthusiast regarding anything, be it liquid, solid, gas, or searing hot plasma, flying out of the human body. I measure my masturbation not in times per week, but times per hour. I spend days on end watching milk enema porn (delightfully NSFW... also check out my favorite film of all time, Blow it Out Your Ass 2). I watch videos of topless girls farting while I eat breakfast, pausing them only when the little play arrow will point directly at the girl’s asshole. And I am one of the few people I know who touches himself while watching PopThatZit.com. So when I saw Phillipe Nover muse that he had “a titty on [his] elbow”, I was psyched for what would come next. The result, ten full CC’s of a transparent, red liquid (will people get mad at me for posting spoilers?), is a bit underwhelming in terms of texture. The hedonist in me (okay, the gay hedonist in me) would rather watch him poop. But seeing his elbow swelling go down does provide a sort of satisfaction. And his nursey monologue about the lymphatic system is quite informative. Overall, I’d give this video a solid B, just above "Exploding Chin" but significantly below tubgirl. Another video, this time of Nover draining his own cauliflower ear, after the jump! read more

Posted in: time, day, video, elbow, nover

Read the full article at Fightlinker

This year we’ve seen magic performed in the cage – Anderson Silva’s front kick knockout comes to mind, as does Lyoto Machida’s same move against Randy Couture, plus anything Jon Jones has done.  But we’ve also seen things far from magical, things that we’d never see but for the effects of age on an athlete’s body and the inevitable degradation time has on a fighter’s skills.  As such, we’ve witnessed a few fighters, wise to what’s happened to them and their once-great ability, contemplate retirement and hang up the gloves.  Chris Lytle did it (in grand fashion, as he’d just won in the Octagon).  Matt Hamill called it quits, too.  And last year the semi- self-imposed axe fell on Chuck Liddell, who rode off into the sunset astride a steed made of repetitive head trauma and stripper pelts.  Yet… maybe there are a few more who should consider a similar move.  Yes, a select few whose modern day performances pale in comparison to the feats of their past, and whose futures likely hold nothing but concussions, fractures and apologies to their fans.  Thus, a list – the Great “Must Retire” List of 2011. (To allay the inherent douche-ness of this topic, I shall begin each entry with a brief description of what made these fighters so great – and yes, they were great.  The greatest, even.  It’s safe to say that I was, and always will be, their number one fan.) -Tito Ortiz – He was our “Huntington Beach Bad Boy”, for the longest time he was our light-heavyweight champ, and he was the face of Zuffa’s UFC.  Takedowns and ground and pound against the fence?  Ortiz was king, bar none.  But now his speed and knack for snagging single- and double-legs has failed him, and though he’s honed his striking to the best it’s ever been (see: Ryan Bader), lately it hasn’t been enough to compensate.  In his last two outings Ortiz has been left wincing and clutching a ribcage that can no longer withstand the punishment.  And it shouldn’t have to. -Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira – One of the greatest heavyweights the world has ever seen, and a true legend in the sport – that’s “Big Nog”, who’s about as beloved as he was once feared.  But alas, his resilience, which set him apart from the rest, has turned into a propensity for taking far too much damage.  You see, knocking out the Brendan Schaubs of the world is one thing, but having your arm snapped like a twig by Frank Mir, or getting smashed by Cain Velasquez, well, that’s another animal entirely.  And it’s an animal that usually means the rest of your days on Earth won’t be as pleasant as they would be if your body hadn’t taken that kind of demolition. -Forrest Griffin – If not for Griffin wailing away at Stephan Bonnar, the sport would likely not be where it is today.  That, coupled with the fact that the seminal TUF winner’s hard work eventually garnered him a UFC championship belt, means the man is destined for legend status as well.  But over the last few years we’ve seen him squeak by Rich Franklin and the aforementioned Ortiz, and get utterly blasted out of the water by Rashad Evans, Anderson Silva and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.  And it didn’t even look like Griffin cared when Shogun blitzed him.  Has he lost his fire?  Does he no longer possess the ability, or will, to put in the hard work he was once known for?  That’s tough to say.  What isn’t tough to say, though, is that unless Griffin really wants to train and fight, he shouldn’t be doing it.  Watching him get manhandled is no fun. -Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto – For years, Kid was the best little guy Japan had to offer, and he was ultra-exciting to watch.  Now, not so much.  In five fights since 2009, the explosive wrestler and power-hitter has only won once, and he’s yet to taste victory in the Octagon.  Is it because he lacks the speed and agility that once made him great?  You betcha, and that sort of thing ain’t coming back.  Kid, please, hang those gloves up. -Matt Hughes – One of the greatest welterweights to ever walk the planet, Hughes was the apex predator in a jungle full of extremely dangerous wild animals.  But his last winning performance was when he put Ricardo Almeida to sleep back in August of 2010, and since then he’s been knocked out by BJ Penn and Josh Koscheck.  Just like with Ortiz, Hughes’ dominant wrestling traits have been replaced by a much-improved ability to strike.  But unlike with Ortiz, Hughes can’t seem to take a punch like he used to – and based on the former 170-pound champ’s sullen words and demeanor after each subsequent loss, he appears to know this as well as we do.  -Joe Stevenson – He was some kind of King of the Cage/West Coast badass, and that plus his grappling saw him through to a winning performance on TUF 2 and an eventual shot at the UFC’s lightweight belt.  Unfortunately, something happened on the road to glory, and Stevenson could no longer do what it took to earn a win.  With his last four performances in the Octagon ending with the other guys’ hands getting raised, Stevenson was rightfully cut from the organization.  What went wrong?  Dunno.  But if it has anything to do with competitive fire, then maybe Stevenson isn’t cut out for getting in the cage anymore.  And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that… as long as he doesn’t fruitlessly try to come back. -Kazushi Sakuraba – PRIDE superstar Sakuraba was the antithesis to everything jiu-jitsu, as evidenced by his time spent defeating nearly every Gracie put in front of him.  But it is definitely time for the Japanese warrior to bid the fight world “sayonara”.  Never mind that he hasn’t won a bout since 2009, or that his reflexes are shot.  No, what cinches his need for retirement is that scary-good kickboxer Marius Zaromskis almost completely tore off the poor man’s ear.  I don’t know about you, but that’s where I draw the line.  

Posted in: time, ortiz, ’t, ’ve, performance

Read the full article at MMA Convert

On UFC president Dana White‘s ever-changing pound-for-pound rankings, light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones is now the second best fighter on the planet. Whether that statement is true or false — it’s likely the latter — it is time for the UFC to start treating him as such. With the right push, Jones can become Zuffa‘s next PPV money-maker. With continuous question marks surrounding Brock Lesnar‘s health and dedication to the sport, and Georges St-Pierre sidelined for most of 2012, the UFC is in desperate need of a PPV savior. While this might seem like a harsh depiction of reality, some of the PPV numbers this year have been absolutely brutal. UFC 136, a card headlined by two title fights, failed to surpass the 300 000 buys mark — previously thought to be the worst-case scenario number for any UFC event. More worryingly, only two events have resulted in over 500 000 buys; a number that just last year, was being achieved with near-routine frequency. Whether it is due to the end of the MMA boom, the over-saturation of the product, or simply a stretch of bad luck that saw some of the UFC’s top attractions plagued by injuries, 2011 has been an incontestably substandard year on the PPV market. Lesnar is thirty-four years old, and can’t possibly be relied upon to drive the company forward in the next few years. By the time GSP returns from injury, he will be thirty-two. And while that definitely doesn’t make him old by any stretch of the imagination, ACL tears can severely hamper an athlete’s career. Anderson Silva will turn thirty-seven soon, and despite his immense success inside the cage, his drawing power has been mostly inconsistent. Consequently, the UFC is in dire need of a new star. Enter a twenty-four year old innovator of violence with supreme athletic gifts and a virtuosic skill set. When reports of UFC 128‘s buy-rate first circulated, the numbers were deemed disappointing. Jones’ title-winning performance against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua drew 445 000 people on PPV. By comparison, Rua’s fights with Lyoto Machida both eclipsed the half million mark. In hindsight, relative to the year the UFC has had on PPV, Jones’ fights drew well for an unproven commodity. In fact, Jones has featured on the second, third, and fourth biggest PPV’s of the year in terms of buy-rate. And while it would be disingenuous to credit him for UFC 126‘s success — the card was headlined by Silva and Vitor Belfort, and Jones was merely on the undercard — the numbers for his bouts with Rua and Quinton Jackson were comparatively encouraging. Jones has the charisma, swagger, and that aura of “stardom” around him… whatever that means. Moreover, he happens to be the light heavyweight champion of the world — a division that has long been MMA’s most appealing. And, most importantly, Jones is simply an exceptional, once-in-a-lifetime fighter. The brand of offense that he manages to produce on a fight-to-fight basis is incomparable, and the mixture of flash and substance in his game is particularly one-of-a-kind. To the delight of some, and to the horrors of many, Jones is fulfilling his potential and making the most of his peerless talent. Yes, a large contingent of the MMA fan-base seems to be quite critical of Jones — at least when he’s not rag-dolling opponents and rearranging their facial features. Whatever their reasons — they vary from “fake” to “cocky” to “he has a sense of entitlement” — and whether valid or not (some are, others aren’t), not everyone has warmed up to Jones. Crucially however, most people care about him, one way or the other. The interest in Jones is there, and the UFC should capitalize. It matters very little whether Jones’ efforts to “remain humble” are paying off, or whether Greg Jackson‘s pleas to “win some fans” end up prospering, as long as people tune in to watch him fight — regardless of whether or not their $60 are accompanied by a burning desire to see him clobbered. In fact, many have quite rightly argued that Jones would be better served to embrace his inner cockiness and put his real personality — if it is indeed that — on display. Jon Jones just capped off arguably the most spectacular year of any mixed martial artist in history, having beaten — and finished — then unbeaten prospect Ryan Bader, and three of the greatest light heavyweights of all time in Rua, Jackson and Machida. Yet, as evidenced by this past week’s UFC 140, the UFC has been unwilling to go all out with their marketing campaign when promoting Jones. That is not inexplicable by any means, as with so many PPV’s per year, the Zuffa brass needs to carefully select its battles. And with Lesnar headlining UFC 141 later this month, the UFC’s decision not to unleash its inimitable hype machine for Jones vs. Machida is understandable. However, with 2012 around the gates, it is time for the UFC to put its eggs in the Jon Jones basket. Trying to angle Jones’ next bout to take place right after a UFC on FOX event would be a step in the right direction, as using Fox to generate hype towards PPV’s is ultimately what the whole Fox deal is all about. With luck, Jones can finally fight bitter rival Rashad Evans next, in what is one of the few mega-fights for the UFC in 2012. Jones’ dislike for Evans has already resulted in him “breaking character”, and should the fight be made official, we may then finally see the champion in full blown arrogance mode. Legit stars are hard to come by. Creating stars is even more difficult. The UFC was lucky enough to have one fall into their laps, and they better capitalize. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, ppv, time, jone, year

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

With the news that Strikeforce will be renewing its relationship with Showtime, and a statement from Dana White last Saturday that fighters would no longer be migrating between the two Zuffa-owned promotions, December 17's Strikeforce card takes on heightened significance. Whereas before it was assumed that Gilbert Melendez would be the next to jump into the Octagon and that his title defense was a mere perfunctory exercise, it now seems that Melendez will be the face of Strikeforce's 155-pound division for as long as he can hold on to his belt. We, as fans, are now left to view the lightweight division less as a thing to be stripped for parts, and more in terms of hierarchy, talent development, and coherent matchmaking--the stuff that successful divisions are made of. For the sake of their champ and their fans, one hopes that Strikeforce is doing the same. Let's take a look at the field... Top Five Jorge Masvidal (22-6-0) earned a shot at Melendez's belt with a shellacking of boxer-turned-mixed-martial-artist K.J. Noons. With an aggressive style and a Strikeforce record of 4-0-0, Masvidal is, no matter how Saturday's fight turns out, an asset to the organization. Aside from his promotional debut, which he lost to Mitsuhiro Ishida, Justin Wilcox (11-3-0) has remained undefeated in Strikeforce, with victories over Rodrigo Damm and Vitor Ribeiro highlighting his résumé. He'll be stepping into the ring this Saturday for the first time since his no-contest bout with Gesias Cavalcante, which ended when Wilcox was accidentally poked in the eye. Caros Fodor (6-1-0) has, despite his slight record, excelled on the Strikeforce stage, remaining undefeated during his time with the organization, with a win over James Terry topping his ledger. A victory this Saturday against Justin Wilcox would place him firmly among Strikeforce's better lightweights. Next to Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson (18-4-0) is easily this division's best competitor. Wins over Pat Healy, Gesias Cavalcante, and Melendez himself are particularly noteworthy. Thomson is, however, also quite injury prone, and is often absent for long stretches of time, making him an inconsistent, if considerable, factor in the lightweight picture. Pat Healy (26-16-0) has played spoiler three times since his 2010 debut with the promotion, which saw him out-hustle lauded prospect Bryan Travers en route to a lopsided, unanimous decision win. Since then, Healy's also handed Lyle Beerbohm his first loss and put the breaks on Maximo Blanco who, prior to submitting to Healy's rear-naked choke, was on a six-fight tear. A loss to Thomson is his lone blemish from the last two years. After the jump, the best of the rest and a few concluding words... Best of the Rest Carlo Prater (29-10-1) has had the best year of his recent career, going undefeated across four fights and submitting every one of his opponents, including Bryan Travers in Strikeforce this past February. Though he's stumbled a bit in 2011, KO artist K.J. Noons (10-4-0) should remain a consistent presence in the division given his exciting style. Much the same could be said for Bobby Green, who's reeled off two submission wins since dropping a split-decision to Cavalcante. And what do you know, they're both nicknamed "King." Billy Evangelista (11-1-0) and Lyle Beerbohm (15-2-0) enjoyed lengthy undefeated runs before some rare losses this past year took a bit of the shine off their records. Evangelista will have the chance to right ship this Saturday against Noons. Finally, Joe Duarte (10-2-0) has made the most of his time with Strikeforce, going 2-0-0 within the organization, including a win over Jorge Gurgel. And so... Strikeforce's lightweight division is probably one of its strongest, being extensive and possessed of both dependable roughnecks and some aggressive up-and-comers. As such, Strikeforce doesn't need any sensational imports so much as they need to make effective use of the stable they already have. To this end, I'm always in favor of a tournament. In contrast to their heavyweight tournament, which came with big names and, most likely, a big price tag, a lightweight tournament could be an expedient as well as economical way to put the division in order. Populated with the likes of Wilcox, Duarte, and Green in addition to more established talent like Cavalcante and Thomson, capital would be relatively small while the natural pageantry and marketability of a tournament--something they did do right with the heavyweights--would draw fan interest. By the end of such a series, unknown contenders will be introduced to the fans and a clear, appreciable challenger for the belt will have emerged. Strikeforce must stop cobbling together title fights. Certainly Gilbert Melendez deserves better. Given the range of 155-pound competitors fighting under the Strikeforce banner, there's no reason why they couldn't put their lightweight house in order post-haste.

Posted in: time, strikeforce, division, gilbert melendez, melendez

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

Former Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem will face the biggest fight of his career later this month when he steps inside the Octagon against Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. With a win, Overeem would become the #1 contender to divisional title-holder Junior dos Santos and position himself to become recognized as one of the t ruly elite fighters in the world. However, not too long ago, “The Reem” was competing in the light heavyweight division. For the powerful Dutchman the transition to the heavyweight ranks was a long time coming. “Everyone around me, including friends of mine I have known since we were kids, knew right away it was the right call when I moved to heavyweight full time in 2007,” wrote Overeem, in his blog for Yahoo! Sports. “Some fans and MMA media didn’t understand it, they thought, ‘How is he going to do any better at heavyweight, he will not do as well as at 205 lbs,’ but I make the decision after taking a hard look at myself.” Overeem has fended off talk of using performance enhancing drugs for much of his career, but he counts eating better and heavy lifting as the reason his body took to the heavyweight division instead. “I knew putting on enough weight to where I was able to compete with the top heavies would take time. I also know that as soon as I started eating well and had the energy to work out with the weights, I would add mass right away,” Overeem wrote. “But it took time for me to get bigger and grow into a powerful heavyweight.” He also revealed the division’s relatively shallow pool was appealing, writing, “Plus – and this is something fighters never ever usually admit – the fact is 205 lbs is a division stacked with talent and the heavyweight division doesn’t have that many world class fighters. I am happy to admit that. At 205 lbs., you have a great champion in Jon Jones, and very talented guys like Lyoto Machida, (Quinton Jackson), Ryan Bader, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, (Mauricio Rua) – the list goes on and on. Anyone in the Top 15 at light heavyweight is a dangerous fight, while at heavyweight, if I am honest, there’s maybe eight or nine true world class fighters competing at heavyweight.” Overeem will make his Octagon debut when he tackles Lesnar on December 30 from Las Vegas, Nevada. Other fights for UFC 141 include Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone and Johny Hendricks against Jon Fitch. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: time, overeem, fighter, heavyweight, division

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Filed under: UFCIf only Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira could have gotten himself caught in a choke. As long as he was going to be obstinate about refusing to tap, at least a choke would have allowed him the dignity of his choice without demanding that he pay for it with bone. Alas, he had to go and get himself kimura'd by Frank Mir at UFC 140, which resulted in him lying on his back, looking at his ruined arm like it was some strange appendage that must have belonged to someone else. It was hard enough to watch when it happened live. It only got more stomach-churning as the snap replayed over and over on the big screen afterward. One person who definitely did not have a problem with the gruesome ending was Mir. In the post-fight press conference he explained that he had a little experience with this sort of thing (by the way, you think Tim Sylvia's arm still aches on cold mornings?), though he declined to explain what it felt like to snap another man's appendage because, "I'll probably get in trouble if I describe it too much; you'll probably think I'm disturbed." He then erupted into a super-villain laugh that made us all think that anyway. But hey, if you have to be the creepy dude at the post-fight presser, it's better to be the creepy dude with two working arms. Other notes and news from fight night in Toronto: - Dana White is pretty sure he made his point about rape tweets. Though the UFC prez said he was "happy with the statement" Miguel Torres released, apologizing for the ill-advised tweet that got him fired, he said "nothing's changed" regarding the UFC's attitude to the newly unemployed bantamweight. It doesn't sound like he's totally ruled out a potential reconciliation, and White acknowledged that the decision to fire Torres was unpopular with many fans, saying, "I've been getting my head kicked in for two days on Twitter, but the bottom line is, nobody has any business making jokes about rape." Asked if he might consider some sort of official policy that would help maintain consistency when it comes to fighter punishment in the future, White said, "You want to see consistency? Let's see if anybody does that again. Let's see if anybody does it again. I double-dare you. I double-dare you to send another tweet like that again." - Dennis Hallman's weight cut was an issue that he should have, and probably did see coming. I know because I tried to schedule an interview with Hallman on Thursday morning and was told he'd be cutting weight then, which struck me as a little odd. If you're doing it right, Thursday morning usually isn't the time for actively shedding a bunch of pounds for a Friday afternoon weigh-in, especially if you're an undercard fighter who doesn't have to attend open workouts or the press conference. Basically, your only job that week is to make weight, and Hallman didn't do it. He didn't even come all that close, which makes you wonder if he really has a future at lightweight. Good thing for him he won so convincingly, and did so in a pair of modest shorts rather than speedos. At least now he'll get another chance to make 155 pounds. - Joe Rogan might appear to have the perfect gig now, but there was a time when he was working pro bono. White told members of the media that when he first approached Rogan about being a color commentator for UFC broadcasts, the comedian was the host of network TV hit Fear Factor. While White didn't say what kind of deal Rogan had with NBC for that show, it had to be better than what the UFC offered him right off the bat: nothing. "He did the first 15 UFCs for free," White said. "We didn't pay Joe Rogan a dime for the first 15 UFC's. So, Joe Rogan gets paid now." - Remember the fan from our preview video who made his own 'Tito Ortiz Blocked Me on Twitter' t-shirt? Well, seems like he bought a family pack of those white t-shirts, and he's using them all to promote his MMA agenda with the help of a black sharpie. Our friend was spotted at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday night, this time with a shirt that read, 'I Hacked Miguel Torres's Twitter.' As you can see, he put about as much time into making this t-shirt as most of us put into folding one, but at least it's an MMA-themed t-shirt that doesn't feature skulls or chains. We're moving in the right direction, people. - For a man who has this Strikeforce stuff all figured out now, White doesn't seem all that enthusiastic about it. He kept teasing an announcement, and said he'd hoped to get something done in time to make it official at the post-fight presser, but instead White had to settle for assuring us once again that "Strikeforce lives," and the fighters under contract to the organization will stay there. Guys like lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez might not be happy to hear that, but White insisted, "Gilbert Melendez and all the guys that are in the Strikeforce show and with Showtime, I will make this right, they will be happy to be there. Believe me. I've got this thing worked out. It's going to be good for everybody." Asked if White's involvement in negotiating the deal would also mean he'd take a more hands-on role in running the organization, the boss man let out a beleaguered sigh and said simply, "Yes." You could practically hear the added travel fatigue piling up on him. - Excited about the flyweight tournament? Thank Joe Silva and Sean Shelby. Zuffa's dueling matchmakers were behind the four-man throwdown to crown a 125-pound champ in 2012, according to White, who might have botched the announcement just a tad by not specifying that it was an actual tournament, which he's historically stayed away from. "I had nothing to do with it," he said later. "That's why I got yelled at for screwing it up. Joe and Sean put that together." White didn't even seem totally comfortable branding it a tournament, insisting that having four guys fight on the same card, then pitting the winners against one another for the title is something the UFC has done before. "I guess that's a tournament," he added. It is. And it's a great idea, courtesy of Shelby and Silva. - Speaking of Silva, there was an awful lot of grinning and whispering between the UFC matchmaker and White at the post-fight presser. They went back and forth several times as other people were answering questions, and at one point they even shook hands as if congratulating one another, and then White stood smiling to himself at the podium for several seconds. Our own Ariel Helwani asked White to let us in on the secret, but White wouldn't spill it. Whatever it is, the UFC brass seemed very pleased. Unsolicited travel tip of the week: No trip to Canada is complete without stocking up on those delicious, though sometimes bizarrely named candy bars they have up there. My favorite is Coffee Crisp, but I've been know to buy a Big Turk just to give one to a baffled friend back home. Overheard on the road: From a woman boarding a plane while holding an infant and talking to her husband on a cell phone. "What am I going to read? I don't know. How about the angry expressions on other people's faces?" Score one for self-awareness. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, joe, rogan, postfight presser

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

After fighting four times in 10 months against the toughest competition that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 205-pound division has to offer, defeating three former champions, reigning light heavyweight kingin, Jon Jones, has earned some time off. And then some. Throughout his historic run in 2011, Jones, 24, has not taken sustained significant damage in any fight, allowing him to have quick turnarounds and compete often with limited breaks. He's made it look way too easy -- it's a feat unheard of in any combat sport. Even though "Bones" may have yet to be on the receiving end of any major damage -- or fallen victim to a major injury in training or in competition -- one has to take into account the long, grueling training camps that the young champion has endured to prepare for his title defenses. One must also consider his family, who have sacrificed time away from their father, significant other, son and brother in order for him to achieve his goals. Having said all that, it's easy to assume the UFC light heavyweight champion will take a much-deserved vacation after a breakneck fight schedule in 2011. Well, maybe. Speaking at the UFC 140 post-fight press conference (watch the full video here) after his submission win over Lyoto Machida (get all the details right here) in the main event of the evening, Jones admits he is ready to take a break; however, if the promotion needs him in a pinch, he is ready to start off 2012 the same way he ended 2011 ... and that's fighting: "I would like to take up to four months of, maybe even five. Come on Dana, give me a break, give me a break please. Yeah, fighting maybe three times in 2012 would be nice, but you know a break sounds nice, too. So, it's really up to the UFC, one of my goals is to be a company guy, so if the UFC asks me to do something, I probably won't put up much of a fight. So it's really up to Dana." Company man indeed. Though no one will blame Jones if he decides to take a long break to enjoy the fruits of his labor and spend time with his family, the fact still remains: Jones is healthy, which is a state that other box office draws such as Georges St. Pierre and Brock Lesnar are not. Therefore, a quick turnaround to fight in 2012 is not so far-fetched ... especially if FOX Sports comes a calling. What's more, Dan Henderson has an empty dance card and the always stacked SuperBowl weekend event needs some much needed star power now that aforementioned Canadian superstar has been shelved because of a major knee injury. What do you say Maniacs, should "Bones" take some well-deserved time off, or should he jump right back on the horse and keep riding his momentum and add to his rapidly growing legacy? "Hendo," 41, isn't getting any younger.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, jone, champion

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFCJon Jones is already the most dominant UFC light heavyweight champion since Chuck Liddell. It seems like only a matter of time before he's the most dominant light heavyweight champion we've ever seen inside the Octagon. Jones, who choked out Lyoto Machida in the second round of their main event showdown at UFC 140, has been the light heavyweight champion for less than nine months, and it might seem premature to proclaim him a dominant champion when he's been a champion for such a short period of time. But the talented 205-pound weight class has been an almost impossible class to rule for any significant period of time. Until Jones, who in the last nine months has won the belt and dispatched two challengers, dominating all three of those title fights. For those who don't know the history, Liddell won the UFC light heavyweight title by knocking out Randy Couture at UFC 57, then successfully defended the title four times before losing it to Rampage Jackson. Since then, the light heavyweight belt has been a hot potato: Rampage successfully defended the title against Dan Henderson before losing his second title defense, against Forrest Griffin. Griffin lost his first title defense to Rashad Evans. Evans lost his first title defense to Machida. Machida beat Shogun Rua in a controversial decision in his first title defense, then lost to Rua in his next fight. Rua lost his first title defense to Jones. More Coverage: UFC 140 Results | UFC 140 Post-Fight Press Conference Video Now Jones has defended his title by beating Jackson and Machida, making him the first light heavyweight champ since Liddell to defend the title more than once. But the really extraordinary thing about Jones is that he so thoroughly dominates his competition that it's hard to see anyone beating him any time soon. The three men who might be next in line for the light heavyweight title -- Dan Henderson, Rashad Evans and Phil Davis -- are all great fighters, but all of them would be huge betting underdogs against Jones. The really amazing thing about the 24-year-old Jones is that he became a UFC champion before he even reached his prime. It's shocking to think this, but we might not have seen the best Jon Jones yet. He just completed a 4-0 record in 2011 that was as good a year as we've ever seen anyone have in the Octagon, and yet he might be a better fighter in 2012. The bottom line is that we're seeing a champion in Jon Jones who might stay the champion for the better part of this decade. There's no telling how long he might be the best at what he does. %VIRTUAL-Gallery-141546% UFC 140 notes -- According to Compustrike, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira outlanded Frank Mir in total strikes, 31-4. And yet Mir still managed to survive the barrage of punches from Nogueira and get into position to finish Nogueira with a kimura. That was a gutsy showing from Mir. -- It was nice to see Frank Shamrock on a UFC broadcast for the first time in more than a decade. You had to be looking closely to see him, but Shamrock was in Brian Ebersole's corner, marking the first time he's been spotted at a UFC event since the last time he fought for the promotion, in 1999. Here's hoping Shamrock and the UFC brass eventually bury the hatchet. Shamrock is an MMA legend whose career ought to be celebrated by the UFC. -- The UFC has something special on its hands in the Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung. There are few fighters in the sport who are as consistently entertaining, win or lose, as Jung, who tied the UFC record for fastest knockout with his seven-second dispatching of Mark Hominick on Saturday night. I don't think Jung is good enough to pose much of a threat to featherweight champion Jose Aldo, but he's a legitimate opponent to almost anyone else at 145 pounds. The UFC desperately needs some star power in the featherweight class, and Jung is one of the few little guys who has really caught on with the fans. -- Constantinos Philippou was about as impressive as anyone we saw inside the Octagon at UFC 140 in his first-round TKO victory over Jared Hamman. Philippou hammered away at Hamman standing and showed a real killer instinct on the ground, immediately pouncing on Hamman and going for finishes when he knocked him down. Philippou is a vicious striker and has now won two fights in a row. -- It was surprising how bad Krzysztof Soszynski's striking defense looked in his first-round knockout loss to Jared Hamman, but maybe it shouldn't have been. Soszynski has been around a long time and had some very impressive fights, but he has too often shown a tendency to wilt when he gets hit hard. This was Soszynski's sixth loss by knockout or TKO. -- It wouldn't be surprising if the UFC decides to tell Tito Ortiz to hang up the gloves after his loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, considering that Ortiz is now 1-6-1 in his last eight fights. But I think Ortiz has done enough in the sport that he has earned the right to go out on his own terms, and I'd like to see him get another fight, as he said he wants. Stephan Bonnar would make a lot of sense as an opponent for Ortiz. UFC 140 quotes "It's an honor to be here. One of my dreams was to be here with Joe Rogan. I did it!" -- Yves Jabouin as Joe Rogan interviewed him in the Octagon after his split decision victory over Walel Watson. "This fight's kind of a wash. I apologize to John for missing weight. Put a little asterisk next to the victory because I didn't make weight." -- Dennis Hallman, being a stand-up guy after coming in 2.5 pounds over for his lightweight fight with John Makdessi. Hallman said his move down from welterweight is permanent, so he's going to need to do a better job of getting the pounds off. "I feel so great. t's like a dream come true. Tito Ortiz is a legend of the sport. I want to say thanks for fighting him." -- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, showing humility after beating Ortiz. Good call Referee Big John McCarthy stopped the first fight of the night at exactly the right time, with 24 seconds left in the second round, as John Cholish was teeing off on Mitch Clarke on the ground. Clarke wasn't very badly hurt and seemed disappointed with the stoppage, but he also wasn't doing anything to fight back, simply turtling up and letting Cholish hit him. With Clarke looking upset at McCarthy stepping in, McCarthy patted him and said, "You got hit with a good shot." Bad call Referee Josh Rosenthal should have taken a point away from John Makdessi for grabbing the fence immediately after Rosenthal warned him not to. As Dennis Hallman tried to take Makdessi down early in the fight, Makdessi grabbed the fence to stay up, and Rosenthal immediately warned Makdessi to let go of the fence. Makdessi complied, but only for a couple of seconds before he grabbed the fence again as Hallman tried to take him down again. Rosenthal warned Makdessi again, but at that point he should have also deducted a point. It didn't really matter because Hallman took Makdessi down in the first round and submitted him, but I'd like to see referees more assertively enforcing the rules against grabbing the fence. Too many fighters get away with stopping takedowns by breaking the rules. Stock up Jake Hecht looked good in his UFC debut, unleashing a brutal elbow to hurt Rich Attonito in the second round and then finishing him with punches on the ground. Hecht had also looked solid from his back in the first round, and he appears to be a promising UFC newcomer. Stock down Nik Lentz went 5-0-1 with one no contest in his first seven UFC fights, and he consistently used his superior wrestling and grappling to control his opponents and grind out wins on the ground. But on Saturday night Mark Bocek beat Lentz at his own game, controlling Lentz on the ground and winning a unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three judges' cards. Lentz is a solid lightweight, but we saw on Saturday night that when he runs into a superior grappler, there's not much else he can do. Fight I want to see next Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans. I don't like any light heavyweight's chances against Jones, but I at least like the matchup of Jones against Evans, his former friend and training partner who's now a bitter rival. If Evans beats Davis, the UFC might finally book that long-awaited grudge match. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, title, jone

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

UFC 140 saw Jon Jones in his first true test as a champion with Lyoto Machida putting on a very good challenge. In the end, Jones wised up and got away from playing a distance striking game that played into Machida's strengths and got inside. Once it was an in close battle in the clinch and ground, it was all Jones. The first round saw Machida use movement and his trademark elusiveness to avoid the punches and kicks of Jones. Machida won the opening frame through defense and landing his own flurries that did appear to hurt Jones a little bit. Jones did what great champions do though and stopped doing what wasn't working. He got a takedown and it was only one or two elbows before Machida had a very bad cut opened on his forehead. The doctors allowed the fight to continue, but it didn't matter. A left hand by Jones hurt Machida and then Jones locked up a standing guillotine choke that put Lyoto Machida to sleep. Let's run down some of the highlights of the evening: Jon Jones in 2011 beat Ryan Bader, won the title from Mauricio Rua and defended against Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida. While some will argue for Shogun's 2005 year, Jones just completed the best year I've ever seen in MMA. I may not be crazy for his personality, but I'm no dummy. That guy is an absolute force of nature. Frank Mir broke the everloving hell out of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's arm in a pretty crazy fight. Nogueira was busting Mir up with punches, first working off the jab, then landing a hard right that dropped Mir. Nogueira was punching Mir trying to get the finish and then decided to go for a guillotine which Mir escaped and eventually turned into a kimura. Nogueira refused to tap which resulted in his arm breaking. It was a nasty, nasty moment that keeps Mir in the title hunt. Nogueira/Mir was another good example of why you never, ever, ever abandon position to go for a submission, especially on a very good submission fighter. Mir was much more likely to get finished by punches than that choke. Just a reminder, trending on Twitter is meaningless. Old movies on cable TV trend on twitter all the time. Lamont Peterson was trending for his HBO fight with Amir Khan with Jon Jones was trending. It's got no deep meaning and it's time to stop celebrating every time something MMA related pops up. It should be expected, not celebrated. Tito Ortiz looked pretty decent letting his hands go against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, but his body couldn't stand up to the attack of Lil' Nog. A knee to the body hurt and dropped him and then Nogueira keyed in on the other side of Tito's body, hitting the same exact spot over and over with punches and elbows until the referee was forced to stop it. Tito says he wants to fight one more time (the last on his contract) and have that be it for his career. As much fun as it can be to make fun of Tito for some of the things he has said over his career, the guy has had a pretty spectacular near 15 year run. I thought Claude Patrick pretty clearly defeated Brian Ebersole, given that he had the better offense throughout the fight. But being pushed up against the cage and taken down is still death on most scorecards even if the other guy isn't doing a lot. That being said, I don't think Patrick made a clear enough case for me to get upset over a robbery, and if there was home cooking at all it would have been in the other direction. Mark Hominick came out with a sloppy right hand and lost because of it. The idea of Chan Sung Jung winning in under ten seconds seemed absurd coming in, but that's MMA for you. I still think Jung vs. Jose Aldo is a good idea. The fans have taken a big liking to Jung and they generally don't care about the featherweights yet. I think this is a time for fan friendly fights more than stuff like Aldo vs. Mendes, which is certain box office death. More after the jump Krzysztof Soszynski was expected to run through Igor Pokrajac, instead he got punched in the head. A lot. Pokrajac looks downright scary at times against guys who have bad defense, unfortunately he can't fight K-Sos every time out. Speaking of guys who looked scary, Constantinos Philippou absolutely trucked Jared Hamman. Hamman has a good chin. But against a guy who hits as hard as Costa, a good chin just delays the inevitable it you allow it to get touched repeatedly. Dennis Hallman ran through John Makdessi in a way that had people saying that Hallman being 2.5 pounds over had no impact on the fight. That seems to ignore the physical toll that having to cut two and a half more pounds might have had on his body. So it's good to see Hallman suggest that it's basically a wash rather than a huge win given his weight problems. Walel Watson and Yves Jabouin fought and it was...not particularly memorable. I had it for Watson, but like Claude Patrick, he didn't make a clear enough statement for me to get upset. There is nothing as funny to me as Nik Lentz complaining that he got screwed by judges that valued top position to much. You're Nik Lentz! I don't know that I feel like Jake Hecht is special, but those elbows that dropped Rich Attonito were something else. John Cholish is a real fighter who is going to give people trouble. The scramble at the end of his fight with Mitch Clarke that led to him taking Clarke's back and landing punches to force the stoppage was beautiful.

Posted in: fight, time, jone, mir, machida

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The date was Dec. 27, 2008. The venue was the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was UFC 92: "The Ultimate 2008" and it featured a match-up of Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 coaches, who would fight for the Interim heavyweight championship. Former champion Frank Mir vs. then champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The two had plenty of time and opportunity to hype their fight, what with their being rival coaches on a reality show. Mir spoke of an improved stand-up game that he would use to avoid Nogueira's deadly submissions. In fact, he promised to become the first man to knock the Brazilian out, he of the legendary chin who had never had it cracked. "Minotauro" was going to do what he always does; take a beating to give one and while he may get in trouble early, he would eventually emerge victorious. But as the fight drew closer and closer, there were rumblings that something wasn't quite right with the champion. By the time fight night came, the pre-fight hoopla no longer mattered. It was time to settle up inside the cage and forget about all that. Except it was impossible to ignore what was so painfully obvious. Something was wrong with Nogueira. He looked slightly off and sense of timing was nonexistent. He was slow. Not that "Big Nog" has ever been known for his speed, but it was like he was moving in slow motion. Mir took advantage, too, by overwhelming his opponent. In fact, there has never been a time Mir has looked any better. He dominated straight from the start, knocking Nogueira down several times before finally finishing him off in the second frame. He barely broke a sweat. Because it was impossible to ignore how uncharacteristically bad his performance was, questions were immediately asked of Nogueira. What was wrong? How could this fight have gone the way it did and been that uncompetitive? And that's when it came out that Nogueira had been suffering from staph infection leading up to the bout. So bad was it, that "Minotauro" spent time in the hospital recovering. All this while Mir was training and getting stronger. Once he heard this, Mir was enraged. After all, he had just put in the performance of his life against a legend of the sport, a man he idolized and looked up to. Now that same man is throwing dirt on his triumph, claiming he defeated a sick and weakened man. Claiming he wasn't the better man. Nogueira eventually relented and admitted that Mir was the better man. That night, at least. But he doesn't believe he's the better man overall and tonight, when he steps back inside the Octagon with Mir at UFC 140 in Toronto, he's going to prove it. For his part, Mir wants to win even more impressively than he did last time. He's got something to prove as well. That the first fight wasn't a fluke and he didn't win because Nogueira was sick but because he's a better fighter. This is the rematch. Time to settle up.

Posted in: fight, time, nogueira, mir, man

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Back in Dec. 2008, Frank Mir knocked out Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92 in Las Vegas. It was the first time "Minotauro" had ever been stopped via strikes in his illustrious career and perhaps because of that, the legendary Brazilian's fans wondered if something was holding back their hero. As it turned out, "Big Nog" had been suffering from staph in the weeks leading up to the bout and spent time in the hospital recovering from it. Can that be blamed for his performance? We'll never truly know but we will find out who the better man is tonight (Sat., Dec. 10, 2011) at UFC 140 in Toronto when the two square off in the rematch. And this time, both men are healthy and raring to go. In fact, because of the way his victory was handled the first time, Mir wants to win in even more devastating fashion: "That victory almost kind of makes you, you know, it takes away that edge in training where you're vicious about it. The reason why I didn't fall victim to that I think is because of the fact of all his fanbase saying that he was injured and he had staph or what not, I think has added a little bit of fire into me to where, even after having the win, I just wasn't satisfied enough with that win and I'm looking to go ahead and have an even more devastating win." So what happens in the second act? A repeat of the first or a happy ending for Nogueira and his legions of adoring fans? We'll find out tonight.

Posted in: time, mir, las vegas, mir im, time mir

Read the full article at MMA Mania

TORONTO, December 10 - It took Igor Pokrajac just 35 seconds to momentarily silence a raucous crowd at the Air Canada Centre Saturday night, as he scored the biggest win of his pro career, stopping Winnipeg favorite Krzysztof Soszynski in UFC 140 preliminary card action.After the two friendly rivals shook hands to begin the bout, Pokrakaj and Soszynski immediately begin throwing bombs, and it was the Croatian who rocked Soszynski with a right hand and just kept moving forward. Soszynski tried to weather the storm, but there was no let up in Pokrajac’s relentless assault, leading referee Yves Lavigne to stop the fight.With the win, Pokrajac improves to 24-8; Soszynski falls to 22-13-1.PHILIPPOU vs. HAMMANLong Island, New York’s Costa Philippou made no bones about his desire for a knockout in his third UFC bout, and he got what he was looking for against Jared Hamman, finishing “The Messenger” in the first round of their middleweight bout.“It was about time,” said Philippou, now 9-2 with 1 NC overall and 2-1 in the Octagon. “This is it. This is who I am. I belong here.”The former pro boxer proved it, surviving a strong start from Hamman (13-4) to score two knockdowns with crisp right crosses. Hamman made it back to his feet, but his legs were gone, and after another right hand put him on the deck, referee John McCarthy had seen enough, stopping the bout at the 3:11 mark of the opening round.HALLMAN vs. MAKDESSIDennis Hallman showed the benefits of 84 professional fights in his return to the lightweight division, making short work of Canadian prospect John Makdessi via first round submission.Hallman (67-14-2, 1 NC) wasted no time engaging Makdessi (9-1) and trying to get him to the mat. Within a minute, he got his wish, and he quickly took the back of the Montreal product, firing away with strikes. Things looked dire for “The Bull,” but Makdessi was able to get to his back, only to take more shots from Hallman, who had him mounted. Hallman took his back a second time though, and this time he ended matters, forcing a tap via rear naked choke at the 2:58 mark.JABOUIN vs. WATSONBantamweights Yves Jabouin and Walel Watson went tooth and nail for three rounds in an entertaining scrap, with Montreal’s “Tiger” Jabouin emerging victorious via split decision.Scores were 30-27, 29-28, and 28-29 for Jabouin, who has now won two in a row in upping his record to 17-7.Watson falls to 9-3.The first round was a fun one to watch, with both men varying their fast-paced standup attacks from moment to moment. The lanky Watson used his height advantage well, but Jabouin got in his own shots as well and was the only one to score a takedown during the frame.Jabouin’s harder shots continued to land in round two, but Watson stayed busy on the other end, making it another tough round to call. Jabouin appeared to seal the frame in the final minute though, as he scored with a hard takedown that was nonetheless countered by a late Watson guillotine attempt.Greeted by an appreciative roar to start round three, Watson and Jabouin got right back to business, with each hard shot by the “Tiger” forcing “The Gazelle” to fire right back in an attempt to get even. Growing more confident, Jabouin shot in and got another takedown at the midway point, but Watson eventually worked his way into the top position, where he used his strikes to set up a choke. After a few moments in danger, Jabouin got free and rose to his feet, and the two ended the bout with another heated exchange. BOCEK vs. LENTZToronto lightweight Mark Bocek bounced back from his April loss to Ben Henderson with a workmanlike three round unanimous decision over Nik Lentz that was a lot closer than the three 30-27 scores would indicate.The first round was competitive, with Bocek holding the edge on the mat thanks to ground strikes from the top position. Lentz, who attempted a guillotine from the bottom that Bocek slammed his way out of, had some solid defense from the bottom in terms of keeping the Canadian from advancing his position.The second played out much like the first, with Lentz’ grappling giving him the edge this time around. In the third, the two grapplers continued to battle it out on the mat for the first half of the round, with a brief standup interlude followed up by another trip to the canvas. This time, buoyed by the chanting crowd, Bocek did what he could to score more points with his strikes, finishing things with an axe kick to the stomach just before the bell.With the win, Bocek improves to 10-4; Lentz, who lost for the first time in eight UFC bouts, falls to 23-4-2 with 1 NC.HECHT vs. ATTONITOOctagon newcomer Jake Hecht made a successful first Octagon impression in welterweight actions, stopping Rich Attonito in the second round.Attonito (10-5) controlled much of the first frame on the mat, bouncing back from eating a series of leg kicks to ground and pound Hecht (11-2) for the rest of the opening five minutes. The bout took a stunning turn in the second though, as an Attonito takedown attempt against the fence gave Hecht the opening to land an elbow to the head that dropped “The Raging Bull” slowly to the mat. A series of shots followed with no response from Attonito, and referee Josh Rosenthal called a stop to the fight at the 1:10 mark.CHOLISH vs. CLARKEIn an opening battle of debuting lightweights, New York’s John Cholish handed Edmonton’s Mitch Clarke his first pro defeat via second round TKO.After being on the receiving end of some solid counters from Clarke to open the fight, Cholish got into a groove after a slick reversal on the ground, and he piled up points with solid work on the mat and the feet. In the second though, Cholish got even more comfortable, and when he was done potshotting the game Canadian with a series of hard shots, he took him down and then took his back in an ensuing scramble. Trapped on his stomach, Clarke took a series of unanswered shots, prompting referee John McCarthy to halt the bout at the 4:36 mark.With the win, Cholish improves to 8-1; Clarke falls to 9-1.

Posted in: time, bout, round, shot, jabouin

Read the full article at UFC

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Many fans today know Mirko Cro Cop from his storied MMA career, where he was one of the best strikers in the sport for a long time. Mirko has declined since winning the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix in 2006, and a number of reasons could be cited as to why. He is now out of the UFC for the second time, after dropping three in a row, getting stopped with strikes in all three. In a recent video interview, Mirko said that he is returning to kickboxing, specifically saying that he'd be fighting on March 10 in Zagreb, Croatia. No opponent is set yet, but a name that's been floating around is Dzevad Poturak. It's tough to imagine Mirko winning in kickboxing after getting knocked out three times in a row in MMA, but he said, "It's much easier to prepare for a K-1 bout...You don't have much grappling and fighting on the mat. It's much easier." Cro Cop also details the injury to his right arm and how he is rushing back against his doctor's advice. He said that he is essentially right now with one arm and two legs. I don't think it's a good idea for Cro Cop to be rushing back from an injury, especially at this stage in his career. Nevertheless, everytime we think Cro Cop is done, he comes back and fights again, whether he should or shouldn't. Read More and Watch the Video...

Posted in: time, cro cop, mirko, cop, cro

Read the full article at Middle Easy

At the young age of 24, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones is on a vision quest to become one of the (if not the) most dominant champion in the promotion's history. That's quite a tall task, given the fact that his mixed martial arts (MMA) predecessors have had very impressive runs in the past. Tito Ortiz defended his 205-pound title a record five times, while Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes have each had some of the most impressive championship reigns during their respective tenures as UFC light heavyweight and welterweight champions. Today, Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva currently are riding two of the most impressive championship runs in the history of the UFC. "Rush" has defended his 170-pound title six consecutive times, while "The Spider" undoubtedly has the greatest championship success ever, defending his 185-pound belt a record-breaking nine times. With one title defense under his belt, Jones has his work cut out for him if he ever wants to be mentioned in the same sentence as the aforementioned greats to ever compete in the sport. Consecutive wins over two former light heavyweight champions in Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson are a good start. And one major advantage that "Bones" has going for him is youth. He has time to slowly but surely build an impressive streak much like the champions of yesteryear and present day. However, with youth comes inexperience, and with inexperience comes lack of knowledge. And according to Jones, he really doesn't know anything when it comes to MMA. Read the young champion's explanation at today's UFC 140 press conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, after the jump: "I think to start, the reason why I know I'm not invincible is because I have seen lots of people do great and then they end up losing you know. I want that to never happen to me, so I stay on the prowl and I always work hard. The biggest part is training with Greg Jackson and Jackson's mixed martial arts center. I am surrounded by some of the top talent in the world. You guys just saw Diego Brandao and Jon Dodson win The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and those are just the little guys. Our whole team is stacked with studs; Cowboy, Carlos Condit, Diego Sanchez, Andrei Arlovski, Travis Browne, Keith Jardine and myself, there is so many of us that I can't' even name us all, Cub Swanson. I can keep going. I am four years into my MMA (mixed martial arts) career and there is so much that I don't know. Jiu-Jitsu is a whole culture, Tae Kwon Do is a whole culture, Muay-Thai is a whole culture, boxing, the sweet science, I'm not even close to that yet. There is so much that I don't know and there is so much stuff that my teammates are way better than me at. I just happen to be one of the better ones at merging them all together, but I have teammates that are so much farther ahead at different disciplines and that is what keeps me aware of the fact that I don't really know anything. A lot of times people will come in and see me do pads and they will be like, "Wow his pad work isn't really that nice." Well, that's because there are better kick boxers on my team, and there is way better everything on my team. Being around Jacksons MMA makes me realize that I am good at mixing it all together, but I am not the best at any discipline." Jones has a chance to wrap up an impressive year by defeating another former UFC light heavyweight champion in Lyoto Machida when the two meet this weekend (Dec. 10, 2011) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at UFC 140. In the process, he will have the chance to be the first UFC light heavyweight champion in the past five years to defend the division title more than once. The last person to do it was Chuck Liddell way back in 2006, when he defended his belt four consecutive times. The always growing and still inexperienced Jones feels there is still tons of room for improvement in his ever expanding repertoire if mixed martial arts skills. Which begs the question: If Jon Jones is this good now, how great will he be five years from now? And does he have the potential to have the greatest championship era when it's all said and done?

Posted in: ufc, time, jone, champion, championship

Read the full article at MMA Mania

With only a few days to go before light heavyweight title-holder Jon Jones looks to go 4-0 in 2011 with three wins over former champions, anticipation for the event couldn’t be higher as fans ready themselves to see “Bones” take on Lyoto Machidaat UFC 140 in what many feel will be the dynamic 24-year old’s stiffest challenge to date. Before the two talented 205ers meet in the Octagon they will take to the stage this afternoon in Toronto to discuss the bout, as will fellow main card opponents Tito Ortiz/Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Frank Mir/Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. UFC President Dana White will also be on hand. Things kick off at 1:00 PM EST and Five Ounces of Pain will be tuned in to relay live results back to readers as they unfold in real time. Read below to check out all the scintillating soundbytes and relevant nuggets of information plucked from the proceedings: Jon Jones - Thinks he has gotten more and more respect amongst the MMA community since beating Quinton Jackson, says he just needs to win and everything else will take care of itself - Doesn’t have any interest in picking his opponents - Knew he would eventually fight Machida anyways as he will against Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson - Tells himself there’s no other place than in the cage he should be each time right before his fights, feels he’s blessed to know what he was put on the planet for / “This is my zone. This is my place. This is my house.” - Thinks MMA is one of the safest sports out there / “Yeah, we take risks, but this is what we chose to do with our lives.” - Loves the viral video of Machida inserted into “The Karate Kid” - Has learned a lot about Machida’s style and picked up on some tendencies after studying tape, won’t reveal specifics for obvious reasons - Knows he’s not invincible because he’s seen other people in similar positions fall, plus he’s surrounded by fantastic fighters at Greg Jackson‘s gym / “I stay on the prowl. I always work hard. I’m four years into my MMA career and there’s still so much I don’t know…There’s so much great stuff that my teammates are way better than me at.” Lyoto Machida - Feels he is more prepared to fight for the title now than he was the first time based on having matured - Loves fighting in Canada - Has been training the entire time since his last fight but nothing specific, just trying to improve all-around - Believes he’s changed a lot since losing to Mauricio Rua and “Rampage”, feels he is more mature as a fighter now - Did not train with Anderson Silva for the fight but talked and watched some videos he sent - Knows there is some pressure to win based on his popularity in Brazil but doesn’t concern himself with it Frank Mir - Lets performance speak for itself and doesn’t worry about the respect he gets from fans as long as he’s consistently winning\ - Thinks Nogueira underestimated him the first time they’ve fought - No longer prepares for the person but rather gets ready for the toughest fight possible so he’s okay in any position - Talks about how barbaric boxing is and that says the NFL has taken the UFC’s lead by making players sit out after being concussed rather than taking to the field again Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Thinks MMA is the #2 sport in Brazil behind soccer - “Is no excuse. He won the fight. He was faster….Now I gotta chance to face him, I want to show it’s a different fight. I will try to do my best…” - Was thrilled to be fighting on the same card with his brother and assisted in their training because they could spar against each other and bring in more people to help them based on both having camps, had missed doing that as they had while fighting for PRIDE - Is not worried about losing his title, understands there’s always the risk but “with great risk comes great reward” Tito Ortiz - Feels personal satisfaction in fighting three times this year after undergoing some of the surgeries on his neck/back he endured - Says he’s there for his fans which is why he’s now the “People’s Champ” / “I want to be an inspiration in people’s lives.” - Refuses to answer a question from Ariel Helwani, saying he doesn’t like him, but still replies after White ribs him - Changed his image and nickname based partially on his family too - Believes in karma and he plans on good things happening to him in the future based on his change in lifestyle - Mentions he’s fought for 15 years and is relatively fine while many boxers take serious brain damage based on standing eight counts - Has no regrets about not fighting Chuck Liddell a third time, is very thankful for how things played out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira - Says UFC Rio dramatically increased MMA’s popularity in Brazil - Thinks it will be a special night on Saturday - Knows this is a very important fight and will not let the opportunity pass him by Dana White - Isn’t sure what to expect in the main event other than it being a great fight based on both styles / “This is gonna be a fun fight.” - Acknowledges the importance of Mir/Nogueira - Is now a believer in Jones / “It’s pretty clear this guy is here to stay and is the real deal.” - Credits fans with picking fighters based on style/personality rather than nationality / “People aren’t buying tickets to watch Lyoto Machida come in here and give a speech.” - Again brings up the concept of a World Cup with Ultimate Fighter, says they’re casting the Brazilian version on Monday - Says they may do a stadium show this summer in Brazil - Names Georges St. Pierre as the most popular Canadian in sports and responds to the jeers by pointing out the love he experiences overseas and in Asia - Jokes that he’s told Jones he’s taking a mandatory vacation no matter what happens after such a busy year - Is not a fan of Ortiz’s new nickname because of how long he’s been known as “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” - “The next ten years are a lot more important than the last ten. We’ve still got a lot of work to do.” - Not concerned about GSP’s future because knee injuries happen to athletes all the time - Looking for new commentary talent starting next year to help with their expansion - Will know by next week how the Strikeforce talent will pan out in terms of bringing more fighters over - Evans will get a title-shot if he beats Phil Davis at UFC on FOX 2 but the same may not be true in return if Davis wins

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, year, fan

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Filed under: UFCTORONTO -- When you get to be a fighter of Tito Ortiz's age and stature, there's really no escaping these kinds of questions. Not for long, anyway. People see you fighting into your mid-30s with mixed success and they want to know, how long can he keep this up? Perhaps what they really want to know is, how long does he think he can keep this up? In other words, it's the kind of question where you don't necessarily expect an honest or even realistic answer. Maybe that's why Ortiz's response at Wednesday's UFC 140 open workouts was so surprising. "May 30, 2012," he told reporters. At first it sounded like a joke. As if he was getting intentionally overly specific to mock the idea that something like this could be planned. After all, May 30 is a Wednesday. Is he going to end his career with a sparring session? Then he kept going, and it became clear: Tito is serious about this. "That'll be 15 years," Ortiz said of the May 30th mark. "15 years has been my goal. I make it to 15 years, that'd be my second fight, finishing this contract, maybe it's time to hang up the gloves, walk away while I'm still healthy. I don't want to get any more surgeries. I have three boys. I have a family to take care of. I've made enough money to take care of my family now." And when you think about it, that's the reasonable response. If anything, maybe it's too reasonable. After some of his contemporaries have been dragged kicking and screaming from the sport, who would have guessed that Ortiz would be the level-headed one to set a date? Who would have guessed that Ortiz would be the one to realize about himself exactly what others have said of guys like Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva? "What else do I got to prove?" Ortiz said. "I don't have to prove anything else in this MMA world." But then, it's one thing to set a date, and another thing entirely to keep it. Fighters think retirement sounds difficult in theory, but it's nothing compared to the real thing. Many a pugilist has hung up the gloves, only to take them down and put them back on when the rocking chair didn't prove to be as satisfying as they thought. Ortiz says the date is "set in stone in my own mind," and you have to admit he has some good reasons. The surgeries have piled up lately, his neck is an almost constant concern, and there's the very real chance that he might stick around too long and do something to himself that cannot be undone. As he explained, he'd like to be able to play catch with his boys somewhere down the line, rather than grinding every last ounce of usefulness out of his body in pursuit of a paycheck he doesn't really need at this point. He doesn't expect retirement to come easy, he said, "but I don't want to disrespect the sport. I don't want to stay over my welcome. I want to make sure I walk away healthy. It's a family decision for me." He even has an idea of how he'd like to go out between now and May 30 of next year, regardless of how Saturday night's fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira turns out. "My last fight I would love to be against Forrest [Griffin]," he said. "I think I deserve that. I beat him the first time. The second time we fought, I beat him and they gave it to him. Let's do three of a kind." What, you thought just because he was leaving, he was going to stop being "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy"? He might have the self-awareness to see for himself when the ride is over, but that doesn't mean he's going to start acting like the sport's elder statesman just yet. But you have to give him credit -- or at least you will if actually sticks to his own plan. So many of his peers haven't been able to recognize the end for what it is, even when it's staring them in the face. Ortiz could go on, but that doesn't mean he has to. Not after the time he's put in, and the toll it's already taken on him. "15 years is a long time," he said. "To get up and do what I do every single day for 15 years, it's hard." After that long, waking up on the morning of May 31 and figuring out what to do next might not be so easy either. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, ortiz, year, i dont, dont

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Renzo Gracie has a gift for putting anything into the proper bit of perspective. So after John Cholish finished up his mixed martial arts debut in 2007 with a first round submission loss to Jason Patino, it wasn’t time for Gracie to coddle his young charge. He simply told it like it was.“I never seen someone smile so much from getting hit in the face,” he said.Over four years and seven fights later, none of which he’s lost, the 27-year old Cholish laughs at the memory, but also adds a disclaimer. “Since that first fight I’ve been very fortunate and I’ve worked on my skills at not getting hit in the face.”But the love of the game is still there, and while you hear that a lot from mixed martial artists, Cholish really means it, and he’s got the proof to back it up. Simply put, if the Hackettstown, New Jersey native walked away from the sport tomorrow, he would probably be miserable, but financially he would be just fine. That’s what happens when you graduate from Cornell University with a degree in Applied Economics and Management and currently work as a Commodities Broker with a primary focus on brokering Natural Gas and Crude Oil options, futures, and swaps.Yeah, he’s not your average pro athlete. But without the need to have fighting put food on his table, Cholish has freed himself to immerse himself in the sport and do it just because it’s a passion of his.“I do it because I love it, and I know I have the income and the security from my primary job that I feel like I’m fighting for the right reason,” said Cholish, noting that whatever reasons his peers fight for aren’t wrong ones, just that what he does works for him. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s pretty good at what he does.7-1 as a pro, with his last two wins coming via submission over WEC vet Jameel Massouh and Ultimate Fighter alum Marc Stevens, Cholish has seen his skill set grow significantly under the tutelage of lead coach John Danaher, as well as Gracie, and he’s emerged as a lot more well-rounded fighter than he was when he first walked into Gracie’s New York City academy with “only” a Division I wrestling background from Cornell. And back then, fighting wasn’t on his immediate radar.“Mainly it was something to keep me busy and keep me in good shape,” Cholish recalled. “I was there for less than a year, and one of the guys casually threw out, ‘hey, would you like to have a fight?’ I said ‘Sure, that would be neat.’ I was initially thinking of it as something to do once to say to my grandkids ‘yeah, that MMA stuff, I did that.’”But after that first bout, which was held outdoors on a baseball diamond in Fort Myers, Florida, there was no turning back for him.“I really fell in love with the whole idea of being able to challenge yourself against another person, and I basically took it from there and decided if I’m gonna do this, I have to do it the proper way and take a step back and start training all the disciplines and blending them together,” he said.Cholish wouldn’t fight again for over a year, but when he returned in 2008 with a decision win over Chris Connor, he said “I felt so much more comfortable once I got there.”That made things uncomfortable for his subsequent opponents, who all fell down to defeat against Cholish. Apparently the only thing keeping the lightweight prospect from greater glory would be fitting training and fights in while he worked a high-pressure day job. But he never saw it that way.“I just relate it to my career in college,” he said. “We had a pretty rigorous schedule, and our coaches and our staff were really big in helping us out with time management. I guess the easiest way to put it is that they always said that the primary objective was to get good grades and focus on your schoolwork. So that came first. We had set practices during the week, but if you needed help with school or classwork, they would help set up things like tutoring or extra office hours. And a big proponent of our training was getting extra workouts in, whether it was with an individual training partner, one of the coaches on the team, or going to the lifting program and doing some strength and conditioning. And if you had a set goal or a set idea of what you wanted to get accomplished, there’s no reason whatsoever to be in the gym for more than an hour, an hour and a half tops. Some guys come to the gym and sit around for two or three hours; what do they really get done? So whether it’s working on a specific technique or working on improving a certain strength area or speed, if you have an idea of why you’re coming in and everyone that’s there is on the same track, you’re gonna be pretty efficient. I think I have to give a lot of credit to being able to utilize my time management skills.”Not to mention his self-admitted habit of having “a tough time sitting still.” Combine everything and here he is in the UFC, making his debut on Saturday against fellow lightweight prospect Mitch Clarke. It’s an unlikely tale, but one in which Cholish still has some chapters left to write. And you know you can’t wait to see how this one ends.“What you realize when you study any martial art or any individual sport is that the only way to test your skill or ability or whether you’re actually improving from your training is in an actual live simulation,” he said. “That progressively led to me fighting, and I took it one win at a time and then said ‘I’m not too terrible at this, maybe I can keep doing it.’”

Posted in: fight, time, ’t, training, cholish

Read the full article at UFC

32 years old. It almost requires a double take when you look at the age of Frank Mir and realize that as long as he’s been in the UFC, he’s still a young man. And as a heavyweight, he may be at a point where he hasn’t even reached his prime yet. So when he talks about fighting in four years, it’s not really something that should baffle you. “So far it’s not too much of an issue being 32,” said the two-time heavyweight champ. “Four years from now I’ll probably have to start increasing the fight sequence, but I’m lucky to be in the heavyweight division. One win puts you in a title shot now; it just depends on it being the right win. Look at Brock (Lesnar). He had the Shane Carwin fight and it was questionable on whether it could have been stopped. His fight with (Cain) Velasquez he completely got destroyed, and now he’s fighting (Alistair) Overeem, and already before the fight even took place, he’s one win away from being right back into a title shot. That’s just the nature of the heavyweight division. If Brock and I were to fight again and I get a good win, boom, title shot.”Mir’s right, and if he’s learned anything in this business over the last decade, it’s that it’s not only what you can do in the Octagon that sells tickets, but what you do outside it as well. And while one chat with him or one read of an interview he does should be enough to convince you that he’s one of the fight game’s most interesting figures, he did choose a different tact when promoting fights a couple years back, one he’s opted not to take since then.“I try to keep it as real as I possibly can about my own true personality,” he said. “So I can be a smart ass and be kinda smirky, but it’s a little bit harder for me to build up a fight because a couple fights in the past, after the Brock fight, I started seeing that with some of the turmoil I caused through interviews would sell more tickets. Of course, that came back to bite me, so I’ve really put that on the backburner. Some of the fights now, I don’t build them up the way I used to because of that. For some reason some guys can do it and get away with it; it didn’t work out for me.”Luckily there is no need to build up his UFC 140 co-main event this Saturday in Toronto because it’s got all the elements needed for a blockbuster. In Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira, Mir is in with a fighter who he knocked out back in 2008, but one who was also dealing with some pre-fight injuries that he feels kept him from performing at his best. Three years and a couple surgeries later, Nogueira is back, he’s coming off an August knockout of Brendan Schaub, and he’s eager for revenge. No trash talk can do any better than that in getting fans amped up for the matchup. As for Mir, the idea of bettering a stellar knockout win could have left little room for motivation, but that’s not the case.“It helps to know that he (Nogueira) feels the first time was a fluke and there’s people after the fight listening to what he’s saying about the staph infection,” said Mir. “So it isn’t like it was a clean-cut victory the first time around. So I was able to find ways to be motivated and to go out there and put a stamp on it. His excuses actually motivated me very well.”And while the two former champions aren’t trading barbs in the media, there is plenty of heat behind this rematch, even though it’s three years since the first fight and both have had their various ups and downs. Nogueira went through two fights against Randy Couture (win) and Cain Velasquez (loss) and his surgeries before the win over Schaub, and Mir has gone 3-2, losing to Carwin and Lesnar while beating Cheick Kongo, Mirko Cro Cop, and Roy Nelson. So is Nogueira a changed fighter according to Mir?“I still think he’s not as fluid when it comes to ground jiu-jitsu,” he said. “I think his hips and knees are still a little beat up. As far as his standup, I think it’s the same. He just stands in front of you and tries to beat you through attrition. And that’s just very difficult to do right now in the heavyweight division with the size and the power that most of the heavyweights in the UFC possess.”As for Mir, he has not stood still behind a game that was once characterized as being one-dimensional. He is no longer just the “jiu-jitsu guy.” He can stand and bang with opponents and his wrestling is even coming along, something that can be attributed to something not too many elite fighters still have – a willingness to learn.“It’s ambition,” said Mir. “I want to be the best I can possibly be. And anytime I sit there and I ignore an answer from somebody because I don’t feel that they don’t have the right credentials, then I might miss out on something. And I’m very orientated toward being the best I can possibly be, and that means you have to get information from everywhere. I’ve never been one to think that someone has to have a long list of credentials to be someone to listen to. I surround myself with as many people as I can that are very proficient, and I just keep an open mind and I see the benefits of doing things better.”One of those very proficient people Mir has around these days is grappling wizard Ricky Lundell, a young man who is rapidly becoming coach to the stars, with a roster including Mir, Joe Lauzon, Roy Nelson, and Dan Hardy, among others. The way Lundell sees it, the key to Mir’s recent success is his open mind when it comes to learning new things. “It’s flattering for me to able to work with somebody like that, and Frank is a very humble individual,” said Lundell. “Despite some people’s views of him having a cocky attitude, he is extremely humble and he’s one of the easiest guys that I’ve had the opportunity to work with. He really steps up and takes into account his entire game and he wants to get better, so he’s humble enough to step up and do those things necessary.”For Mir, the goal is always the same – to become the perfect fighter. He knows he’ll never reach that point, but it can only make you better to try. “It’s an unattainable goal that you just keep striving for,” he said. “I don’t think that it will ever come. Ricky’s close with Cael Sanderson and I would be curious to hear if he thinks his wrestling could get better. I’m sure he would say yes, that there are things he can do and improve upon. I’ll never be perfect and I’m never gonna completely accomplish all my goals. I’m realistic that I have a short time frame of age and injuries and hopefully I can accomplish as much as I can within that time frame before those things become too insurmountable.”He knows that he can’t fight forever, but at the same time, Mir isn’t in any rush, so having his wins over Cro Cop and Nelson fly somewhat under the radar isn’t a cause for concern. Instead, he’s content with the slow road to glory this time around.“I have no problems with it because the way I look at it, it just gives me more time for opponents like Cain Velasquez, or Carwin or Lesnar that have better wrestling than I do,” he said. “It gives me more time to work with Ricky and (Mike) Whitehead to try to close that gap as much as possible. Every day in the gym is another day to train and I feel like I have the right mindset about that, so if my opponent and I fight tomorrow, I feel like I’ll win; if you tell us we’re gonna fight in a week, I’ll have an even better chance of winning, and if we fight in a year, my chances will increase that much more because I’m in the gym trying to improve all the time.”That’s not the fighter most associate with Frank Mir. He admitted himself to being kind of “smirky” as times, and his blunt “tell it like it is” style has turned off some fans. But he is a dedicated athlete, an intelligent observer of things in the fight game and outside of it, and he’s also a husband and father. He admits that as he grows older, the sacrifices to get to this level of the sport are sometimes harder to make.“There is a battle that goes on inside my heart,” he said. “Obviously I have to be in the gym and training; it’s just part of my nature. So I can usually move practices. Then I really started noticing in this last camp that I’m four weeks out and my daughter has a recital, and you’ve got to miss it because you can’t move your training around. And I’ve never had those moments before where I’m driving to the gym and was actually pissed off about having to go. I guess it can be kind of childish in a way because most people have to work a 9 to 5 job and do things where they have to miss out on their children’s events. But then it starts coming into ‘why am I still doing this, do I need to accomplish something more? Is there something I need to prove, am I being selfish? Have I not provided a good lifestyle for my children? Can I provide a better lifestyle for my children if I continue to do this?’ So I’m weighing things out and those are the issues I’m gonna have to struggle with more in the future than the issue of injuries.”As for now though, the training and the sacrificing for the Nogueira fight is done. Mir is in Toronto and waiting for the opportunity to show off what he’s been working on in his hometown of Las Vegas. It’s showtime, but not just for Mir, but for his camp, all of whom are eager to see their fighter test himself against one of the sport’s greats.“This is much more exciting for me,” said Lundell. “I get to take a lot more time and effort and work on a real gameplan. It’s a lot more of a chess game against somebody like that (Nogueira). I actually get to go to war. Whereas you go up against somebody like a Kongo or a Cro Cop, I don’t have to think so much about what’s gonna happen once we get to the ground; I just have to focus on getting to the ground and keeping their stuff up to par. Now against somebody like Nogueira, I get to actually put a gameplan together and develop off of Nogueira’s ticks, the things that he does without even thinking about it. How can we catch Nogueira in his perfect movement? Not beat him when he makes a mistake; that’s not what happens at the upper level. We beat him when he moves perfectly. We beat him when he scoots the way he always scoots or when he turns on the hip he always turns on or when he tries to lock on the submission that he always tries to lock. Then we counter that appropriately and sub him. At this level, it’s exciting because you get to develop gameplans that are based on perfection, not based on the old Gracie way of ‘as soon as he makes a mistake I’m gonna relax and catch him.’ That works, but the percentages are way lower; people are too skilled now. We need to make it happen for ourselves.”Frank Mir has been making things happen for a decade in the world’s toughest sport. And as crazy as it may sound, the best may be yet to come. 

Posted in: fight, time, mir, ’t, ’m

Read the full article at UFC

Since a recent (and very interesting) fanpost on the martial arts of the Viking era has brought attention to the Scandinavian wrestling style known as glima I thought I might be able to add something by posting this material which was originally meant for Ultimate Fighting of the Belle Epoque by unfortunately failed to make the final draft. Enjoy. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon of March 30th, 1913, some 200 of the most unusual spectators crowded on to the roof of Madison Square Garden to witness a most unusual wrestling match.[EN1] The assembled company were mostly from the Barnum & Bailey Circus which was currently engaged for a string of performances at the arena beneath them. Amongst the attendees "There were many Japanese on hand, there were silk-hatted folk innumerable, and there were freaks from the circus side show, for the midgets especially did not propose to miss the match, and the elder Barnett swaggered around with a miniature fur coat on his arm and a whisp of a cane swinging jauntily." The match they had gathered for was to be a "grudge bout" between Otagawa, a Japanese exponent of jiu jitsu, and Johannes Josefsson, an Icelandic wrestler. "It grew out of the jealousy between the Icelander and the Japanese, they said" over who was truly the champion of their circus. As they faced off Otagwa gazed calmly at his opponent. He had taken on and defeated numerous wrestlers as part of his "act" and there was no reason for him to think this encounter would play out any different than the scores that preceeded it. He would be mistaken. A reporter for the New York Times chronicled the encounter: Otagawa insisted that they wrestle with jackets and belts on, and although Josefsson had never tried it he was willing to fight one bout that way and one without. Thus appeased, the little jiu jitsu champion went at him, and there was some fine tussling. Despite the handicap of the unfamiliar jacket the fair-haired man threw Japanese twice and there was much cheering, which was not loud enough, however to drown the tempest of outspoken woe from Hekla, the 2-year- old daughter of Josefsson, who could not understand what it was all about. The Icelander would be declared the winner after Otagawa refused to fight the promised bare-armed second encounter unless his opponent wore a jacket. This match was only one of many such mixed "jiu jitsu versus wrestlers" contests held around the world during this time period, but what made it noteworthy was not so much the match itself, but the style of wrestling employed by Josefsson. During the Belle Époque many of the world’s wrestling styles from the Occident (Lancashire, Cumberland, Westmorland, Scottish backhold, Cornish, Devonshire, collar-and-elbow, rangein, schwingen, lutte Parisienne) and the Orient (karakucak, yağlı güreş, pehlwani, sumo, jujutsu, and judo) were converged into catch-as-catch-can wrestling. What Johannes Josefsson added to the mix was the Norseman’s glima. [EN2] Johannes Josefsson, born in 1883, "was the son of a cod-fisher-man, born in a tiny house on the edge of Akureyri, the little metropolis of Northern Iceland, and as a boy gutted herring and laid split codfish out to dry." [EN3] He would grow up to be a master of glima, winning the coveted Grettisbelti (championship belt) and being crowned Glímukóngur (King of Glima) after throwing twenty-four competitors in six hours without incurring a single fall against him in 1907. He would repeat this accomplishment the following year. His skill as a glimukappi was viewed as unparalleled, having literally written the book on the subject. [EN4] After attaining his second Grettiselti, he left his Island home to take part in the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, where he came in fourth in the middleweight division wrestling under the Danish flag (Iceland would not gain its independence until 1918) in the Greco-Roman event. [EN5] Shortly thereafter he began his professional career in Berlin, and for the next two decades he would travel extensively throughout Europe, Russia, and the Americas taking on all challengers in Greco-Roman, catch-as-catch-can, and mixed competitions, while also giving exhibitions in his own craft. His confidence in his own fighting skills and the merits of glima was supreme. He challenged both the current and former catch-as-catch-can heavyweight champions, Charlie Cutler and Frank Gotch, insisting "that he can throw either man in less than two minutes." [EN6] He was "so confident of his skill with his feet that he would meet Georges Carpentier and Jack Dempsey in the same ring and would guarantee to toss them both off without drawing a long breath." [EN7] "There is not a man in the world who can subdue a clever glima exponent," he said, "unless he does it with glima. It is simply the art of using one’s feet and legs instead of one hands. I finish five men at every performance, and, let me tell you, their attack on me is not staged the same way every day. They are continually trying new "stunts" to get me, but it never takes more than two minutes to stop them all." His boasts were not without some merit, having proven himself in numerous matches across Europe. In St. Peterburg of the Russian Empire the 148 pound Josefsson felled a 400 pound opponent in a mere 23 seconds.[EN8] At the Alhambra Theater in London he threw the jujutsu master Diabatsu twice in only 57 seconds total time. [EN9} In Lodz, Poland, he took on one of the Zbyszsko brothers (which one is unknown) in a catch-as-catch-can wrestling match, winning by toe-hold after forty-seven minutes of grappling. The French heavyweight boxer Roche was reportedly unable to stay more than eighty five seconds with him, while a Belgian heavyweight whose name is not recorded lasted even less time. [EN10] [He] finally landed in New York on March 16th, 1913, with a two-year Barnum & Bailey contract in his pocket, though of course at what he has come to recognize as an absurdly low salary." On the stage he often demonstrated glima as a form of self defense, billed as an Icelandic jujutsu, albeit superior to jujutsu. Goodwin’s Weekly, previewing Joseffson’s upcoming show at the Salt Lake City Orpheum, translated glima as being Icelandic for "treat ‘em rough" and described it as "a combination of jiu jltsu, wrestling, pugilism and the toe hold." [EN11] During these exhibitions he would face and defeat three opponents at once or demonstrate effective defenses against gun-toting and knife welding hoodlums.[EN12] He remained in the United States "until 1927, circussing in the summer, vaudevillng in the winter, even lecturing to Rotary Clubs. In the end he was pulling down twelve hundred dollars a week, with seven people in his act, an Indian sketch called 'The Pioneer.' Married before he left, he added to Iceland's meagre population two Americanized daughters."[EN13] Retiring with his family to Reykjavik, he used his athletic show earnings to open the Hotel Borg in 1930, which he operated until his death in 1968 at the age of 85. END NOTES EN 1: The whole encounter is taken from the March 31st, 1913 New York Times story "Icelander Downs Jiu Jitsu Wrestler". The match took place on the roof of the second Madison Square Garden, which was raised in 1925 to make way for the third such named building. EN 2: For a brief history and explanation of glima see "The Gripping History of Glima" by Peter Kautz. EN 3: The Circus Scrap Book, April 1931 No. 10. EN 4: Literally. "Icelandic Wrestling" by Johannes Josefsson. EN 5: The final standings for the Men's Middleweight, Greco-Roman. EN 6: "Icelander in Tacoma Offers Challenge to Gotch or Cutler for World Champ Wrestling" Tacoma Times, February 2, 1915 EN 7: " Wrestling Wizard of Iceland Defies All Highwaymen", New York Tribune, April 4, 1920. EN 8: Þegar Jóhannes á Borg glímdi við Rússa; grein í Lesbók Morgunblaðsins 1943 EN 9: This feat is made even more impressive by the fact that Diabatsu was the London stage name for Akitaro Ono, a Kodokan Judo 4th-dan who was also one of the four "Kings of Cuba", a group of Japanese jujutsu practitioners who gained fame on the professional wrestling circuit. There are two sources for this match: Íslensk glíma í erlendum blöðum; grein í Morgunblaðinu 1919 and "Glima" by Johannes Josefsson, January 1911, Strand Magazine vol 41. EN 10: " Wrestling Wizard of Iceland Defies All Highwaymen", New York Tribune, April 4, 1920. EN 11: "With the First Nighters", Goodwin's Weekly, March 22nd, 1919. The actual translation for glima is "game of joy". Many of the holds and maneuvers Josefsson demonstrated as part of his exhibitions were illegal techniques forbidden in the sport of glima but are included in what has became known as “dangerous glima” or "combat glima". EN 12: A typical show is outlined in October 2, 1918 edition of The Watchman and Southron. EN 13: The Circus Scrap Book, April 1931 No. 10. Jossephson wearing the Grettir Belt image via ejmas.com Johannes Josefsson and two of his Icelanders image from Feb. 4 1915 Tacoma Times In the Throws! Glima, "The Secret of Iceland" page image from The Sketch, December 10, 1910 Wrestling Wizard of Iceland image via bartisu.org Johannes Josefsson, Glima king image via viking-glima.com

Posted in: time, glima, josefsson, iceland, johanne

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

Today's shocking news that UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is injured and out of UFC 143 leaves a lot of questions to answer. How will the Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit interim title fight play out? How will the UFC deal with the loss of one of its biggest stars? And I'm sure Nick Diaz will demand we ask if GSP is ducking him. All of these are important questions, but to me the big one is this: Has Georges St. Pierre just lost the best years of his career? According to Dana White, the champion will be out of action for 10 months. Add in training time to get back in shape and we could be looking at early 2013 for a St. Pierre return. He already has not fought since UFC 129 in April and his defeat of Jake Shields. So now, we could be looking at a near two year gap between fights for St. Pierre. In the world of sports, and for a fighter in his prime, those two years are an eternity. St. Pierre will have to come back against either Condit or Diaz (or, potentially, some other challenger who wins the belt in the meantime), which will be a serious test for a fighter with such ring rust. And it is not just time off that is an issue - it's time off with a serious injury. We've seen fighters come back from big, injury-filled lay-offs and just not be the same. Shogun Rua, Frank Mir, Thiago Alves - there's a large list. Can St. Pierre do what he has done so many times before - prove that he is on a different level and win in the face of this adversity? It will be a tough road. Beyond just his immediate return, there is also the question of GSP's long-term run at the top. He fought Shields at the age of 29, and will return at 31 (or 32 if the recovery takes some time). Those are prime years of athletic peak that St. Pierre has had taken away from him. He already has 9 years of experience and 24 fights under his belt. Even without this injury it was fair to ask how much longer he could stay at the very top. Now, the question becomes even more important. As the leg injuries accumulate, and the years stack up, is it possible that we have seen the end of St. Pierre's run of dominance? Will it be that time and injury - those two enemies of all - have dethroned one of the top two fighters of this era? Obviously, it's too early to say. But when he comes back, I know we will all be watching closely to see if the St. Pierre that has dominated the division for 4 years is still here, or if that fighter is a thing of the past.

Posted in: time, fighter, pierre, st, year

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The UFC has decided to go the rivalry route for the next season of TUF by naming Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz as coaches for the reality show’s run on FX in early 2012. The popular bantamweights have fought twice before, splitting the series with Cruz earning a decision nod and retaining his divisional title in their most recent rumble. “I can’t wait to be the next coach on The Ultimate Fighter,” commented Faber in an official press released from the UFC. “I am looking forward to mentoring a bunch of hungry and talented fighters. The new cast needs to be ready to work hard and learn!” “Having Dominick coach on the opposite side couldn’t be more perfect,” the proud Californian continued. “I’m not too thrilled about being in each other’s space for an extended period of time, as I am sure we are going to get on each other’s nerves. But I can’t wait to mentally beat him up as a coach, and then literally beat him up in the cage and swipe that UFC strap.” Faber Doesn’t Believe Cruz is “Dangerous” “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a gym rat and love learning and teaching MMA. This is a dream come true,” Cruz added. TUF 15 plays host to lightweight and welterweight tournaments and, for the first time in series history, will feature live fights every Friday night with a two-hour debut scheduled for March 9 and then in sixty minute increments for the following thirteen weeks. The format is expected to be as “real time” as possible with episodes showing highlights from inside the house/gym occurring over the previous six days. No word was mentioned in relation to when Cruz and Faber will settle their score inside the Octagon but fans can definitely expect things to get heated a time or two during taping given their genuine dislike for one another. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: time, coach, cruz, faber, dominick cruz

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting ExclusiveNEW YORK -- John Cholish only has to turn his head to see the top. It is less than one week until Cholish makes his UFC debut. On a royal blue, sweat-soaked mat at Renzo Gracie Academy on Manhattan's west side, Cholish is one of 40 men studiously drilling escapes from the bottom, paired with Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Brian Glick. Seated against the back wall of blue, keeping an eye on his progress is John Danaher, the BJJ wiz who has helped guide the career of welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre. The two are constant presences in his career, helping to fine-tune his fight game as he reaches new levels of competition. But it is the fighter alongside of him that represents where Cholish and every other UFC lightweight wants to eventually go. Less than 15 feet away is current UFC lightweight kingpin Frankie Edgar. It is impossible to look at one and then the other, and miss the contrast in their situations. One is about to make his entrance on to the sport's biggest stage, the other is the very best in the division he is about to enter. But on this mat, they are teammates and friends. Edgar is an example from which to learn, a representation of the drive and commitment it takes to reach the top. Cholish has always sought out the best teachers, and on this day, there is no one better to have around than the standard-bearer of your division. This day is Monday, the last official day of Cholish's camp before the UFC rookie flies to Toronto to begin UFC 140 fight week. The move to the UFC came as something of a surprise to Cholish, who learned of it from a friend who had read the news online. Like many, his was a journey many years in the making. Yet his was also quite unique. When he walks into the cage against Mitch Clarke on Saturday, the Cornell University graduate will be the first Ivy Leaguer ever to fight in the octagon. With that pedigree, it would be easy to discount him as a public relations tool for the promotion as it prepares for its mainstream push on FOX, but that would be a severe underestimation of his skills. A lifelong wrestler, Cholish competed collegiately at Cornell, where he was a second-team All-Ivy Leaguer and helped the Big Red to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA championships in 2005. After graduating, Cholish sort of wandered into his current gym in 2006, and basically never left, starting with jiu-jitsu training and eventually adding muay thai into the mix. Within a year, Cholish's interest in MMA had grown so intense that he and his then-roommate, fellow fighter Erik Owings, converted the top level of their duplex into mat space. Even on Sunday mornings after long weeks in the office, there were times when Cholish would find himself up at 7:30 am working on moves. Cholish lost his first pro fight in 2007, less than a year into his training. Instead of jumping right back in, or quitting as some expected he might, he took time off to advance his skills. Since returning 15 months later, he hasn't lost, and is riding a seven-fight win streak into the octagon, with six straight stoppages along the way. "John's way ahead of where I was when I first got in," Frankie Edgar told MMA Fighting. "He's had some of the best guys around him to take examples from. He's obviously a very smart guy, he's training hard and prepared 100 percent. He pays attention to detail. He knows what it's all about. He's going to be ready for this one." The company he keeps may not say it all, but it says a lot. Cholish not only trains with Edgar and Danaher, but has traveled to Montreal to learn from Georges St-Pierre and Firas Zahabi. On many days at the Gracie Academy, fellow pros and UFC vets like Charlie Brenneman, David Branch and Rafael Natal are all present. Kenny Florian is also known to stop in. At times, it's a who's who of MMA talent. "The one thing my parents said when I was little is that if you want good things to happen, surround yourself with good people, and if you want bad things to happen, surround yourself with bad people," he says over a lunch of seared tuna and arugula salad at an Asian restaurant called Mooncake just across the street from the gym. That extends to his other career as well. He works as a commodities broker for a company named Beacon Energy, brokering deals for natural gas and crude oil. The guys yelling "buy" and "sell" while most of us look on cluelessly? Yeah, it's something like that. He brokers deals between major corporations, banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, and companies like Exxon and Hess. It is a career that is as mentally challenging as MMA is physically challenging. Unlike many fighters who make the jump to the UFC and leave their jobs behind in fear of not being able to devote enough time to improving, Cholish prefers it this way, with his time blocked out for specific tasks. It's not very different from his time in college, when he managed a heavy course load (he majored in applied economics) and a Division I wrestling schedule. These days, Cholish is usually in the office by 7 or 7:30 am, out at 4 pm, and trains at night. He likes his job so much that it actually upset him to have to miss a few days this week to leave for Toronto on a Tuesday. "I see it as fun for me," he says of the challenge of demanding dual careers. "I love my life and what I do. I couldn't see it any other way." His boss and colleagues are big supporters, and he's expecting them as well as other industry friends to fly to Toronto to cheer him on. A "client event," he calls it. His mom, though, would probably prefer it if he stuck to his desk job. While his dad usually travels to events, his mom can't even bring herself to watch on TV, and usually sits home awaiting a phone call for the result. It will be no different this weekend. In Mitch Clarke, Cholish will be facing an opponent that like him has a wrestling background and the majority of his wins by submission. Clarke is 9-0 and will also be making his UFC debut. If Cholish has one appreciable advantage, it's big show experience, as he fought and won on the undercard of February's Strikeforce event in New Jersey, a show that drew over 11,000 fans. Despite having several months to prepare, Cholish decided not to bog himself down in film study of his opponent, choosing to work on his overall skills in lieu of fight-specific planning. Finally, just a few weeks ago, he looked at tape, but only for general preparation. If anyone should know how to prepare for this moment, it's an Ivy League grad with a day job that relies on reading real-time movements with split-second timing. Even with the big moment looming, you can't tell if he has any nerves about it all. He says he doesn't. At least not yet. But they will come. "People ask me if I'm super nervous," he says. "I've been to a couple of UFC events. I'm the first fight of the evening, so it's going to be like a high school gymnasium in there." If it is, Cholish might be right at home. Just a wrestler with an insane work ethic trying to prove something to himself, the rest of the world be damned. The last time he was at a fight, he watched his teammate Frank Edgar knock out Gray Maynard in a stirring championship comeback for the ages. For him, scenes like that are a long way off. But they are also so close. As he leaves Gracie Academy for the last time, Edgar shakes Cholish's hand and wishes him luck. Tells him that he'll be there on Thursday, and to call him if he needs anything. Cholish thanks him and walks out into the New York afternoon headed for his future, a somehow anonymous professional athlete and hotshot executive with two more demanding careers than most anybody walking around him. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, day, career, cholish

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

If you’re not a fan of Costa Philippou’s two fights in the UFC, then join the club because he’s isn’t either. In his first six months in the organization, he has fought to two decisions and split the results: losing the first to Nick Catone at UFC 128 and winning the second against Jorge Rivera at UFC 133. Both efforts were arguably Philippou’s worst in his overall 8-2, 1 NC career and neither showcased his much talked about former professional boxing experience (3-0). If anything, he is as mystified by his seeming devolution as a mixed martial artist than anyone, but Philippou is hoping to change all that in his next outing at UFC 140 against Jared “The Messenger” Hamman. “In my days in Ring of Combat I was fighting, I was striking, I was punching and, now, I don't know what happened,” tells Philippou. “I got into the UFC and instead of getting better, I got worse. I guess all the lights and the publicity and the crowd got me all stressed out and I lost it. Yes, I'm saying I'm a striker, but I haven't shown any of my skills. In the gym, I'm a different fighter and in the cage when fight time comes I'm worse. I'm not even 50% of what I do in the gym. If I could do even 50% in the cage what I do in the gym then I wouldn't have to worry about any opponent. I'm trying to establish that this time. I want to show everyone that I am a striker. Everyone hears that I'm a striker and they have had to wait to see me show my skills. It looks like I don't even know how to do anything, so everybody’s wondering.”In all fairness, Philippou’s had some extenuating circumstances that have affected his performances. “I had five days notice, to be honest, and I took the fight and I was so excited that I was going to fight in the UFC that I didn't think about anything else,” remembers Philippou of his extremely short notice debut fight in March, where he subbed in for Dan Miller against Catone as Miller was bumped up to fight Nate Marquardt. “Everyone’s goal is to win the fight, but I knew my chances to win were next to nothing. I was out of shape and overweight and I just didn't want Nick to finish me by either submitting me or knocking me out. I took my beating, I stood up, said ‘thank you’ and that's about it. And two or three days after the fight, I was back in the gym getting into shape for the next one.”At 32 years old, the native of Cyprus is an open book and candid about his less than stellar bout against the New Jersey wrestler Catone. Philippou estimates he gave what he had in the first few minutes and spent the rest of the 15 minutes in survival mode, which is understandable for a guy who was 20 pounds heavier just five days earlier with zero prep time. What is truly maddening to him is what happened in the fight he actually won against the heavily favored and respected UFC veteran Rivera in August. “I was stressing out,” admits Philippou. “I had to fight a great fighter on the main card and I only had a couple weeks notice on that. To be honest, the whole idea about fighting in the UFC and on the main card stressed me out and it showed in my fight. I didn't follow my gameplan at all. The gameplan was to keep the fight standing and to exchange punches and strikes. I do have striking skills. I don't know what was going through my head at the time. I ended up clinching and taking Jorge down and I didn't know why and I kept doing it. I can't explain what I was doing and what was going through my head at that time. Luckily, I ended up winning the fight. I feel better now and hopefully I can show off my skills in this fight and do a better job.”Originally, he was scheduled to meet Rafael Natal on the UFC 133 undercard, but Rivera’s opponent, Alessio Sakara, dropped out due to an injury and the UFC came calling. Philippou took the fight with Rivera immediately without even consulting his coaches because Rivera was an obvious step-up in notoriety and someone he could theoretically trade with on the feet. Also, there was a hesitancy to fight Natal because he trains under Renzo Gracie, who is the mentor of Philippou’s coach, Matt Serra. Nevertheless, it was more or less a case of UFC “jitters” that transformed what everyone expected to be a standup duel into Philippou shooting for takedowns and turning it into a grappling match. With all that being said, he is coming off a tough victory over a high profile opponent and has truly yet to show what he is capable of inside the Octagon. “First of all, the next time I fight, I'm not going to let every little thing get to me and let myself get stressed out about fighting,” affirms Philippou, who has not only come to grips with fighting in the UFC, but now knows what it is like to face a big name opponent on a big PPV card and can simply focus on training and fighting. “This time, I went back to doing what I was comfortable doing two or three or even 10 years ago. I didn't stop practicing my wrestling and jiu-jitsu, but in the past I kind of took my striking for granted and I focused on everything else. I went back to boxing and Thai boxing and I think this time will be way better.”Up next for “Costa” is the personification of an antidote to a boring fight, “The Messenger” Hamman. The two-time Fight of the Night winner is coming off a wildly impressive middleweight debut in the form of a second round finish of CB Dollaway at UFC Live in August. Hamman entered the UFC as a light heavyweight and went 1-2 before making the plunge to 185 pounds, which worked out amazingly. Hamman is quickly becoming a fan favorite with his fast paced fights, iron chin and relentless pressure on his opponents. “That guy is obviously a great fighter,” states Philippou. “He has two Fight of the Night awards. He beat up CB Dollaway and stopped him in the second round and CB Dollaway is a great fighter with a lot of experience. He's a bigger guy with a longer reach, so it won't be an easy fight, but I'm positive that I'm in shape and I will be ready to go three rounds 100%. I was happy he is a guy who chooses to strike, so I don't have to worry as much about him chasing me for the takedown to submit me or wrestle with me. It will be easier to keep it standing and strike with him and put on the fight where I can show I can actually kick and punch and put up a good fight - not like last time. Last time, it was a boring fight. I wouldn't want to watch a fight like that. I'm hoping to put on a show this time.”Philippou is busy training for this fight out on his adopted homeland of Long Island with the New York’s dynamic duo: Serra and Ray Longo. Costa began his foray in combat sports in 1994 as a boxer. Fourteen years later, Philippou made the switch to MMA and has been playing catch-up ever since as far as learning wrestling, jiu-jitsu and, basically, everything else. As he continues to evolve in those martial arts, he decided to go back to basics and sharpen up the tools that got him into the UFC: his striking. To do so, the 5’11” Philippou has put himself through the ringer, sparring with bigger opponents in preparation for the taller Hamman. “I've been training with Chris Weidman,” says Philippou. “We spar all the time. He has been helping me with my wrestling, jiu-jitsu and even with my striking. He is 6'2" and has a very long reach. Gian Villante is a Strikeforce fighter at 205 and Dave Branch out of Renzo's is also 6’2”. They're mostly wrestlers and jiu-jitsu fighters, but they have long reaches. I have been going to different boxing gyms this time and sparring with taller opponents, so I get used to moving and punching the way I used to. My whole life I was fighting taller and bigger opponents than me. I'm obviously a smaller guy and I used to be a heavyweight boxer - picture that. I think I got most of my boxing skills back and I think my reaction time will be way better this time.”At UFC 140, Philippou is looking to show in his clash with Hamman something fight fans have yet to see from him inside the Octagon: a performance he is truly proud of. “I would like to finally show them I belong in the UFC and I didn't just get lucky and I got a call and I ended up in the UFC,” asserts Philippou, who is almost too self-deprecating for a game cagefighter coming off a win over a well-known opponent. “I hope to show them I have the skills and I am a real UFC fighter. Some people think I got lucky with my last fight. I got tired, so I don't blame them, but I would like to show them I have the skills, I'm in good shape and I can put on a good show.”With a victory over Hamman, Philippou will have plenty of fans, including himself again, because everyone loves a winner.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, im, philippou

Read the full article at UFC

Brock Lesnar is not Bob Sapp. He isn't known as a giant man who is actually a giant teddy bear. No, Lesnar is a giant man whose physical dominance and athletic prowess has only served to make him anything but a "cuddly giant." He picked up a reputation during his time trying out for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings as a loose cannon after a general unwillingness to go at anything less than full speed and breaking some standard rules such as not crushing quarterbacks during drills, something he did to the Kansas City Chiefs' Damon Huard. So that this story, told by Nik Lentz to MMA Mania's Verbal Submission podcast, not all that surprising if true: "I did roll with him one time and number one, it was really gross because the dude sweats like a ridiculous amount so I was just covered in Brock Lesnar sweat, like just dripping in his own sweat but then he was kinda messing around and I jumped on a guillotine and I wound up eventually tapping him out and then he actually got kinda angry and the next time that we started, he just picked me up above his head WWE-style and like threw me across the room so that was the end of my training with Brock. I got him one time. I jumped on the guillotine because he wasn't ready for it and I choked him out and then after that I got thrown across the room." Lesnar fights Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 141. SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

Posted in: time, lesnar, brock, nik lentz, giant man

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Filed under: UFC, NewsFour of the seven UFC 140 preliminary bouts will air live on ION television, the UFC recently announced. Beginning at 7 pm. ET, ION will air Igor Pokrajac vs. Krzystof Soszynski, Jared Hamman vs. Constantinos Philippou, Dennis Hallman vs. John Makdessi and Yves Jabouin vs. Walel Watson. The remaining preliminary bouts will be streamed on Facebook. Those fights are Mark Bocek vs. Nik Lentz, Rich Attonito vs. Jake Hecht and Mitch Clarke vs. John Cholish. This will be the third time ION has televised UFC undercard bouts, but the first time with two hours set aside. ION aired one-hour UFC prelim shows for UFC 125 and UFC 127 earlier this year. The UFC 140 pay-per-view starts at 9:00 p.m. ET for one final time before pay-per-views return to the 10 p.m. ET start time beginning with UFC 141. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, vs, ion, ion television

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Nik Lentz understands that he doesn't have the best of reputations among UFC fighters. All it took was one lousy fight. His UFC 118 clinch-fest was featured on the Spike TV preliminaries and it did not provide the desired results of getting people amped up to buy a pay-per-view. He's never been featured on a televised portion since, although that's not for lack of trying. Lentz has made an effort to shed that reputation, putting on an exciting show in a dramatic come-from-behind effort against Waylon Lowe at UFC Fight Night 24 and then following it up with a "Fight of the Night'-winning performance versus Charles Oliveira earlier this summer which resulted in a 'no contest' from an illegal knee. Now, after over two months of recovery from a broken orbital, Lentz is ready to get back on the horse. He'll be battling Mark Bocek on the UFC 140 preliminary card this Saturday night (December 10, 2011) in Toronto, Ontario. "The Carny" spoke with MMAmania.com during a guest appearance on The Verbal Submission last night. You may have already read about his Brock Lesnar story, but he had much more to share including the consequences of being more aggressive, separating MMA from real life and his stance on fighting teammates. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): It seems like you flipped a switch in your fighting style. At first, it was more where you were primarily using your wrestling, the clinch to win fights and some people got outspoken about it but all of a sudden, you turned into this aggressive, always moving forward taking it to guys-type of fighter. You put on a terrific performance against Waylon Lowe where you took quite a bit of damage but it was one of the best fights of the whole night with the third round comeback and against Charles Oliveira, you took Fight of the Night honors despite him landing the illegal blow and everything. Those last two fights were a lot different than your first five or so. What was it that kind of changed for you? Nik Lentz: Well, I think first that it's not the first five fights that were like the grappling kind because a lot of them weren't seen. When I first got into the UFC, the Facebook fights didn't exist so it was a lot harder to see the undercard fights. That was always my style but I had the two fights that turned into the more grappling matches and I think people kind of based all my fighting style out of fighting one and a half fights pretty much because they were the only ones they had access to and they didn't take time to look at the other ones so I've always been that kind of fighter, very aggressive and straightforward, I just had the one time where I wasn't. So now, you're getting a chance to see what my fighting style has always been like and the other fight was more like an outlier to how I used to fight. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Going in against Mark Bocek now, he's a guy that can be very patient and he's got this nasty jiu-jitsu game. Do you feel like this style that you've used, or as you say the style that you've always used, that this would be to your advantage to be the aggressor kind of like what Ben Henderson did against him? Nik Lentz: Yeah, definitely. I feel like being aggressive in the fight is definitely gonna have a huge advantage for me and like you said, he's got a slow, methodical game and he's not gonna be able to switch that around right away where I've been working really hard on being the aggressor my whole career so yeah, I think he's gonna have his hands full when we come down to it. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You posted something on twitter that I've got to ask you about. You said you were getting your packing done and you bring a crazy amount of stuff for the week when you're in the hotel. Do you bring different things that the typical fighters in the UFC wouldn't bring? Nik Lentz: I probably do bring the most stuff out of any UFC fighter. I bring like a whole, I bring a laptop, I bring DVD players, I bring game systems, I bring like 10 times more clothes than I would ever need. I pack all my food that I'm gonna eat for the week. I bring a blender. I bring food scales and regular scales. I pretty much just bring everything to where living in the hotel is almost like being at home. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): It sounds like you really want to try to make it as comfortable as possible so it's not a distraction Nik Lentz: Well yeah, I get there on Tuesday and I don't fight until Saturday and it's not like you can go out on the town too much because I can't eat any of the food, I can't really do anything that's considered fun when you go and travel places. I'm pretty much stuck in the hotel so I just make sure to bring as many things as possible to keep myself entertained, make the week go by a little faster so the fight can come up a little sooner. I've been a ton of places when it comes to fighting but I've done very little sightseeing or going out. Even the night after the fight, I probably get back to the hotel about 1 or 2 in the morning so there's not much time to do anything that night and then on Sunday, I'm usually pretty sore and I leave. I don't really get to see too much of the places I travel. It would be nice if I could stay a few days after or something but usually I just want to get home. Get home, get back to normal and if I want to go somewhere, I'll just go on vacation after the fight. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): In a similar light, I know you do a lot of other things to keep your mind occupied. You play a lot of video games and other things. Is it really important to you to have an escape from MMA because I know some fighters, they're whole life is nothing but MMA. Is it really important for you to be able to separate MMA and real life? Nik Lentz: Yeah, definitely. When I'm done training for the day, let's say I train from 8 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon, after 2 in the afternoon, I don't think about MMA at all. I mean I think about it, but I try to eliminate all the rest of the thinking. When I get there, I'm very focused, it's like a 100 percent job, but once I leave, I've done all the work at the gym and it stays there. I use video games, anime, things to keep me distracted from thinking about it all the time because if you think about it too much, it's gonna be a distraction, it's gonna hurt you and it's not gonna be fun anymore so you definitely need those built-in distractions and I think the people who don't have them get really burnt out. Ben Thapa: What was going through your mind in that third round against Waylon Lowe, and after how many times you'd attempted the guillotine before, what made you think it would work that last time? Nik Lentz: Well, right at the end of the second period, I hit him and I got a takedown right at the end and I could just feel him that he was ready to quit. I could just tell that I had finally gotten to him and I was starting to wear on him and going into the third round, my coach knew the same thing. He was like, "Go out there and take this fight because he's gonna break," so I went out there, I traded with him, I got into the brawl because I knew he was tired and I knew he didn't want to fight anymore and then once you shoot in there, if I get the guillotine tight, it's over. You can't get away. The reason a lot of people get out of the guillotines is because I know very well that I don't have it but the fact is number one, I have a guillotine so they can't hit me and number two, while i have the guillotine, they can't breathe, it's sucking the life out of 'em. It's like a snake, I'm slowly killing them over time so every time I have a guillotine, it always does damage. It's not like going for an armbar and missing it and nothing happens. If you go for a guillotine or any kind of choke and you hold it for any significant amount of time, the damage is done. You've taken the air away from them, you've killed their conditioning and so that's why I just love to get chokes on them no matter what time it is. Ben Thapa: With your aggressive style you've been implementing lately, you're open to taking more damage because you're open to counter strikes. You got hit quite a bit in those last two fights. Is that a trade-off you're okay with? Nik Lentz: Yeah, if you're aggressive, there's always the chance you'll be open, but that's what training is for. You can always look at the fights, see what you did wrong and fix it. That's one of the things I'm good at and it's one of the reasons why I've been able to win so much. Every time I step into the ring I'm new, I'm improved and I took all that time to study. I saw all the tapes, I saw what went wrong and I got different coaches or I worked on certain things. I'm never against just completely reworking part of my game if it needs to be fixed. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Between Sean Sherk, Jacob Volkmann and yourself, you guys have quite a few successful UFC lightweights at your gym, The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. Does that help, the competition between you guys when you're training? Nik Lentz: Well it's nice to see that not only is Volkmann successful but Sherk was a former UFC champ. It's nice to know that when you're going with someone like that you can really judge your level of fighting. So now when I go with Sherk and I do really well against him, I can see the progression of how good I'm getting and then I know that if Sean Sherk says, "Hey, you're ready to beat anyone in the world," that means something. It's not just some random guy that's never been tested. When I go with him and he says, "Wow, you feel really strong, you feel really good and I don't think anyone can beat you," that really means something so it definitely adds to my confidence. Gerry Rodriguez: I know there's a lot of different camps and guys have a lot of different stances on things, like they'll never fight their training partners. Is that something that you're solid on or if the opportunity presented itself where you two would have to face each other, would that be something that you would do? Nik Lentz: If we had to face each other, we would do it. We would make sure that it was important, not just a random fight but if it meant something like a number one contendership or something like that but when it comes down to it, if we're both coming up the ladder and we both hit that point to where we have to fight, yeah, of course we'll fight and we're fine with it. Gerry Rodriguez: What's your thoughts on the guys that say they'll never fight their training partners? What do you think about that. Nik Lentz: Well, it just depends who you are. I definitely don't want to fight any of my training partners. I hope it never happens because that's kind of a really crappy position to be in because number one, the fight is going to be insanely difficult because they know everything about you and it's gonna turn into this weird match-up of trying to do stuff that you don't normally do or trying to go at it but I guess I have no opinion on the other people I guess. It does take a really close relationship with your friends to know that you could go into the ring and try to beat the crap out of each other and afterwards, you'd be fine. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Going back to your Mark Bocek fight. He's a really solid submission guy. Would you be confident taking him down and going to the ground with him? Nik Lentz: Yeah, definitely. He's actually more of a top jiu-jitsu guy so he likes to be on top. I'm not saying he's bad off his back or anything but he's definitely not your average jiu-jitsu black belt when it comes to being on the ground or on his back but he's better than your average black belt in jiu-jitsu when he's on top. I definitely will take him down if the opportunity is there. As far as just really good jiu-jitsu people just in the UFC, I think I've fought four or five high level black belts so Mark Bocek isn't the first guy that's been a very tough jiu-jitsu opponent for me. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): When you're visualizing success against Mark Bocek, when you close your eyes and think about this fight, what do you see? Nik Lentz: I see me winning within two rounds. I see me with my hand raised. The only thing Nik asked was that you check him out on twitter @NikLentz. He responds to his fans very actively. So what do you think, Maniacs? Has your opinion on Nik Lentz changed after learning a little bit more about him? Does he have what it takes to put away Mark Bocek on Saturday night within two rounds like he's visualizing? Sound off! To listen to the complete audio of our interview (which includes extra nerd stuff), click here.

Posted in: fight, time, he, lentz, nik

Read the full article at MMA Mania

You know all those urban legends that show up on the mixed martial arts message boards claiming "So-and-so tapped Brock Lesnar in training!" Well, one UFC fighter is ready to start naming names. Specifically, his own. Ladies and germs, I give you UFC "Carny," Nik Lentz: "I did roll with him one time and number one, it was really gross because the dude sweats like a ridiculous amount so I was just covered in Brock Lesnar sweat, like just dripping in his own sweat but then he was kinda messing around and I jumped on a guillotine and I wound up eventually tapping him out and then he actually got kinda angry and the next time that we started, he just picked me up above his head WWE-style and like threw me across the room so that was the end of my training with Brock. I got him one time. I jumped on the guillotine because he wasn't ready for it and I choked him out and then after that I got thrown across the room." Lentz (21-3-2), during an appearance on The Verbal Submission on Dec. 4, 2011, told MMAmania.com about the one time he ever trained with Brock Lesnar. "The Carny," who battles submission ace Mark Bocek this Saturday night (Dec. 10, 2011) on the preliminary card of UFC 140 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, trains out of the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy under Greg Nelson, a man who worked with Lesnar at the beginning of his fight career. And if he can tap the "Brockness Monster," he should have a pretty good shot at submitting Bocek. Agree or disagree?

Posted in: time, brock lesnar, lesnar, brockness monster, brock

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Massachusetts MMA promotion Premier Fighting Championship returned the Mullins Center in Amherst for the first time since April. PFC 7 was headlined by a lightweight bout between three time UFC vet Dan Lauzon (16-4) and Anthony Kaponis (4-4). Lauzon bided his time briefly before he shutdown Kaponis. The first counter punch combo thrown by Lauzon dropped Kaponis to the floor. Lauzon followed Kaponis down to the mat and halted the fight with a handful of power punches that left his opponent unconscious. The official time of the knockout win for Lauzon came at the 1:42 mark of round one. Only 23 years old Lauzon has won four straight since being released by the UFC in June 2010. A all action fighter, Lauzon is now 16 for 16 in finishing opponents and has still not won a fight by decision in his five year career. With a 0-3 record in the UFC behind him, Lauzon could be called back up to Strikeforce or perhaps Bellator in 2012 if he continues to dominate of the local MMA scene. In the co-main event two UFC welterweight Ricardo Funch (8-2) returned to the cage for the first time since being released by the national promotion. Three time Bellator winner Ryan Quinn (6-3-1) looked to use Funch as a launching pad for a full time gig off the regional circuit. In a back and forth fight Funch's pressure and cage control wore down Quinn over the course of three rounds. Funch would walk away with a unanimous decision win over Quinn. The win snapped a two fight skid for Funch. Premier Fighting Championship 7 resultsAmherst, MADan Lauzon def. Anthony Kaponis by KO 1:42 R1Ricardo Funch def. Ryan Quinn by Unanimous Decision Abner Lloveras def. Rich Moskowitz by Unanimous DecisionTyson Chartier def. Barrington Douse by Submission Guillotine Choke R1Lowell Zangri def. Josh Mellen by Submission Guillotine Choke 1:13 R1Mike Flores def. Fred Mandracchia by TKO (Strikes) 0:12 R1Rob Font def. Matt Tuthill by Submission Rear Naked Choke 2:32 R1

Posted in: time, submission guillotine, lauzon, funch, kaponi

Read the full article at UltMMA

"I was surprised when we clinched and things like that. He felt like a little boy at times. I felt so much physically stronger than him. So, you know, I was confident. Every time we clinched, I could just throw him off, you know? I was a little surprised at that, I expected him to be a little stronger." -- Michael Bisping tells MMAFighting.com that his opponent at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 Finale last night (Sat., Dec. 3, 2011) in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jason Miller, felt like a little boy at times. Why? Because the British banger was able to toss "Mayhem" around like a rag doll every time they clinched. "The Count" thinks that's because he was so much stronger than his rival TUF coach but it's entirely possible we can chalk it up to Miller's gas tank running bone dry by the end of the first round. Not surprisingly, that's when Bisping turned up the heat, eventually leading to his earning a third round technical knockout stoppage. He wasn't entirely happy with his performance but a win is a win, right? Anyone think the next 185-pound titlt challenger was made last night?

Posted in: time, mayhem miller, boy, times i, rag doll

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS -- UFC middleweight Michael Bisping showed up to the TUF 14 Finale weigh-ins looking like a man in a foul mood, and his disposition only got worse from there. The crowd at the Palms casino erupted in boos every time the Brit's name was mentioned, and it didn't help matters when he came in 1/4-pound over the middleweight limit for his bout with Jason "Mayhem" Miller on Saturday night. Even after stripping down behind a towel, Bisping was still over the mark, leaving him with an hour to cut the weight. After putting his clothes back on he stormed out of the room, though Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer said it was his understanding that Bisping would be coming back soon to weigh in again. Before Bisping left, however, Miller jabbed him one last time in his post-fight remarks, telling fans that the time for talking was over and adding, "Now boo this man!" The fans, not surprisingly, obliged. When UFC color commentator Joe Rogan asked the crowd to show a little love for Bisping, the fighter remarked that he didn't "[expletive] care about getting any [expletive] love. All I care about is smashing this [expletive]'s head in." Then he turned his attention on the still jeering crowd, telling them "[Expletive] you all." And with that, Bisping was gone. Full weigh-in results are below. Main card (Spike TV) Michael Bisping (186.25)* vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller (185.5) Diego Brandao (145) vs. Dennis Bermudez (146) John Dodson (134) vs. T.J. Dillashaw (135.5) Yves Edwards (155) vs. Tony Ferguson (155.5) Johnny Bedford (136) vs. Louis Gaudinot (136) Preliminary card (Facebook) Marcus Brimage (143) vs. Stephen Bass (145) John Albert (136) vs. Dustin Pague (136) Josh Ferguson (134) vs. Roland Delorme (136) Josh Clopton (144) vs. Steven Siler (146) Dustin Neace (145.5) vs. Bryan Caraway (145) * Bisping has one hour to cut 1/4 pound Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, vs, bisping, i care, expletive

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS -- On Thursday morning at 9 a.m. the UFC PR staff spread this season's Ultimate Fighter finalists out across two conference rooms at the Palms hotel and casino and introduced them to one of the less glamorous aspects of life in a big time fight promotion: the dreaded pre-fight interviews. "It's going to be about an hour of talking," UFC director of media relations Ant Evans explained as he sat TUF 14 bantamweight finalist T.J. Dillashaw down to begin a series of rapid-fire phone interviews. One look at Dillashaw's face, and you could see he wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the idea. It could be worse, Evans explained. He could be like Michael Bisping and "Mayhem" Miller, who had two or three hours of interviews scheduled. Somehow, this failed to raise Dillashaw's spirits. "It's just so fast," he told me later, once it was my turn to monopolize his time. "You're used to not very much media attention at all, and suddenly it's a lot." That's the case for all four of this year's finalists. In general, bantamweights and featherweights don't get as much love as the bigger fighters on the MMA scene, and the spotlight is even dimmer outside the UFC. After fighting their way onto the reality show and then earning a spot in the finals, they're all finding out for the first time what it's like to stand in the spotlight. Each has his own way of adjusting to this new life on fight week. "The first time, I cried when I saw [myself] on TV," said featherweight Diego Brandao. "It was crazy." Brandao's opponent for Saturday night's finale -- Dennis Bermudez -- played it a little cooler. In the next room over, sitting with his coach, Bermudez shrugged off the media pressure. "I did a lot of high school newspaper articles for wrestling, stuff like that," he said. "For me, it's like a bunch of those, I guess." What he was happiest about was simply being out of the TUF house and free to move about, he said. People keep telling him that his career is about to be defined by how he performs against Brandao, who seems to have instilled a deep terror into most of his previous opponents, but Bermudez isn't sweating it just yet. "My mindset is, it's another fight. People are like, it's the biggest fight of your career. Well, it's the biggest fight of my career right now. I'm sure I'll have bigger fights later on." Bantamweight John Dodson -- the only fighter who was all smiles even early in the morning, practically bouncing out of his chair with enthusiasm -- is taking a similar approach. It's not a must-win, he said. Especially not for a guy who's really a natural flyweight, just waiting for the UFC to open the division up. The way he sees it, if he puts on an exciting fight, people will remember him regardless of whether he wins or loses. "You're telling me you don't remember Stephan Bonnar?" he said. "You don't remember Kenny Florian?" For Dodson, the show was a bit of a mixed bag. He was painted as a traitor at times for sharing fight pairing news with the opposing team, and drew the ire of his coach, "Mayhem" Miller, who Dodson did a spot-on impression of as he mimicked Miller's cry of, "Dodson, whyyyy!?!" "I'm not going to lie, it's still cool to have him talking about me," Dodson grinned. In fact, that's his take on all the buzz surrounding his reality show stint. That's why he thanked those who hated him most during the show's run. "People were asking me, why are you thanking the haters? It's because, if I don't have any haters, then it means I wasn't doing anything right. There's a reason people were talking about me." And while it's nice to be talked about, both Dodson and Dillashaw are hoping that theirs is the fight that becomes the focus of the good kind of post-event talk rather than the bad. You can be a hero or a villain, but one thing these up-and-comers have learned is that you just can't be boring. "I don't want to put this pressure on myself like I have to win this fight, because I really don't," said Dillashaw. "This sport's for entertainment. I just need to go out there and put on a show. I'm going to win, but I'm going to put on an awesome show and go a hundred miles an hour." Just don't tell him that reward for success is more interviews. You don't want to send the poor guy in there with mixed emotions. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, time, dillashaw, dodson, dont

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting ExclusiveMichael Bisping thinks he has the best case to be the next challenger for middleweight champion Anderson Silva. After all, the thought goes, Mark Munoz has lost more recently than him, and Chael Sonnen already had his shot and failed to capitalize. But Bisping likely has to win twice more before finally getting the opportunity that has eluded him so far in his UFC career. The first of those times comes on Saturday against the returning Jason "Mayhem" Miller, a rugged veteran who has spent most of the last few years as a mercenary for a host of promotions. Miller, last seen competing against and defeating Kazushi Sakuraba in DREAM over one year ago, will have the task of wiping off his ring rust against one of MMA's most active and well-conditioned middleweights. Bisping (21-3) is currently considered about a 2-to-1 favorite to win. The fight matchup is intriguing given their personal strengths, Bisping as a kickboxer and Miller as a grappler. But it's far from a striker vs. ground specialist matchup, too, as both are well-versed in the all-around game. Bisping's success mostly stems from his three things: his stamina, work rate and complete game. While he is not elite in any one category, he melds his skill sets together well into a well-rounded arsenal. At the heart of it is his kickboxing. He doesn't have traditional one-strike knockout power, but his ability to press his opponent from bell to bell makes him a tough matchup because it slows you down from getting truly comfortable against him. That is borne out in the statistics. According to FightMetric, Bisping is in the top 10 all-time in strike differential, a key stat which shows your ability to dole out punishment while avoiding return fire. Given his volume, that stat is even more impressive, as Bisping's 4.59 strikes landed per minute also ranks him among the top 10 in UFC history. Meanwhile, his opponents only connect on 29 percent of strikes against him, once again putting him in the top 10. Simply put, he spends a lot of time hitting people and not getting hit. This is where most people will inject a Dan Henderson joke at his expense, but the fact remains that the highlight-reel punch lies as a statistical aberration, one not surprisingly pulled off by one of the sport's historical greats. Despite having no roots as a wrestler, Bisping has also been very good in that department, taking down opponents on 53 percent of tries while stopping opponents on 58 percent of tries against him. He is also excellent at getting back to his feet off a takedown, a skill that may be key against Miller, who does his best work on the ground. Bisping's also never been tapped out, so even if Miller does manage to hold him down for an extended period of time, he's no easy pickings in the submission department. Despite having been in the sport as a pro for over a decade, Miller (24-7, 1 no contest) is just 30 years old -- two years younger than Bisping. The colorful fighter is willing to fight anywhere but is best known for his excellent ground skills, with 14 of his wins coming via tapout. Perhaps because he's not known for power, Miller gets a bad rap for his standup. The bottom line when it comes to striking is whether or not it's effective, not how pretty it looks. Miller can be unconventional at times, but he does have underrated fundamentals that allow him to connect at a 50 percent percentage, a better rate than Bisping (40 percent). It's on the mat where he shines though. Because of Miller's fun-loving personality, it's easy to underrate him, but he's been a high-level grappler for years, even before receiving his black belt in 2010. You may recall that in his November 2009 match with submission wizard Jake Shields, he had Shields in a rear naked choke to end round three but time ran out on him. That bout is also important for other reasons though. It remains the last time Miller faced top-quality competition. After that, he fought little-known Tim Stout in a Strikeforce fight that was put together on short notice, and then he faced a 41-year-old Sakuraba who had lost three of his last five. Because of that, how he will respond to being thrust into top competition again is anyone's guess. On one hand, it's been a long time. On the other, he's had quite a bit of time to work on improvements. When their respective styles meld, Bisping should have the advantage because of his active standup. It's never going to be easy to out-point him on the judges' scorecards when he throws and lands as much as he does. His underrated wrestling should also keep the fight up enough to stay away from Miller's strength. The five-round limit shouldn't be an issue for either, as both are known to be well conditioned and shouldn't have a problem going the distance. A 25-minute fight is a near-lock in this one. Bisping doesn't have the raw power to put away Miller, who has only been TKO'd once in his career, and Miller isn't likely to keep Bisping on the mat long enough to submit a fighter who has never tapped. That's going to leave a mostly standup battle, and Bisping has the greater possibility of impressing the judges with his quantity, quality and pace. Bisping via decision. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, time, miller, year, bisping

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

It was an angle too tempting to pass up, asking The Ultimate Fighter season 14 bantamweight Johnny Bedford about that time he fought in a barn.“Man, I probably fought in more than one,” laughed Bedford, and it was clearly time to grab the popcorn, because this wasn’t going to be your typical ‘journey to the UFC’ story. And the 28-year old Ohio native didn’t disappoint.“When I started fighting, there weren’t even athletic commissions,” he said of his formative years in MMA. “There was nothing. It was crazy. I was fighting up to three times a month a lot of times, making a couple hundred dollars to fight. There weren’t even win bonuses back then. You’d get like two hundred bucks to fight and you had to pay your gas, so by the time you got there and got back and got dinner, you made $50.”You could almost chalk up this beginning to Bedford being a wild brawler who was simply looking for a legal environment to scrap in. But that’s not the case. Bedford was a seven-time AAU national wrestling champ who even wrestled on the Division I level for a year and a half at Cleveland State University, and while he didn’t get his degree, he did still want to compete, hence his migration to mixed martial arts. But this wasn’t the MMA that you were seeing on the UFC or PRIDE level back then. This was a whole other animal, and Bedford was getting a crash course in the school of hard knocks.“It’s hard to get motivated when you fight three times a month, you don’t even know your opponent, and then they change it the day of weigh-ins,” he said. “I’ve had amateur fights where we showed up and they literally said ‘raise your hand if you want to fight.’ All the guys that wanted to fight got on a scale that looked like they borrowed it from his mother’s bathroom, and they said ‘okay, you two are the closest, you’re gonna fight.’”Bedford persevered though, hopeful that something would eventually break, just not him. His early record is spotty, with a few wins broken up by a loss or two before he began the cycle again, and soon, he wasn’t just in a situation where he was trying to support himself. Eventually, he got married and the couple welcomed a son into the world. Now what was a dream was turning into something where he had to figure out how to make ends meet.“It didn’t make a lot of sense,” he admits. “Luckily, in the real hard days, when I was making no money at all, I was still single at the time. But shortly after, I was married in 2006 and we had a son later on that year, and it was the same story. I was fighting all over the Midwest for a couple hundred dollars a fight, and by then you would get some travel money, but I was working at UPS just for the insurance. My paycheck every week from UPS was about $80. So I was fighting two, three times a month, and a great payday back then would be 2 and 2 or a 3 and 3. And that’s hundred, not thousand.”Being a fighter whose optimum weight is 135 pounds gave him even more of a burden to carry, especially since there were few options for bantamweights or featherweights with less than stellar records.“It was disheartening,” said Bedford. “I went through numerous times where my wife and I would have that conversation – is enough enough? Even making the WEC four years ago, which was the goal at the time, still didn’t pay what the UFC did, and you still didn’t get the notoriety. You tell the average fan that I’m hoping to get into the WEC and they’re like – what’s that? I started my career weighing at 155 pounds and that’s what I fought at because you couldn’t find fights at ‘45 and ‘35.” So when Bedford finally put together a solid run in 2009-10 when he won six of seven fights, including a December 2010 submission of WEC vet Frank Gomez, and got a call to compete for a spot in the Ultimate Fighter 14 house, he may have been an underdog, but he was an underdog that bites. And he certainly locked his jaws on favorite Carson Beebe (the brother of former WEC champ Chase Beebe), submitting him in the first round to earn his place on the TUF 14 cast. That was the easy part.“Some people think that it’s glamorous and it’s so awesome to be there,” he said of the TUF experience. “And my answer is always honest and to the point – it was terrible. (Laughs) It was the worst six weeks of my life. Would I do it again? Absolutely. But while you’re there for six weeks, it’s miserable. You’re literally cut off from the outside world. And me being a husband and a father, for the last four and a half years of my life, I woke up every day and saw the same two people. And they completely cut you off from that, and it was tough. It turned out to be tougher than I thought it would, for sure.”Bedford would go on to win another bout in competition, decisioning Josh Ferguson, before getting knocked out in the bantamweight semifinals by John Dodson. This Saturday he gets another shot at staying in the UFC though, as he’ll battle castmate Louis Gaudinot in the main card opener.“It’s a great fight for me,” said Bedford. “I think he (Gaudinot) is obviously talented. He was the first overall pick for (TUF14 coach Michael) Bisping, which I was kinda blown away by at the beginning. But he’s a small 135 pounder and I’m about as big as they get, and I think my size, my reach, and my height advantage is gonna play a big part in this fight. Another thing is that I have a much better wrestling pedigree and I can put him on his back when needed. I’m blessed to get that matchup and I feel like it’s a good matchup for me to get a win and keep moving forward in my UFC career.”A UFC career. It sounded like merely a dream for Bedford back in his salad days, but now it’s nearly a reality. And if you doubt what such a fistic upbringing can do for a fighter, don’t. Coming up the hard way can do wonders for you when you have to dig deep to win a grueling fight.“It builds toughness,” said Bedford. “It’s gonna be really hard to break me. I fought in the worst settings you could possibly think of. I’ve seen everything you can throw at me. These guys who are just getting into the sport, it’s crazy to think about. My brother in law (Evan Cutts) just fought on national TV two weeks ago. It was his third pro fight and he’s 20 years old. He fought Reagan Penn and beat him, and he made the equivalent of my best payday before the UFC. (Laughs) And he’s grateful for that.”Johnny Bedford is grateful to finally be here. And it will take a helluva fighter to make him leave.

Posted in: fight, time, ’t, year, bedford

Read the full article at UFC

When you become a world champion you are put on a hit list for potential opponents and contenders. When you look at boxing you see time and time again that so called “champions” hardly ever fight all comers, but this is where MMA has learned from boxing’s short comings. One of the most dominant athletes [...]

Posted in: time, boxing, champion, michael, world champion

Read the full article at Fighthub TV

Change is good. For Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar, that change will come when he travels to Saitama, Japan, to take on newly-crowned number one contender Ben Henderson at UFC 144 on Feb. 26, 2012. After finally putting his feud with Gray Maynard to rest (for the time being, anyway) at UFC 136 on Oct. 8, 2011 in Houston, Texas, Edgar is more than ready to "answer" questions about a new opponent. Edgar is developing a reputation for being a gutsy, "comeback fighter." However, the ability to take a licking and keep on ticking is not exactly what the champion wants to be known for. It's just kind of worked out that way: "Yeah, I'm not trying to make a habit of it. Taking the punishment I've been taking the last couple of fights. It's like a cat's got nine lives. I don't know how many lives I've got to get out of that first round again. It does make for exciting TV and it's definitely building my legend, so as long as I come out the victor, I'll get beat up for four or five rounds. As long as I come out the winner. I'll do it every time." Henderson, Edgar's next opponent, has won all three of his UFC fights and done so in decisive fashion since making the jump to the Octagon from World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). Edgar knows "Smooth" is a worthy adversary and is not underestimating him one bit. From the UFC 144 press conference that took place earlier today: "I’d like for it to be a quick fight, but that doesn't seem to be how it goes for me. Usually my fights are exciting. In my past few fights, I’ve taken some damage, but was able to come back, so it makes it exciting for the fans. I know it’ll be a good fight. He’s a good fighter. I’ll go there and do everything I gotta do to win. He's been on a tear since he's come over from the WEC. He's beat all the top contenders, so he's more deserving of a title shot. He's real exciting. He's young and hungry. So, I know I got my hands full." Henderson won't be the only challenge that Edgar will have to face in this upcoming 155-pound bout. Though Edgar has competed on foreign soil before (he most recently took on B.J. Penn in Abu Dhabi at UFC 112 on April 10, 2010), this will be his first fight in the "Land of the Rising Sun." Having trained under mixed martial arts (MMA) mainstay and Pride FC veteran, Renzo Gracie, for some time now, Edgar has a fairly good resource for what it will be like to fight in Japan. "Oh yeah. Renzo, I talk to him all the time. I train at his academy in New York. I'll definitely be picking his brain about certain things about competing here in Japan. I'm sure within these next few months, I'll get more specific. Right now, it's just kinda general, like getting over here and having enough time to acclimate and what not. Over the next couple of months, I'm sure he's gonna be sharing a lot of tips with me." Another obstacle that Edgar will have to face is that because of the time difference, his fight versus Henderson will actually take place in the morning. He's not scared. And he's certainly not packing any pre-fight excuses. In fact, he says bring it on: "It's definitely something I gotta be prepared for but, s---, I should be able to get out of bed and whoop someone's ass, right? I'm prepared for it." Ultimately, Edgar's goal is to put on an exciting show for the fans at the Saitama Super Arena and bring home his belt. It's what he's trained for: "My motivation in training is always to win. I think if I come in in shape and I put on a good show, it's gonna be exciting. The way I fight, you know, I think I have five ‘fight of the nights,' something like that. I put on exciting fights. I think it's just natural for me. I walk in there, I go forward and I look to win." Hard to argue with any of that. Will Edgar retain his belt and look good doing it on Feb. 26 in Japan? Is he in for another long first round in which this time he won't be able to escape? Or, are he and "Bendo" destined for a "Fight of the Night" bonus? Sound off!

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, edgar, he

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Mixed martial arts (MMA), like any other sport, requires commitment and dedication. Aside from the time spent perfecting their respective craft, any athlete must also dedicate time to their body. Not every mixed martial artist has the "Adonis" body type (here's looking at you, Roy Nelson), nor is it a pre-requisite, but most fighters dedicate the time to their physique as much as any other athlete as say, the NFL or NBA. The toll training camps and the fight themselves have on the body is brutal and taxing to say the least. A good physique can help aleviate that toll and can often times equate to a strength advantage over the opposition; though it does not necessarily mean victories. So, who is the most "jacked" fighter in the UFC? According to the "Top 100 Most Jacked UFC/MMA Fighters" list created by muscleprodigy.com it's none other than "The Demolition Man," Alistair Overeem. Standing at 6'5 and weighing in at 260 pounds, Overeem truly is a behemoth among men. Once competing in the 205 pound division, Overeem has gained over 50 pounds of pure muscle mass over the years in order to compete with the big boys of the heavyweight division. Aside from having good genetics and ingesting a heavy dosage of horse meat as a source of protein, Alistair has obviously put his time in at the gym -- as have the rest of the fighters who made the list. Make the jump to see the rest of the top 10 most "jacked" fighters in the UFC. # 2 Cheick Kongo   #3 Sean Sherk #4 Georges St. Pierre (UFC Welterweight Champion) #5 Rousimar Palhares #6 Thiago Alves   #7 Papy Abedi # 8 Melvin Guillard   #9 Kyle Kingsbury   #10 Anthony Johnson   There you have it, the top 10 "jacked" fighters in mixed martial arts today. What say you, do you agree with the rankings? To see all 100 fighters on the list, click here.

Posted in: ufc, time, fighter, arts today, strength advantage

Read the full article at MMA Mania

submitted by Hesperus [link] [comment]

Posted in: time, birthday, artist, hesperus link, hesperu

Read the full article at Reddit

Bellator capped off its fifth season tonight with a sold-out show at the Palladium Ballroom in Caesar’s Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, and MMA Convert was on hand to catch the action. There were two tournament finals – one in the bantamweight division and one in the heavyweight division – plus main card bouts featuring a pair of UFC veterans, and a stacked preliminary roster full of top local talent. With Kurt Pellegrino and Phillipe Nover the aforementioned UFC veterans, and their fans making up the vast majority of the audience, it was one heck of a live show. How did it all unfold? The Tournament Finals – Sort Of Maybe Brazilian Eduardo Dantas was trying to tell us something by choosing “Sandstorm” (Wanderlei Silva’s theme) as his entrance music, like he was going to unleash hell striking or something. If that’s the case, then Alexis Vila’s music should have been “Baby, I’m going to press you up against the fence and hold you there,” which is pretty much how the first round of their tournament final bout played out. Round 2 had Dantas more able to fend off the Cuban Olympic wrestler’s hugging, and when there was space between them, the Brazilian landed punches, knees, outside leg-kicks with the kind of frequency that only pays dividends on the judges’ scorecards. Thankfully, Dantas made it easy for the judges in Round 3, spinning out of a sloppy Vila takedown attempt, taking Vila’s back, and threatening with a choke for the majority of the round. That right there earned Dantas the unanimous decision, and as tournament winner, the Brazilian gets next crack at 135-pound champ Zach Makovsky. The heavyweight final between Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos got off to an interesting start, with the Brazilian putting the American on his back with takedowns, then standing up and out of Prindle’s guard and kicking him square in the junk. After a few minutes of Prindle squinting in pain, and the replay on the monitor showing Santos’ transgression over and over again (each time eliciting groans from the crowd), the bout was finally called. The official time of the “no contest” was 1:24 of Round 1, and these guys are going to have to rematch in Season Six. A Pair of UFC Veterans Get Screwed To say Pellegrino has legions of fans in New Jersey would be an understatement. It would be more accurate to describe him as something akin to Thulsa Doom, with countless Jersey-ites more than willing to jump off a cliff for him. And so it was that Pellegrino entered the cage amidst a chorus of raucous cheers, while opponent Patricky Pitbull was showered with boos and hisses. Then they fought, and when the Brazilian stumbled the American with a one-two combination, and swarmed him with a barrage of punches while Pellegrino was turtled and struggling to snag a leg for a takedown – a turn of events that prompted the referee to step in prematurely – well, it goes without saying that the crowd did not approve. The official time of the TKO was 50 seconds of the first round, and though Pellegrino immediately jumped to his feet and protested the stoppage, he later acceded, and took the microphone to proclaim his retirement from competition once more. Would Pellegrino have been able to escape the clutches of Pitbull and changed the course of the bout? Who knows. But what we know for sure is that he was denied the chance to, and for that, Pellegrino was the first UFC veteran to get screwed at Bellator 59. Nover had a rough time of it when he made it to the UFC, but those losses did nothing to diminish the fact that he wields heavy hands and a jiu-jitsu black belt – both of which he needed when confronted by the leglock stylings of Polish fighter Marcin Held. Like Masakazu Imanari, Held more than a few times dove into rolling kneebar attempts that forced Nover on the defensive, and he spun on his back like a top, threatening with anything he could when the Filipino-American was above him. But Nover defended everything, used superior wrestling to scramble on top, and dropped fists whenever an opening presented itself. Neither man could finish the other, though, and when time expired it went to the judges, with one seeing it for Nover and the other two giving the “W” to Held – a split decision victory that left the partisan crowd (Nover hails from Brooklyn) booing. Did Held deserve the win? He was aggressive, that’s for sure. But a failed leglock attempt is still a failed leglock attempt, and not worth more than the punches that bounced Held’s head against the canvas. With the loss, Nover became the second UFC veteran to get screwed at Bellator 59. Prelim Action Mixed martial arts is illegal in France, so Karl Amoussou has had to make due by sparring with baguettes. Okay, not really. But he’s got solid striking skills, which he used to great effect against local boy Jesus Martinez. Finding an opening with a left that dropped Martinez, then following it up with a storm of punches to the turtled fighter now on the ground, Amoussou earned himself a TKO win at 2:20 of the first round. At the last Cage Fury Fighting Championship, Lucas Pimenta knocked out Bryan Danner so bad, Danner went into convulsions and had to be carried out on a stretcher. At Bellator 59, the experienced Doug Gordon faired no better. Catching Gordon with a right hand and then smashing him with about a half dozen forearms on the ground, Pimenta finished it in just 40 seconds, and left Gordon in the same condition he’d left Danner. Chris Wing carved out a pretty impressive amateur record before transitioning to pro, and much of his success came from the timing and power that went into making his hook a deadly weapon. Levon Maynard was having none of that, however, and by combining a tight kickboxing game with some effective ground and pound, he prevented Wing from uncorking his magic and eventually took the unanimous decision. Bryan Van Artsdalen may have fallen prey to a triangle choke in his last Bellator outing (at Bellator 49), but it was a kickass performance full of intensity, and the featherweight brought that same fire with him into the cage this time around. Unfortunately, Scott Heckman was ready for what Van Artsdalen was bringing, and after a high-amplitude slam and some slick scrambling, Heckman cinched in a standing Brabo Choke that forced the tap out at 1:38 of Round 1. When last we saw Brandon Saling (well, when I last saw him, which was at a Philly event called “Locked in the Cage” – you probably didn’t see that), he was knocking out the veteran brawler Lamont Lister. Opponent Greg Milliard was hip to Saling’s ability to find KOs, though, so he spent all three rounds nullifying his foe with a smothering ground game. Milliard took the unanimous decision after time expired. Results Thiago Santos vs. Eric Prindle – “No Contest” due to Accidental Foul (Groin Strike) at 1:24 in Round 1 Patricky Freire def. Kurt Pellegrino via TKO (Punches) at :50 in Round 1 Eduardo Dantas def. Alexis Vila via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Marcin Held def. Phillipe Nover via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Karl Amossou def. Jesus Martinez via TKO (Punches) at 2:20 in Round 1 Levon Maynard def. Chris Wing via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) Lucas Pimenta def. Doug Gordon via KO (Forearms) at :40 in Round 1 Scott Heckman def. Bryan Van Artsdalen via Submission (Standing Brabo Choke) at 1:38 in Round 1 Gregory Milliard def. Brandon Saling via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Posted in: time, round, decision, pellegrino, nover

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Following a first-round loss to Patricky "Pitbull" Freire at Saturday night's Bellator 59 event, Kurt Pellegrino has again called it quits. The 12-time UFC veteran announced for the second time in as many fights that he is hanging up the gloves for good. "This will be the last time you ever see me fight," an emotional Pellegrino said to the Atlantic City crowd.

Posted in: fight, bellator, time, loss, pellegrino

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

Ultimate Fighter veteran Kyle Watson hasn’t been seen in the cage since April 2011, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a busy man. After splitting with the HIT Squad, Watson opened his own gym, Watson Martial Arts, in St. Louis and has put the majority of his focus training the next generation of mixed martial artists. “The gym opening has been going really well. It’s been stressful in a good way,” Watson told Five Ounces of Pain. “I’ve never been in this position where I’m the one man show doing the administrative stuff, teaching, and training. It’s been open for five months and a lot of people have come in the door. I’ve had some loyal followers. It’s growing and by next year I hope to expand.” So what made Watson want to leave a gym that included veterans like Matt Hughes and Robbie Lawler? Watson explains the situation by saying, “It’s always been my goal to have my own gym but basically the new ownership bought the gym and the person who bought it had a bad business reputation. So he came in and changed everything and people didn’t like it. He changed it from a happy go lucky atmosphere to a gloomy atmosphere where he was jacking up rates and making us sign 2 year contracts so everyone left.” He has fond memories about his time at the HIT Squad though, and even draws a comparison between the gym and the Ultimate Fighter house, which he spent time in as part of the TUF 12 cast. “One of the coolest and unique things was that we had dorms on site so we had people from all over the world come in and stay with us,” said Watson. “It was similar to TUF except that the accommodations weren’t quite as nice and alcohol was still allowed but you weren’t cut out from the outside world. It was expected that if you play hard, you work hard. So you could have a good time but you better show up from training on Monday.” The dorm rooms at the HIT Squad seem a lot easier than his time in the house, which he described as, “tough.” Expanding by saying, “. After the first couple of weeks there is still that novelty but after that it starts to wear on you and the house starts to become really small really quick. Training is actually the relief from boredom because guys are just walking around the house with their chest puffed out and acting tough and it got old quick. Having no contact with family and loved ones got pretty tough.” The one thing that Watson enjoyed about being on the reality show was training with UFC champion Georges St. Pierre and the all-star team of coaches that he brought with him. “The training was the best part,” said Watson. “I was really fortunate to have Georges St. Pierre as a coach because he looked at himself as a training partner and not a coach. So he brought all his coaches in and used it as a training camp. He helped us and showed us things and we got to spar and roll with him, so it was a great experience.” Working as a full-time trainer at his gym, Watson’s own personal training has suffered but his level of knowledge has increased. Watson explains, “A lot of people don’t understand how tough it is to wear both hats. Somewhere a long the line you can’t be great at both so something has to give and something gets short changed. If anything suffers it’s usually on my end because I don’t want to fail my students, so my own training takes a backseat. Teaching helps because you’re forced to learn things at a deeper level because people expect you to answer questions and explain things. It helps but it’s a challenging task.” While he’s been working hard to get him gym off the ground, Kyle hopes to get back in the cage in early 2012. “Originally I was hoping to fight at the end of the year but the gym has taken a lot of time out of my schedule to make sure it’s running smoothly so I haven’t been training as much as I’d like. I’ve been training to a certain degree and for a long time my biggest hole as been my wrestling so I’ve been training with a local collegiate team and private sessions with my wrestling coaches so I’m closing that area pretty quickly. I don’t think I’m in fight shape right now but I could be quickly so I need to talk to my manager more and hopefully return early next year.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC/WATSONMARTIALARTS

Posted in: time, ’t, training, gym, watson

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Jon Jones spars with female boxer Holly Holm via LowKick MMA Black Friday: 7 Things That Money Can’t Buy | Cage Potato While our wives and girlfriends are busy maxing out our credit cards in hopes of finding the perfect gift for everyone she knows, we should be reminded that money can’t buy everything — especially in the world of mixed martial arts. Follow us after the jump to discover the irony of the MMA Black Friday. I promise it will be better than the turkey sandwich and leftover pumpkin pie you’ll have for lunch. Wake up! The Black Friday sales are here | MiddleEasy Black Friday is finally here and that means it’s time to save some cash with the best MMA deals around. Forget scouring the web trying to track down a few good deals, we have all the best Black Friday MMA sales listed right here. Ready to save big time while scooping up some of your favorite MMA apparel and fight gear? Check out the list of Black Friday MMA deals down below to shop and save on all the best fight wear from today’s top brands like TapouT, Affliction, Dethrone Royalty, Throwdown, and much more! Ring to Cage is giving you 30% off on Black Friday, plus more! 
| TheFightNerd Friends of The Fight Nerd, Ring to Cage, is offering a Black Friday special as well, but for a very limited time! Over on Ring to Cage’s official website, you can get 30% off all orders purchased through their online store, with no minimum purchase required. That means no matter how much or how little you buy, you get 30% off! Just make sure you use the coupon code 30BFOFF11 at checkout. Dan Miller Asks MMA Community for Help | 5thRound The season of giving is nearly upon us, and UFC middleweight Dan Miller is in desperate need of our help. Miller and his wife Kristin are asking the mixed martial arts community to assist their young son Daniel James Miller, who was born with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease. MMA Top 10 Light Heavyweights: How High Does Dan Henderson Go? | MMA Fighting Michael David Smith ranks the top 10 light heavyweights in MMA. Georges St-Pierre: 8 Reasons Nick Diaz Is GSP’s Biggest Threat Ever | Bleacher Report Here are the top eight reasons why Nick Diaz, as crazy as he may be at times, is the biggest threat St-Pierre has ever faced as champion. Tito Ortiz already looking head to 2012 despite December fight against Nogueira | Five Ounces of Pain “One hundred percent, yes. I would love to (Franklin). I’ll take any fights. Put’em in front of me, I’ll fight,” Ortiz said. “UFC wants me to fight’em? I’ll fight. Dana wants me to fight’em? I’ll fight. Rich Franklin, you wanna get broken off some? I’ll break you off some.” Phil Davis Says Rashad Evans Bout ‘Makes Sense’ | Fightline “That may be a fight that makes sense. He’s still a top-five guy, definitely one of the best guys in the world, we’ll see what happens. If that fight gets made, that’s still pretty cool. I’d like that.” Jake Ellenberger discusses the Welterweight title mix, says he’s the guy to beat GSP | LowKick “I think Carlos (Condit) has a better chance of beating GSP (than Nick Diaz). But, a fight is unpredictable, you really can’t tell. I think Carlos has better chances than some like to give him. No one has beaten GSP in a long time, it doesn’t matter who fights him, he’s going to be a very hard guy to beat. The way I look at it, when I fight GSP, you have to go in there with no fear and not let him get into his strengths and his strategies. You have to really go after him and pressure him. You can’t sit back and try to box him, he’s got very good striking and he’s quick. But, absolutely, I do believe I am the guy to beat him.” When Fedor met Satoshi Ishii on NYE; card will not air on broadcast TV | Fight Opinion The scuttlebutt coming out of Fedor’s decision win over Jeff Monson in Russia is that he will fight on the Inoki NYE card at Saitama Super Arena against Inoki-managed/owned-in-Japan fighter Satoshi Ishii. On paper, the fight makes sense for both parties. Fedor sees it as a chance to get a win, as ugly as it may be, over a relatively green fighter and an easy payday plus TV rights in Russia. Inoki’s camp views it as a chance to get Fedor back in Japan (where he’s the most valued, still) and that Ishii can somehow make the match ugly enough to get a decision win as long as Fedor doesn’t tag him early and knock his ass out. Redeeming Filipino: Phillipe Nover Bellator 59 exclusive interview with MMAmania.com (Part one) | MMA Mania “I had to take some time off because I had neck surgery. I didn’t really publicize this. I don’t know for sure when the injury came first but I know I had a herniated disk and it was really bad. I definitely fought with the herniated disk a few times, that was during the UFC and it just kept getting worse and worse. Finally, I ended up getting an MRI after fighting Rob Emerson and I saw, the doctor told me that my neck is really bad.” UFC 139: Payout Perspective | MMA Payout After the big UFC on Fox airing, UFC 139 seemed like an afterthought. It was a very good card but lacked the buzz. One reason may be that Fuel aired the one hour countdown show instead of Spike TV before Spike aired it late Thursday night. Second, many casual viewers may not know Dan Henderson or Mauricio Rua. Certainly, these guys showed that they could put on a good fight. Yet, they aren’t known names. Finally, there is a level of fatigue the casual viewer (or perhaps every viewer) has with these PPVs. It seems like every other week fans are spending money on fights.  With the holidays coming up, some budgeting has to take place and that may mean a decline in PPV purchases. Based on the last couple of PPVs (UFC 136-225K buys, UFC 137-280K buys), it would not be out of line to state that UFC 139 is in the neighborhood of 250K buys. With that being said, it may be time to recalibrate how many PPV buys makes a card successful.  

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, friday

Read the full article at MMA Convert

The holiday season is upon us and with the jingling bells, festive lights and awkward family gatherings a veritable avalanche of amazing games are at our gamepad worn fingertips. With many choices comes great responsibility, so what games will you spend your hard earned holiday windfalls of cash on? We recruited Jens Pulver to help you answer this very question. After hours of contemplation and debate, Jens and MiddleEasy compiled the following items that should be at the top of every gamers list and at the bottom of every tree. This is Jens Pulver's Holiday Buying Guide-Only at MiddleEasy.com. Assassin's Creed: Revelations - Now available (PC/360/PS3)One of the most unique and engaging new franchises of this generation, for better or worse, AC started the 'parkour' genre of game with a dash of religious conspiracy thrown in for good measure. Where AC 1 had it's share of faults, the intriguing plot and thrill of the hunt made it's redundant gameplay an afterthought. AC II improved in all areas and engaged further with a new hero and the continuation of the Templars Vs. Assassins storyline. With AC Brotherhood, Ubisoft added a fresh new take to multiplayer gaming and further pushed what we thought was possible in an AC game. Now with the final chapter of Ezio Auditore's and (possibly Desmond's) tale on deck, Ubisoft looks to refine and close out this generation with a bang. "When I'm done with my big run I'm saving these games. I will get 'em all, I love AC I was playing the first two over and over like God of War, I played the first one then the second one then I went back to the first one again. That way I can get every little achievement and conquest. It's hard in these games not to go through the storyline right away so I go through all the side quests and everything. I want to get 3 done twice before I play the fourth but I'm so excited for the fourth one. The storyline and gameplay is sick and I'm surprised they haven't made a movie out of it yet. The feathers are the only thing I don't do. It's not that exciting." - Jens Pulver   Star Wars: The Old Republic: (PC) December 21st, 2011Bioware has spent the last half decade creating what looks to be the definitive WoW killer in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Any fan of Knights of the Old Republic should have no problem getting into this next gen MMO. With countless hours of recorded quest dialog, massive worlds to explore, your own personal ship and gameplay that is transcending genres, it's time for everyone to take a long hard look at TOR. Will it be enough to give up our 1000 mounts and 90 pets in WoW? Maybe. I wish the would have made a Mass Effect MMO for the non Star Wars fans out there. "I'm afraid to get into more MMO's but everything I've heard about this is good. I would definitely like to sit down and check it out, but there are so many games sometimes that you don't know where to start but it seems like it's going to be amazing, almost too much of a good thing really and after playing WoW for so long I don't know if I want to put all that time into another one...but if there were one MMO out there, it seems like this would be it. I don't know if I'm ready to jump in again, but who doesn't love Star Wars?" - Jens Pulver   Witcher 2 (PC) Now availablePoland thought so highly of their game by their native studio CDProjeckt that their prime minister gave Obama a copy of the game when the two nations met earlier this year. True story. The Polish prime minister also laid out plans for a series of screen door installations to US Navy vessels around the world, but Obama turned it down in a cost saving measure. That story is not so true, but entirely plausible. Witcher 2 is without a doubt game of the year. An apologetically adult tale of a monster hunter and a kingdom torn apart by civil war, the Witcher 2 is the reason we play video games. Just writing about it makes me want to play it. With graphics that look better than some CG movies and what seems like a billion different ways to even progress through the game...it's amazing, but it will also demolish your gaming rig if you don't have some solid horsepower. However fear not, console goers: Witcher 2 looks to come to 360 and PS3 sometime in 2012. "I was all over this one and I played it one time through and I thought, OK now it's time to go rogue side instead of elf side, and I go to the end...I'm always playing through to get another ending. I've probably played through Witcher 2 five times now, changing little things here and there hoping to get a new ending. The story is amazing and I really got into that." - Jens Pulver   Dragon Age II (PC/360/PS3) Now availableA series that has been long debated in the MiddleEasy office, Dragon Age on the consoles is a far, far departure from the modern day classics on PC. The spiritual successors to the loved Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights series of games, Dragon Age II is Bioware's latest 'choose your path' opus. Dragon Age on the consoles is passable at best, Dragon Age II however, rights the majority of wrongs by it's predecessor, but the game truly shines on PC. With more intuitive controls handled by the keyboard and mouse, the PC version is the definitive version of Dragon Age II that makes this list. "Man! HAHA I love this game. It's old Baldurs Gate style where you are just taking down the enemies and it's not automatically rolling for you, you actually do the everything. Dragon Age II is great, I'm currently on my third playthrough as a rogue and now I think I will change it up and try out being a tank warrior or a mage...I'm the kind of guy who will play a game through to get different scenarios and this game is it for me baby. I can play this game all day." - Jens Pulver   Diablo III (PC) 2012It may not be out until 'sometime next year, but the baller Diablo III special edition should probably be preordered this year, just in case. Want to know what's inside? Stay a while, and listen. This $100 package includes the game, a behind the scenes look at the production of the game, in game aesthetic wings for your character, a WoW pet, a 4gb flash drive that looks like a soulstone and the coup de grace', a Diablo skull to put on your desk while you play. Or you can just order 1 year of WoW and get Diablo III for free. We love you, Blizzard. "It's like, man, I don't have enough time in the day! This is like Dragon Age for me, it's like Baldurs Gate and Neverwinter Nights and those were the games that got me hooked back in the day and this is yet another game that's coming out that I will be getting no doubt about it. And like all the others I'm going to have to go back and play the old ones. Man, I don't have enough time in the day..." - Jens Pulver   Battlefield 3 Now available (PC/360/PS3)One of the best reasons to own a gaming PC: Battlefield 3 is wildly different from the consoles to the PC. The consoles boast a perfectly fine 12 on 12 multiplayer experience (I'll be honest, I won't play the single player, but I hear it's good) where the PC has intense and drastically varied 32 on 32 action. Killzones morph through the environment, jets fly overhead and tanks rumble through the destructible environments. You and your teammates will work to change the battlefield and your tactics will have to adjust accordingly, stay frosty...Shooter of the year and an amazing experience. "Ugh, I have just lost my first person touch man, I gotta get my hands faster cause they are slow, they are slow. Battlefield is pretty incredible in how you can lay back and support or you can run and gun and get after it. It's going to be a tough game to defeat, the things that they are doing with the environment and the graphics aren't being done anywhere. Man, I mean you have Call of Duty but this is different. I'm trying to drop the ammo and stuff and support the guys, nothing really like it out there. I haven't had a whole bunch of time to play it but I'm going to take a lot more to play. As far as what class I play I'm going to go out there and try to help...It's kind of like Warcraft with this game, a lot of people are playing it that shouldn't you know? They are just running around out there. So I will be dropping the rounds maybe the medic. Like in Warcraft, especially in PVP where everyone complains about the heals. So then I went and had to be a healer you know. But I can go off in Warcraft and do my own thing too, and especially because in a game like Battlefield, even if I'm expertly picking off guys with my sniper rifle I feel like a camper. So I like being up in the action helping the team. Like in Warcraft I want to be doing the big damage with everyone else but then they tell me 'Jens, you can't do damage if you're not getting healed' so then I go heal and everyone feels good.' I guess it all just depends on the mood really." - Jens Pulver   World of Warcraft (PC) Now availableIt's never to late to throw your life away for a few months and take a vacation on Azeroth, and now with the completely reforged 1-60 experience and a free to play game until level 20...It's time adventurer. It's time to play one of the best games ever made by the artisans at Blizzard. What are you waiting for? Be it PvP or solo questing, online gaming has never been so finely tuned or engaging. The end game experience alone has millions of players logging in to kill Deathwing. Go make an undead warlock right now. You have absolutely no reason not to. "You know, I'm on and off it all the time, but I always say that people don't understand WoW. Maybe people my age or older, or younger people don't understand the graphics...But WoW, everyone plays, and I have friends all over, out west, everywhere and so this level of entertainment is huge. I will be playing but I'm also talking to my friends! That's better than a phone call! We're on that and I'm hanging out with other fighters...I;m not gonna throw them under the bus but they are UFC fighters, and or UFC caliber. So that's relax time. I would definitely say on the whole social side of gaming, yes you must still play WoW in 2011. It has Elves, Dragons, troll and Ogres. It's everything I loved as a kid in Dungeons and Dragons, all of that stuff so yeah WoW is now the Godfather of them all and so yeah on the social side it must be played. The only down part is all the time wasted in these raids, people going to the bathroom, AFK, this and that. So now I only dabble, but I PvP and arena." - Jens Pulver   Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PC/360/PS3) Now availableTried, true and mother approved, Call of Duty continues to blow away sales records and gamers minds. With a refined engine and the comforting embrace of a well worn mutliplayer suite, CoD remains the preeminent shooter experience on the consoles. With forward thinking web features like Call of Duty: Elite and a more balanced experience, CoD looks to retain it's crown as the videogame sales king. With that said Titanic was the most popular movie of all time at one point. "Now for this I will be a kid in a candy store. I'm crazy for Modern Warfare 3, that's my FPS right there. It's above BF3 only in the sense that I've played them all. Even back in the day on PC with Call of Duty and Call of Duty Offensive. You know, and before that I was a MOHAA guy (Jason's note: extremely awesome and nerdy reference) and that's what got me into online in the beginning. So in a way I will always be with CoD. A funny story about that, I went to the show in Vegas with all the guns and military and I've never shot a gun personally in my life. I've never been hunting. But I'm at the gun show and I'm asking about these guns, I'm asking about that gun and the reflex sights and the holographic sight. So they ask 'how do you have this knowledge?' and I go 'CoD man!' So I'm going off and I'm all about it." - Jens Pulver   Crysis/Crysis 2 (PC/360/PS3) Now availablePredator was a huge movie for me growing up, and I always thought it was BS that Arnold defeated the beastly alien. Give me a shoulder mounted cannon and that shimmering camouflage any day of the week over some mud and booby traps. Crysis lets me be that predator, and it's awesome. The first Cysis continues to cripple PC's today, and Crysis 2 continues that honored Crytek tradition with visuals that must be seen to be believed. A few months ago Crysis 1 was released on PSN and XBL, pick it up then go pick up the sequel, you won't have any better time looking down on your pray and crushing your foes any way you want to outside of Arkham City. "Loved it. I haven't played it in a while and when I do it will be like saying hello to an old friend. I mean, if you love first person shooters and you love a good storyline, this is it. I'm running it on my Alienware, the graphics are mind blowing and without a doubt I thought that game ended three time it's so good. You have your suit, which is so cool, and can be used defensively or not. Leveling up is a blast with that suit. I'm about to go through and play it again. If you are a graphic fanatic like I am you have to play it, and if you haven't shame on you...Shame on you!"   The Alienware M17 and M18 gaming laptops Now available.The rig every gamer wants to have-and it's portable. The M17 is owned personally by Jens Pulver. It has a full sized keyboard, a screen that will support 1900X1200 and is just plain sexy, man. This will run anything out right now at the highest settings without a hiccup. The Xbox 360 and PS3 have plateaued (OK maybe not the PS3), so if you want to experience the next gen, this is how you do it. Believe me, the next generation is here and it's beautiful. "M17 goes to town, I'm playing everything and now I see the M18. I don't know if I've seen anything like it to have that kind of portable power. I talk to people all the time and people that travel that say 'oh I'm on my laptop I can run jack' this fixes that. Now if only they could fix the internet connection in the hotels. That's what we need. Some people on their laptops are running minimal settings and even at home man it's my desktop I'm on that M17 my God man. I can't fathom the M18. It's heavy but it's worth every minute of lugging it around but again some people go and flip on the TV, but me, I go and I play my games and it's worth every strenuous moment in a back pack. I run Witcher 2 as high as I wanted it to be, no glitches no breaks." - Jens Pulver   Cooking Mama/Cake Mania (DS/PC/Mobile devices)Sometimes you just need to make some coconut crusted shrimp at the bus stop, am I right? Be it on the DS, 3DS or on your phone, Cooking Mama and the equally addictive Cake Mania are fun for every demographic of player. In fact, they should make a commercial of a big tattooed biker guy baking cakes as his lengthy beard half covers the screen. Your marketing departments can have that one for free. "My wife owns them all. Every friggin one made." - Jens Pulver strong>Red Dead Redemption GOTY Edition (360/PS3) Now availableOne of the greatest games of all time and the best open world game ever made, if you haven't played Red Dead Redemption by now you deserve to take at least one or two punches in the arm from Lil Evil. The final adventures of John Marston will not disappoint you, and after putting 100 hours into the single player game virtually cattle rustling and bad guy shooting, you can go online for an equally satisfying multiplayer experience. Online you can meet up with a Friend or go at it alone, taking gang hideouts, liberating stolen gold from a mine or even having an old fashioned horse race. The multiplayer is just as good as the singleplayer, and I promise you: many late nights will be spent in the Armadillo saloon playing liars dice with friends. "I wish I could have played that 2 times. I was so mad at the end that he dies at the end and I was so mad and I tried it so many times to see if I could shoot all the guys...But he dies man and the son comes which is cool I guess. I love that game man, I would just hunt. You can do anything, it's perfect." - Jens Pulver   Gears of War 3 (360) Now availableThe final chapter in the space marine saga from Epic games, Cliffy B and Co. wrap up the trilogy with a bang in Gears of War 3. After an unsettling calm period between GoW 2 and the start of the finale, Marcus Fenix, Dom and a whole slew of characters head out to find Marcus's father and finish the job against the seemingly insatiable Locust hordes. GoW 3's Horde mode and curb stompingly addictive multiplayer is back, coupled with the fate of Carmine and all of the tied up loose ends in the surprisingly human (for a muscle-head action game) single player story. GoW 3 is a fantastic and fitting end for a game that kick started the 360 fidelity of this generation. "And now back to consoles I have to say Gears of War 3. I haven't gotten into my GoW 3 because I've been up at the gym but for me it's like traveling. At home I got the PS3 with surround sound hookup, my computer room is stupid, I have like 5 laptops surrounding me plus my desktop. Then I have an Xbox room, so I need to go up there and just play through the Gears series again now with the third one coming out. Gears of War 3, it's sick." - Jens Pulver   Dead Island (PC/360/PS3) Now availableYou're just on the resort island of Banoi, partying and loving life...Beaches, babes and booze are the only open missions in your journal that you have any motivation to complete-until the dead decide to rise up and ruin the sand down your pants fun. Dead Island can best be described as Borderlands meets Left 4 Dead. You and up to four friends will attempt to unravel the mystery behind the current horrors on the once peaceful resort that you were chilling at with addictive loot grind action. Each of the four playable characters have their own strengths and weaknesses, fitting the usual tank, DPS and buffer/healer/jack of all trades paradigms seen in online RPG's. With a buggy yet extremely fun experience to be had, this is 100% one to pick up and enjoy with some friends. "I've had so many people tell me about this game it's ridiculous, some people love it and I got some people telling me it's repetitive fighting the zombies but I tell you what, when the zombies take over every day is going to be repetitive am I right? Yeah, I've heard so much about this game I'm going to have to give it a try. Throw it on the list! I hear it has RPG aspects so it has to be played. If it's like Borderlands with zombies? Ho ho are you kidding me?" - Jens Pulver   FIFA 2012 (360/PS3/Wii)EA Sports continues raise the bar in their vaunted Football franchise. Now Fifa is even more accessible for the newb but rewards the players with actual knowledge of the sport. Precision dribbling, authentic licensing for teams across the globe, graphics and gameplay that must be seen and felt to be believed; FIfa demands to be noticed. It grabs your soccer jersey and shoves it's smooth online play and litany of features that every type of Fifa player can appreciate right into your face. This is the type of game that you will play on Christmas day with a bunch of people that don't know the Manchester United from the Chicago Fire, to the guy who asked for the Ronald jersey for Hanukkah for hours on end. That's how good this game is. "My brother and my brother in law just got it. It's amazing. Now I can go online and play my brother. I can set up my own league and tournament and now instead of everyone staying in the same room it's online. Fifa has always been big for me but it seems like in 2012 they really turned it up a notch in the multiplayer side of it. Fifa 2012 is one of the best sports games out there. I've been playing Fifa for a long time, I love Fifa and the hard part, when you start playing with someone and they don't have soccer knowledge and they aren't breaking or too many people are crashing on the ball it's like kid soccer. It's like the kids coach screaming 'spread out spread out'. Guys really need to strategize as attacker and defenders. it's tough going 2 v2 on Fifa but that's fun.The best sports game out right now." - Jens Pulver

Posted in: time, game, im, jen, pulver

Read the full article at Middle Easy

If former double-divisional champion BJ Penn has any desire to put on a pair of gloves or rash-guard and hit the gym he sure isn’t showing it. Penn recently updated fans on his post-MMA life after having announced he was leaving the sport on the heels of an entertaining clash with current welterweight #1 contender Nick Diaz at UFC 137 he ultimately lost via decision. And, dashing the dreams of some fans, the popular Hawaiian hasn’t done more on the athletic front than some casual fitness and is contemplating a surfing competition against a friend rather than an in-ring match-up against a Mixed Martial Artist. Penn Feels he Never Fulfilled his Potential “Two weeks ago I started to run again. I just couldn’t take sitting around the house anymore without exercising and my body feels so much better now that I have started working out again,” Penn wrote on his blog for Bleacher Report. “I still haven’t gotten into the gym and done any type of martial arts training yet, but the runs are definitely fun and, like I said, they make my body feel better.” So how has Penn kept busy? According to the 32-year old he’s spent time working in the community and enjoying life with friends/family. I have a foundation here in Hawaii called the ‘Penn Hawaii Youth Foundation,’” Penn said of one of the endeavors receiving his focus. “This foundation helps at-risk children that have been in trouble get back on track through martial arts and several other positive activities. This past Saturday, my latest group of kids graduated from the program and I got to go to the ceremony. It was great to see the progress they have all made.” Though it’s impossible to know if Penn’s fire to compete will flare up again, at least for now he appears content with his decision and the free time he now has. Regardless, as cloudy as his future may seem, one thing is clear – Penn is one of the greatest of all time and a surefire Hall of Fame member. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: time, ’t, penn, foundation, – penn

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Ah, Thanksgiving. I'm a sucker for tradition and the November holiday is chock full of it. From the Macy's parade to a day full of football on the tube to turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and all the regular fixin's (screw you, I'm from Texas) on the dinner table, there's always a lot you can depend on when Thanksgiving rolls around. But beyond eating yourself into a food coma and passing out in front of the TV, Thanksgiving is a day for ... well, giving thanks. It's in the freaking name, for goodness sake! And that's exactly what the crew here at Mania intend to do. A week ago, we all received a black envelope with a single slip of paper on the inside. On it, written in blood, were coordinates and a single word in a long dead language not spoken since before the dawn of the man. Jesse, Geno, Brian, and myself found each other days later at the coordinates in front of a cave that was surely the gateway to hell itself. Uttering the word each of us received, the cave opened up and beckoned us in. Inside, Tom was waiting with a case of High Life and a demo copy of UFC Undisputed 3.  So we got to work. Happy Turkey Day, Maniacs! Tom - Founder of Mania, throne of skulls owner: Naturally, I'm thankful for many MMA things this holiday season. Normal.dotm 0 0 1 277 1583 MestizzoCine 13 3 1944 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Exciting performances, network television deals, entertaining heels and most of the best fighters in the world (almost) all competing under one umbrella, makes this year, next and all those moving forward truly monumental. It's truly a great time to be a fan, especially with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) about to embark on its most ambitious schedule ever, planning to cram 34 events into one calendar year. Buckle up, it's going to be one helluva wild ride watching sweaty, highly-trained men punch, kick and choke each other repeatedly. During this time, it will be important to take a step away and enjoy the other scenery that will be along for the ride, particularly Britney Palmer. She's not the UFC ring girl madam, a mantle of responsibility that falls on Arianny Celeste, but she is certainly the most fun to look at all the time. For me, anyway. And when it was announced that she and the promotion were parting ways so she could pursue a career in art, it came with great sadness. My heart sunk to the floor. Friday fun threads would never be the same. Her replacement, whoever that might have been, wouldn't be the same, either. Ring girls have come and gone throughout the years, including Amber Nichole Miller, Ann Rivera, Edith LaBelle, Ali Sonoma and even the incomparable Rachelle Leah. For some reason, I could cope with their departures. It was natural. Just like fighters get stale or lose interest among the general public, so, too, do beautiful faces and amazing figures. Us MMA fans are a spoiled lot. But, the Palmer era didn't last long enough. It didn't feel right. I wasn't ready for it. So when Dana White took to Twitter and asked fans to vote if he should lure her back, and the response was an overwhelming, "YES!" I could not have been happier. Thank you, Dana White. More important, thank you, Britney Palmer. Geno - Managing Editor, Cageside Seats General: What I'm thankful for is Brock Lesnar. And yes, it's pro wrestling related but allow me to explain. I actually fell out of love with pro wrestling (I'm back now, baby, go to CagesideSeats.com) somewhere around 2004, due to general disinterest and an increasingly difficult life at home, though that's none of your damn business, not that you asked. That's right around the time Lesnar bailed on the WWE to pursue the greener pastures of the NFL. It didn't work out, of course, and after a short stint in Japan, Brock took the next logical step and made his way into the world of mixed martial arts. And he brought me right along with him. He had a lot of help. My oldest brother Bill (who is doing well and almost fully recovered from his cancer, thanks again to everyone for the well wishes), had been trying for some time to convert me into an MMA fan but it just didn't take for the longest time. I can remember seeing various events before UFC 81 back in Feb. 2008, though none of the information stuck until I revisited it later. One day, Bill made it easy on me and told me I should come watch the fights with him because Lesnar was going to be fighting. Like a complete donk, I replied, "Wait. Brock is going to be fighting? Like ... for really real?" After he finished laughing, he told me yes, Lesnar would really be fighting and he was probably going to get his ass kicked. So I made my way to his house to enjoy the show, eager to see how Lesnar would do in a real fight instead of a worked match against guys trying harder to protect him than actually hurt him. And then my brother's girlfriend, Talytha, needed me to go to the grocery store with her to pick up a few things (read: beer run). I was assured we would return with plenty of time to spare and I would get to see Lesnar fight. Except Ricardo Almeida and Nate Marquardt both choked out their opponents in less than two minutes flat and Lesnar was on much sooner than expected. Then his fight lasted all of 90 seconds, an explosive and exciting debut that saw him nearly murder his opponent before succumbing to a kneebar thanks to his huge lack of experience. And I was standing in line at fugging Wal-Mart. Missed the whole damn thing. I made it back in time for the main event, though, and the ensuing display of heart, skill and technique by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in his heavyweight championship win over Tim Sylvia, who trains just down the road from me, caught my attention ... and kept it. The very next event, UFC 82, was hyped to the sky by Bill and his friends, who convinced me to check out this badass motherfugger named Anderson Silva. And I did. And I haven't looked back since. Now it's over three years later and I'm a Managing Editor of an awesome MMA website (thanks Tom and Jesse), and doing something I absolutely love. And I have Brock Lesnar (and my big brother Bill) to thank for it. Happy Thanksgiving, Maniacs. Brian - Staff Writer, interviewer extraordinaire: I'm thankful for many things. In MMA, I'm thankful for the inverted triangle choke, AKA the most creative submission hold I've ever seen. Toby Imada was getting his ass kicked by Jorge Masvidal and pulled it off as a desperation maneuver in the third round to win the fight. It was wild, it was something I'd never seen before and it was further proof that there is so much more we can learn, improvise and evolve in mixed martial arts. Now, the inverted triangle is actually becoming more commonplace. Chris Lytle used it as did Cole Miller in combination to set up incredible finishes in 2010 and then Richard Hale of all people finished a fight with it at light heavyweight earlier this year. Most of all, though, I'm thankful for the Maniacs. Having originally come over as a commenter on Bloody Elbow, I wasn't sure how well I'd be accepted, but after only a few short weeks, you guys took me in with open arms. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have your support. I read every comment of every one of my articles and try to respond to most of them. Just one comment can make my day and you guys have done that on a regular basis. I love your feedback. I love interacting with you guys. I love it when you correct a mistake I made so future people won't think I'm an idiot who can't proofread. Hell, I even love it when I get trolled by ABB or STB just because it makes me feel like I belong. Keeping up the interview schedule I do is not easy, but you guys make it worth it each and every time. Keep doing what you do, Maniacs. You make much more of a difference than you would ever know. Sergio - Staff Writer, Skyrim enthusiast: It has been quite an incredible two years. Back in October 2009, I started a weekly two-hour MMA show for a small internet radio station that ran for about eight months. During that time I was able to interview guys like Anthony Njokuani, Jason David Frank (Dragonzord~!), and Bjorn Rebney. The birth of my daughter left me with little time to continue the show so I started writing funny (not really), drunken (very much so) recaps of MMA events in my spare time for Cageside Seats back when it wasn't pro wrestling exclusive. That's when I met Geno, who pretty soon after started his gig here at Mania. Somehow he conned Tom into bringing me aboard as well and I've been here ever since. So I'm thankful for the opportunity that Tom, Jesse, and Geno have given me to write about a sport I love and am incredibly passionate about. I'm also thankful for each and every one of you a-holes that welcomed me into this crazy, dysfunctional family. It's sort of like my own except I don't hate any of you. Now with all that mushy stuff out of the way, I'm also thankful for Nick Diaz. Love him or hate him, the foul-mouthed, ornery Stockton bad boy certainly makes the sport interesting. From putting every opponent Strikeforce placed in front of him on blast to getting a shot at Georges St. Pierre's welterweight title and losing it because he wouldn't show up to a "beauty pageant," Diaz has never failed to generate chatter among fans. I mean, the dude responded to being bumped from the biggest fight of his life with a video he recorded while driving down the highway cursing at other drivers! He may have retired B.J. Penn, he wishes he got paid big bucks to compete in triathlons so he could quit MMA, and still drives an old, broken down Honda despite making 600 Gs in 2011. Thanks to him, the word "homie" has become an integral part of my everyday vernacular. So yeah, I'm thankful as all get out for Diaz. In fact, I'm ordering a "Don't Be Scared, Homie" t-shirt right now... Jesse - Managing Editor, all-around B.A.: It's turkey day twunny 'leven, and if I'm thankful for one thing in combat sports, it's gotta be the fans. Let me explain. When I was a senior in high school (1991, bitches), I told my guidance counselor that upon graduation, I wanted to get a job at HESS. Yes, the gas station. I wanted to pump gas for a living. I wasn't really sure why, but when pressed, the best I could come up with was the uniforms. They had really snazzy uniforms. Green and white with a big name patch sewn into the breast. I could already picture it ..."JESSE." She gave me that long stare, almost as if she couldn't decide if I was half-fucking with her or just half-retarded. I think she eventually settled on the latter before scribbling something into her notes that to this day, I'll bet is none too flattering. And as luck would have it, HESS wouldn't even hire me. I filled out the application and agreed to minimum wage, but the grease monkey who conducted the "interview" seemed puzzled (and perhaps a bit suspicious) that a clean-cut kid from the suburbs wanted to pump gas on a busy highway. Defeated, I settled on a job at the local Amoco, but it just wasn't the same. I still got slightly buzzed on fumes, but their idea of a dress code was a shirt with no holes. That's when I decided to become a garbage man. Now they call them "sanitation engineers," but fuck that, I wanted to play with garbage. And how awesome would it be to cruise around town hanging onto the back of a moving truck? Couldn't get that job, either. The fat guy in the county office muttered something about joining the union and strict qualifications and yadda, yadda, yadda. Whatever man, just gimme my fucking handshake and send me on my way. Those were the only two jobs I ever really "wanted." Until the day I decided to write an article about a PRIDE fight I saw. It was posted on a pro wrestling website in late 2006 and some guy named Tom Myers just happened to stumble across it. For reasons not yet fully understood, he invited me to come try my hand at writing about combat sports on this "little fan blog" he started called UFCmania. If he only knew! In the first piece I ever wrote for this site, I openly bagged on Randy Couture for coming out of retirement, because I was convinced he was going to get KTFO by Tim Sylvia. How do you think Nostradumbass was born? The point is, I saw that post go live and I watched people respond. I remember slinking back in my chair and thinking, "Wow, it would be cool if I could get paid to do something like this." And now I do. That's thanks to you, fans of mixed martial arts and more importantly, fans of MMAmania.com. Without you, every single one of you (yes, even the haters), I'd be spritzing produce at some inner-city grocery store or bussing tables at the local pub. I have a job I like. After 15 years of having a dozen I hate, I can't express how grateful I am to get a check every month as payment for watching and discussing MMA. Am I driving a Benz? No, but my commute is from my bed to my computer desk. I don't wear a tie and I don't have to deal with office politics. And I have you to thank. So, without further ado, thank you MMA, thank you MMAmania and thank you MMA fans. Outside of my girls (and this year's HESS truck), they're what I'm thankful for the most this holiday season. Now let's eat!

Posted in: mma, time, fan, love, im

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, BellatorFighting and helping seem a counterintuitive combination, yet MMA is blessed with many giving athletes and personalities who are difference-makers in their communities and the world at large. Many of those selfless efforts go undocumented and under the radar, but in the spirit of the holiday season, we've dug up some of the kind works undertaken by the men and women of the MMA world. This list is by no means meant to be comprehensive; rather, it is a sampling of some of the acts of generosity that often get lost in the shuffle of the everyday news cycle. And it is a chance to say, Thanks. Enson Inoue In the wake of the devastating March earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Inoue -- a Japanese-American with long roots in the sport -- was a one-man effort, traveling through the hardest-hit areas and offering assistance to the region's residents in the form of clothing, food and supplies, as well as toys to children. Inoue reportedly drained his own personal savings in an effort to bring relief to every person he could reach. The UFC/Dana White The UFC's charitable causes are many, though they often go unseen by the public and media. But in January, the promotion ran an event on a US military base for the second time in its history, with all seats free to base personnel, and proceeds from a corresponding online auction as well as donations benefiting wounded veterans through the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. The event ended up raising $4.1 million for the fund. Brian Stann The president of Hire Heroes USA, a non-profit group that offers job search and placement assistance to US military veterans, Stann -- a former US Marine and current UFC middleweight -- helps run an organization with crucial importance during a time of economic hardship for many. The group has a special focus on the two demographics statistically most likely to be unemployed: young veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as wounded or disabled veterans. Alex Davis, Dan Lambert, Joe Mullings In early January, the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was hit hard by torrential rains that caused landslides and killed over 800 people. Among the hardest-hit communities was Nova Friburgo, the hometown of well-known MMA manager Alex Davis, along with UFC lightweight Edson Barboza, and others. Davis was in Nova Friburgo at the time and volunteered his time and resources to help, while Lambert and Mullings, gym owners of American Top Team and The Armory, respectively, started Combat Athlete Charities in order to support his relief efforts. Brendan Schaub When UFC heavyweight Schaub first visited Brazil in June, he was able to see some of the impoverished parts of the country, and he promised to return with some help when he came back to fight in August. True to his word, Schaub delivered several duffel bags worth of training equipment to a local gym in the underprivileged part of Tijuquinha, Brazil just days before his fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 134. American Kickboxing Academy Many gyms have long roots in their communities and take part in volunteering, and San Jose, California-based AKA is among the more active ones. Among the groups the team benefits is Turning Wheels for Kids, a local organization that provides bicycles to underprivileged kids. Fighters including Cain Velasquez, Cung Le, Gilbert Melendez, Daniel Cormier and King Muhammed Lawal have offered up their time to the cause. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the gym's fighters also recently volunteered time at Martha's Kitchen in San Jose, helping to feed the hungry. Jon Jones By now, everyone has heard the story of Jones helping to stop a robbery just hours before he won the UFC light-heavyweight champion. But that wasn't his only charitable act of the day. Indeed, he donated his substantial after-party appearance fee to a charity designed to combat children's cancers. Jose Aldo After every one of his fights, the UFC featherweight champion autographs and auctions off his fight gear to benefit his team's Nova Uniao community program, which is designed to assist underprivileged youth. Ben Askren After visiting tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri, earlier this year, the Bellator welterweight champion secured 300 tickets to Bellator 53 for Joplin residents to give them one night of enjoyment. "It's not a huge gesture. It's not like we're rebuilding their houses, but every small thing helps," Askren said. Freestyle Cage Fighting & BlackEye Promotions In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness month, both Freestyle Cage Fighting (FCF) and BlackEye Promotions ran events on January 1 with proceeds going towards cancer research. FCF's event, titled "Fight Strong for the Cure" ran a nine-fight card featured all women, while BlackEye's 16-fight card was subtitled "Breast Cancer Beatdown." Dan Henderson/Clinch Gear The UFC light-heavyweight gave fans a thrill with his recent fight with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, a fight which was quickly named as one of the best all-time scraps. But Henderson and his Clinch Gear company were also giving back in other ways, pledging to provide a Thanksgiving Day meal to a family of four for every official walkout T-shirt purchased through his website. On Thanksgiving, the company expects to feed over 2,000 people through the Denver Rescue Mission and San Diego Rescue Mission, and the promotion has been extended through Christmas with additional donations to be made at that time. The Fans Few sports have a community as tight-knit and passionate as MMA, and even when you argue, you come together when it matters. Fans have generously donated to a countless number of causes. Among the most recent is the Daniel James Miller Foundation. The son of UFC fighter Dan Miller is in need of a kidney transplant and insurance does not pay for the entire procedure. The Foundation was set up in order to fund his treatment, and the family recently released a statement saying they were left "speechless" following the overwhelming support they have received. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, community

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The first kid begins to cry less than an hour into practice. Everyone can see it coming. That trembling lower lip, that frustrated stomp of the feet. When the tears finally start, twisting his face into a little ball of anguish, no one seems particularly surprised. "No crying today," says his coach, Daniel Cormier. Is there even a hint of sympathy in his voice? There is not. Neither is there anger nor impatience. There is only a sense that this what we are doing because this is what must be done, and crying never won a single wrestling match. The kid, who is maybe ten or eleven years old, does his best to stay strong. He sniffs hard, trying to suck all the tears and snot and shame back into his face, but there's little time to compose himself. Already Cormier is signaling for his next tormentor to step to the center of the mat and resume the storm of takedowns that has brought him to this point. The kid can't take much more of this. The kid is losing it. "No crying," Cormier reminds him before turning his attention to the new opponent who's just joined the fray, fresh and eager. "Now," he says to the new boy, motioning him toward his blubbering, red-faced teammate, "Break him!" And where are the parents? The parents are there. They're leaning over the back wall of what was once a racquetball court, watching their boys learn to play rough. They knew what they were signing their kids up for. This isn't Little League. It's not one of those youth soccer leagues, all orange wedges at halftime and equal playing time for everyone. This is Tuesday night youth wrestling practice at the American Kickboxing Academy's sprawling two-story gym in the South Bay, and it's serious business. This particular drill -- one kid in the middle, with fresh opponents cycling in every minute until he can barely stand -- is not so much about improving technique as it is about learning how to take your ass-whipping like a man. And who better to teach it than Cormier, a former U.S. Olympic wrestling team captain and current top-ten ranked, undefeated professional MMA fighter, who sees no apparent contradiction between imploring one kid to keep it together and, in the very next breath, instructing the other to take him apart? "Okay, okay," he says once the exhausted crying kid has been planted on his back yet again. "Let him up. Let him up, but stay on him." This is one part of the drill all the boys have down by now. As they climb off their foe and watch him stagger to his feet, they shove him away with all the gusto of kids being finally encouraged to do something that's forbidden everywhere else in their lives. No pushing? In the lunch line at school, maybe. Not here. Here they shove. Here they grab him by the head and fling him around. His fatigue has rendered him almost completely helpless, and they're loving it. Until it's their turn, anyway. And everybody's turn is coming, as Cormier reminds them when they're fighting back tears of frustration and exhaustion near the end of the round. Revenge is just around the corner. All you have to do is hold on and wait. All you have to do is not break, even as your 250-pound wrestling coach is standing there, shouting at the other kid to break you. "That was a huge step forward," Cormier tells me later, once the exhausted, sweat-soaked ten-year-olds have limped out of the room and into their parents' waiting minivans outside. "Just getting them not to cry, that's a huge step." The way Cormier sees it, that's as much a part of what he's doing with the kids' wrestling practices as anything else. The techniques they can learn anywhere. But learning that peculiar joy that wrestlers take in breaking an opponent and refusing to be broken themselves? That's something that the 32-year-old Cormier may be uniquely qualified to teach them. ***** The temptation in stories like these is to look for the 'Rosebud' moment, some defining experience that will explain everything that comes after. More often than not, there isn't one. For most people, there are several. One piles up on top of another and another and another. Take Thanksgiving Day, 1986. Cormier is a seven year-old kid growing up in Lafayette, Louisiana, when his father, long since split from Cormier's mother, is shot and killed by the father of his second wife. You can almost imagine the way this story goes. Thanksgiving dinner with the in-laws, an argument ensues, things get out of hand. Then bang. You've got a tragedy in your living room. "And the guy walked free," Cormier says now, relating the story now like it happened to somebody else. "I'm sure she was thinking, well, I've already lost my husband. I don't want to lose my father too. Plus, it was his house. You know, self-defense." On paper, that seems like the kind of event that would immediately change everything about your life. But really, Cormier says, it was his older brother, who was 19 at the time, who took the brunt of that one, at least for the time being. "I think I was young enough that I didn't really know enough to really understand what happened. Then I got older and realized, hey, my dad got murdered. But I was lucky. My parents were divorced, and my stepdad had been there for me since I was about three. He was my father, really. My dad was my dad, but he was my father. He raised me to be the man that I am today." As a kid, Cormier was a gifted athlete. Football, basketball -- he even won the regional version of the pass, dribble, and shoot competition when he was nine. It was shortly after that when he first discovered wrestling, the sport that would change his life. Back then, however, it was just one of several sports that he excelled at. Not only was Cormier a three-time state champion wrestler in high school, but he was also a standout linebacker on his high school football team. And in Louisiana, football was a religion. "Our team was terrible, though," Cormier says. "We'd fight all the time. We were like the Bad News Bears." The problem wasn't so much a lack of talent as a lack of discipline, according to Cormier. Their coach would call one defense and the guys on the defensive line would decide to play another. Everyone led and no one followed. "I think that left a sour taste in my mouth about football. It was like, man, I have to depend on all these other dudes? Forget this. I've never done another team sport after that." In wrestling, he didn't have that problem. He might have been dependent on his teammates in training, but when he walked out on the mats to compete, he was the only one he had to trust. That suited him, and he would end up turning down scholarship offers for football in order to pursue wrestling at Colby Junior College in Kansas. Soon the awards and the medals began to pile up. He went from a high school state champion to a junior college national champion to an All-American at Oklahoma State. It was more or less a given that he'd wrestle for the U.S. on the international stage, and everything seemed to be going according to plan. But just as he was gearing up to make the Olympic freestyle squad for the 2004 Athens games, tragedy found its way into his life again. On June 14, 2003, Cormier's three-month old daughter, Kaedyn, was killed in a car accident after an 18-wheeler slammed into the back of a friend's car. Kaedyn was strapped into a car seat inside, but it couldn't save her life during the violent collision that left two others injured. Cormier was 23 years old at the time. He'd only just gotten a taste of fatherhood, but he loved it. He thought about all the times he'd tried to soothe his crying infant daughter by driving her around the neighborhood, trying to locate a song on the radio that would act as a fitting lullaby. He finally settled on Heather Hedley's R&B balled "I Wish I Wasn't." "I don't know why, maybe the lady's voice was soothing, but she loved it," he says. "I'd put it on, drive her around Stillwater, [Oklahoma,] and she'd stop crying, go to sleep." After the accident that killed his daughter, Cormier had no choice put to pull it together and get back on the mat. USA Wrestling arranged a special wrestle-off for its world team trials in order to let Cormier grieve. He won it and earned his first spot on the big stage, and again his wrestling career seemed to be the one dependable constant in his life, even as he continued to struggle with the loss of his daughter. "When she died, I thought, this is the worst thing that can possibly happen," he says. "Then, the Olympics." ***** The people who know Cormier, they know exactly what he means when he refers to 'The Olympics.' Even though he was on two U.S. Olympic wrestling teams, and even though his fourth-place finish in the 2004 games seemed like a heartbreaker at the time, it was nothing compared to 2008 in Beijing. The important thing to know about what happened in Beijing, Cormier will tell you even now, is that he made the weight. Somehow this gets lost in the telling and re-telling of it, so much so that it still gets brought up by teammates who want to needle him over his diet or physique. But the fact is that when it came time to step on the scales in Beijing, Cormier made the 211-pound limit. It was what came after that derailed his Olympic dreams. "I made the weight, and afterwards my body just went insane," he says. "I was vomiting, cramping. I couldn't walk. I didn't know what the hell was going on." Cormier collapsed and was taken to the makeshift hospital inside the Olympic village, where doctors put him on IVs all night to treat him for what appeared to be kidney failure. As they explained, it was likely the result of cutting weight the wrong way for so many years, and he was simply unlucky enough to have it catch up with him at the worst possible time. Of course, that explanation didn't sit well with Cormier. "I took [the IVs] out and said, 'I'm going to wrestle.' It was about eight o'clock. The competition started at nine or ten. The lady from the [United States Olympic Committee] said, 'Listen, they are not going to let you wrestle. You've been on IVs all night. What do you think you're doing?' I was all broken up. I was crying. I was a mess. My mom was sitting there crying. My ex[-wife] was crying. Everybody was crying. Everybody was freaking out, because I was just going insane." AS U.S. wrestling coach Kevin Jackson remembers it, the devastation struck them all at once as they watched Cormier come to grips with the situation. "I was in the room when they told him he would not be able to wrestle, and the emotions that hit him were overwhelming," Jackson says. "You know, I teared up. It's the Olympic Games. Those opportunities don't come along very often, and he'd had two." As Jackson saw it, Cormier had had "a very good chance to wrestle for a gold medal" that year, and now he wouldn't even make it onto the mat. It was a disappointment not just for Cormier, but for the entire U.S. wrestling community, which wasn't entirely sympathetic when he returned home. "It didn't seem like I got the most support from everybody," says Cormier. "The USA wrestling people were really mad at me. Kevin Jackson stood by me. He was kind of the only one. He actually lost his job behind all that." Jackson resigned his position as head coach after the 2008 games, he says, and the Cormier situation was only part of the reason for it. "The people he was closest to, who he thought loved and supported him the most, they turned their back on him a little bit," Jackson says. "They didn't look at how it affected him; they looked at how it affected them and their program." The way they saw it, Cormier had torpedoed their medal hopes with an irresponsible weight-cut. As Jackson puts it: "The doctor said that eventually it would have happened, and unfortunately it happened at the worst time. It was a consequence of not only losing weight the wrong way, but doing so when he was aware of the right way to do it. That's the only place I really fault Daniel in this whole situation. He was a professional athlete, an Olympic athlete being paid to wrestle, and he was responsible for being at his best, and this was a part of that. I had been communicating with him about that since 2006, talking about...different things we needed to do, weight-wise. Unfortunately, it came back to haunt us." Once he got home, Cormier fell into a deep depression. A few weeks earlier he'd been an Olympic hopeful -- one his country's best wrestlers. Now the nation's wrestling apparatus wanted nothing to do with him, and his life suddenly seemed empty and devoid of purpose. "I felt so alone. It was just me and my family. I had so many breakdowns. My ex would be at work and she'd call me and I'd be crying, so she'd rush home to make sure I didn't do anything to myself. It was that bad. I just walked around like a zombie. I was taking sleeping pills, pain pills. I just wanted anything to take the pain away. I felt like I'd let everybody down." Even now, all you have to do is mention the Olympics to Cormier and you can watch his face fall. At dinner in a hotel a couple nights before his Strikeforce bout against Antonio Silva, AKA teammate Luke Rockhold brought it up to make a point about the futility of Cormier even considering a potential bout at light heavyweight, and that was all it took to get Cormier practically jumping out of his chair. "It sticks with me to this day," he says. "I think about it all the time. I mean, the Olympics? I can't not think about it. And the guys, we can make fun of each other all the time, but when they bring that up, it just kills me. It drains me." Cormier tried to lead a regular life after that. He had a job selling advertising space at a TV station in Oklahoma. He hated it, because "I felt like a telemarketer," but it was something. He coached on the side. He thought he would do what every wrestler did, which was hang around and wait his turn to get a head coaching spot for some college team. He even tried playing in an adult softball league, just to satisfy the competitive urges. It was no good. Again he was dependent on other people. "I was dying," he says. "I was drinking every night after work. I didn't even leave for lunch anymore. I just stayed in my office and slept." Meanwhile, his old wrestling buddy Mo Lawal was in his ear about this MMA stuff, all the money that an elite wrestler could make at it once he learned the basics of the other arts. "It was crazy. Mo had so much money. He was sending me money. He's like my little brother, and he's sending me money. He was fighting every month, and they paid him $48,000 a fight in Japan when he was first starting out." Better still, Lawal was getting to compete. He wasn't dying slowly in an office somewhere. He wasn't depressed every day, dreading the alarm clock going off the next morning. Dreading tomorrow, next week, next year. Whatever was doing that for him, Cormier had to get a piece. Something had to change. "You go through so many things, and it's like one cloudy day after another," he says. "You think, eventually the sun's got to shine. A better day has to come. Who deserves to just get beat down into the ground, one bad thing after another?" ***** You see Cormier these days, and it's hard to imagine a happier, more well-adjusted person. Not only is he an undefeated heavyweight on the verge of what should be the biggest fight of his career against Josh Barnett in the Strikeforce Grand Prix finals, he's also AKA's go-to man when it comes to MMA-specific wrestling -- a role he relishes. Ask AKA head coach Javier Mendez what Cormier changed about the team's wrestling program, and he'll tell you: "Everything." And though on any given day the training room at AKA includes famous pro fighters who were themselves standout college wrestlers, they all answer to coach Cormier during wrestling practice. As he takes them through warm-ups just a few days after teammate Cain Velasquez lost his UFC heavyweight title, he's quick to let everyone know that he's watching them. "Why are you walking?" he demands of one teammate who's strolling from one drill to the next. He might as well be talking to one of his ten-year-olds, but the man isn't about to argue with Cormier. It goes on like this all afternoon. Why is Josh Koscheck not doing push-ups with the rest of the team? Why is Todd Duffee taking his time about starting the next round? And Gray Maynard, you can't really be tired already, can you? If you're on the mats at AKA, you're subject to Cormier's critical eye. And if you have the misfortune to be even close to his weight class, as one unfortunate sparring partner is, you're about to find out how much he enjoys breaking people even in training. At first, the guy's a game opponent. They vie for takedowns and control in the clinch, and he holds his own against Cormier. He even comes close to getting a takedown of his own, which is a sight so rare everyone looks up in brief confusion, as if the symphony just hit a bad note. Then the grind starts to get to him. One round after another, this unceasing assault, and you can see it in the way he slowly shuffles over to Cormier to start a new round. "Stop wasting time," Cormier shouts before slamming him to the mat. There's still several minutes on the clock, but this guy is done. He can barely get on his feet long enough to get taken down again, and by the end of practice he's flat on his back, looking up at Cormier, who's barely breathing hard. "I love that," he says later. "That's something your wrestling coaches put in you, and you learn that there's nothing more satisfying than a guy laying on the mat, just done. I'm tired, but when I see him like that, I get a second wind." Second winds are coming in many forms for Cormier these days. His MMA career couldn't be going better, even as he rehabs a broken hand and spends a lot of days sparring with one good hand, "getting blasted" as he learns to make do with a jab and some kicks. He and his girlfriend had a son in February, and he's now old enough to walk to the door to meet his father when he returns home from practice. They've even got another on the way -- "Irish twins," he says with a grin -- and even the pain and fear that lingered after his daughter's death has begun to dissipate, though it hasn't been easy. When he first drove his son home from the hospital, it hit him harder than he expected. "I was [expletive] terrified," he says. "I didn't want to go anywhere with him in the car. My girl was in the backseat with him, but I was just so scared. I was driving slow in the rain, people passing me. But guess what song comes on the radio?" Heather Hedley's "I Wish I Wasn't," of course. The same one that used to put his daughter to sleep. The one you almost never hear on the radio in 2011. "It seemed like it was my daughter saying, 'It's going to be okay. I'm going to watch over my little brother.' That's when I was like, I think I'm going to do alright by this one. I think it's going to be okay this time. I'm catching my break." And maybe that's what you learn after all those years in suffocating wrestling rooms, one long grind after another. Besides the double-legs and the duck unders, maybe you really learn the value of simply refusing to be broken. You find out that even when you're in a terrible position with no clear way out, all you have to do is not give up. You take it. You try and give some back. You keep pushing and you don't quit, and before you know it you're on top. You're winning. The clouds are gone and the sun is shining and the dead are alive again, waving you on and telling you to keep going, keep going. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, day, kid, cormier, olympic

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

MMA Junkie reports that the UFC 139 Prelims on Spike TV scored an average of 1.2 million viewers. The pre-PPV fights received a 0.9 household rating and won its time slot among male viewers in the 18-34 demographic. The UFC 139 Prelims were second among males in the 18-49 demographic for the time slot. The prelims ranked 20th all time among airing the UFC Prelims on Spike TV and ION Television. Payout Perspective: Since September’s UFC 135 Prelims, which received the third all-time highest rating (1.6 million), the UFC Prelims have dropped.Even though it did well in its time slot in key demos, comparing UFC 139 Prelims to its predecessors shows that the numbers are decreasing. We may be experiencing some MMA fatigue as some have suggested. The last three prelim shows have ranked no higher than 20th (out of 27 shows) in the history of the UFC Prelims.

Posted in: ufc, time, spike tv, time slot, prelim

Read the full article at MMA Payout

In just over three weeks’ time, UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones will put his belt on the line for the second time after choking out Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 in his initial defense. “Bones” will look to continue his incredibly impressive run by defeating former champ, Lyoto Machida, at UFC 140. Machida brings with him an impressive 17-2 MMA record and will be looking to recapture the title he lost to Mauricio Rua last year. Machida hasn’t fought since winning an impressive knockout over Randy Couture in April despite being rumored for a match-up with Rashad Evans at UFC 133. Machida and Jones Face Off for First Time at UFC 140 Presser Other fights on the card include a heavyweight clash between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira with both former champs looking to move back into title contention with a win, as well as a battle between apt adversaries Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The UFC has now released a preview hyping the December 10 event scheduled for the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. Check out the full UFC 140 video below: Tweet

Posted in: ufc, time, jone, champ, machida

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Once upon an time, there was a fighter named Rampage who liked to howl. While his career began in America, his fearsome reputation was built in Japan, in a mixed martial arts promotion called Pride FC. During his time in Japan he fought seventeen times, winning on twelve of those occasions. While he became known for his enormously powerful punches, Rampage's Pride career will forever be remembered for two things; his feud with arch nemesis and anti-hero Wanderlei Silva and this slam KO of Ricardo Arona. While never quite reaching the merchandised heights of Bob Sapp, Rampage was hugely popular in Japan. Who can forget the UFC vs Pride fight between Rampage and Chuck Liddell? Then there's the time he handed Igor Vovchanchyn a note before they fought, which was reported to have been written by Rampage's mom, stating 'please don't hurt my son.' It was moments like these that made Rampage such a huge fan favourite in Japan, as well as America. When his new employers, the UFC announced they would be promoting a show in Japan in February 2012, Rampage was one of many ex-Pride fighters that many expected to fight on the card. Alas this was not to be, much to the disappointment of the fans and Rampage himself who took to the micro blogging website twitter to share his frustration: A rematch with Shogun Rua in Japan would have made a lot of Pride fans salivate; a rematch with Minowaman in Japan would have made a lot of Pride fan's heads explode.

Posted in: time, rampage, fan, pride, japan

Read the full article at Middle Easy

When studying the history of MMA, it’s pretty hard not to come across the name Jens Pulver. A pioneer of the lightweight division and the first ever UFC lightweight champion, Pulver helped paved the way for the lighter weight classes that now regularly steal the show at UFC events. After falling on hard times and being released by Zuffa following seven losses in eight fights, Pulver took a long look in the mirror to try and re-discover himself. It didn’t come to him right away as he continued to struggle to get over a “mental hurdle” but in his last bout, his bantamweight debut against Coty Wheeler, we saw the return of the Jens that fight fans fell in love with. “I was dialed in as ever in my last fight,” Pulver revealed Pulver in an exclusive interview with Five Ounces of Pain. “I almost got hit with an uppercut because I heard my corner so clearly that I actually turned and looked at them and he fired a shot that nearly caught me. Then I heard the guys say, ‘don’t look at us’ and I remember yelling, ‘MY BAD!’” Before he dropped to 135 in August, Pulver was once again on the losing end of things back in May when he was submitted in just 22 seconds against Armando Amezcua. In his post-fight interview, Jens defended his desire to continue fighting by saying, “I’ll retire on my own terms.” Jens defended his comments saying, “I appreciate people saying they want me to retire, as long as they have a good reason and are looking out for me. But, I’m losing to submissions. I’ll be grappling until I can’t walk. They’re safe. I’m not going out there and watching my chin turn to butter and going out there and getting hit by guys not known for power and going to sleep for 10 minutes.” According to Jens, physically he feels fine, but mentally he hasn’t been at the top of his game in some time. “The mental side of me died a while back and I have to find that guy,” said Pulver. After over 40 career fights, main events, and UFC titles, it’s hard to believe that Pulver could lack mental toughness, but to hear him explain things, they begin to make sense. “With so many years losing, I just had tunnel vision where I just wanted out of there. Either I knock them out quick or I got caught and I wanted out. I didn’t want to be in there. It’s like getting into a bad car wreck and when you get back into that card, you just want out. You’re not hearing anything. You’re not even hearing yourself, that inner fire just died. I’ve never been through something like that but it’s a bad situation. This last fight, I’ve never paid more attention to the mental side of things. I even had key words I kept saying to myself like ‘Bojangles’ which is my daughters nickname. So whenever I felt great in practice, that’s what I would say. It dialed me in.” His victory over Wheeler marked the first time that Pulver had finished an opponent with strikes since 2006. Now training at Team Curran with jiu-jitsu expert Jeff Curran, Pulver has spent a lot of time working on his grappling but says that his striking felt better than ever against Wheeler. “That was the first time in awhile I was like, ‘Wow, there it is.’ I was setting things up, moving to the right, continuing to circle, making him miss. My defense was on and I could see everything he was about to throw. It took a whole year to get there but it felt good. “I kept telling myself that I was going to knock this guy out. He’s known for his chin and I was going out there to show everyone at this weight that, ‘I’m here, lets get it poppin’” Jens is hopeful for a UFC return, but admits that he hasn’t talked to UFC president Dana White in some time. “I haven’t had communications with Dana White in I don’t know how long. That’s a busy guy.” He knows what he has to do in order to make another appearance in the octagon though, saying, “What it boils down to is proof. I can ask for it all day but if I can’t go out there and prove it then wants the point? I just gotta keep knocking people out and see what happens. It’d be a good way to say goodbye.”

Posted in: time, ’t, “ i, jen, pulver

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

One thing that has been requested has been a little more boxing coverage here at Bloody Elbow, so going forward we'll touch on major boxing events and recap the weekend's action. But your home for the best boxing coverage at SB Nation is still Bad Left Hook, so make sure you keep up with things there as well. We'll be starting our new boxing coverage with a two part feature on the Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto fight, today discussing Margarito's issues acquiring a license for the rematch scheduled for December 3 and tomorrow diving into the incredible marketing of the fight. The very mention of Antonio Margarito's name is enough to strike up an immediate emotional reaction from most combat fans. Margarito went from on top of the world after defeating Miguel Angel Cotto in a thrilling fight in July of 2008 he got a fight with Shane Mosley in January 2009. During the hand wrapping process for the Mosley fight, Shane's trainer noticed Margarito's wraps had a strange substance on them. The wraps were eventually found to have plaster of paris on them, which would have hardened to give him a dangerous advantage in the bout. Margarito would have to have his hands re-wraped and would then go on to take a vicious beating at the hands of Mosely in "Sugar" Shane's last great performance. The end result of the handwrapping controversy was a year suspension of Margarito's boxing license by the state of California and a reputation that will never recover. Margarito is set to face Cotto in a rematch on December 3 in New York City. Cotto feels that his loss the first time around can't be fully accepted as Margarito may have cheated and Antonio is looking to prove that he didn't cheat the first time and won't need to this time either. Unfortunately for fight fans excited to see the bout, Margarito has been having trouble acquiring a license from the NYSAC because of a surgically repaired eye. Some may be wondering why Margarito is even able to apply for a license after the plaster situation. The answer has multiple parts: The blame was put on Margarito's trainer, Javier Capetillo. He claims he simply picked up wraps off a table as he was in a rush and it was not an intentional act. During the hearing with the commission Margarito threw Capetillo under the bus, saying he didn't understand why he would do such a thing. The commission couldn't pin the fault on Margarito, finding that he actually did nothing wrong and may well have been ignorant of the entire situation. Finally, the biggest part of why the suspension wouldn't have held up for over a year. In cases like these, there are standard evidence handling guidelines. It appears that there were serious problems with the chain of custody of the evidence the evening of the Mosley fight. The wraps appear to have changed hands several times during the hours that followed, including spending time with multiple members of Mosley's camp. This prevented further action from being taken, including possible legal action against Margarito and his camp. So while it's easy to get upset with the fact that Margarito is allowed to fight, it also requires some acknowledgement of the California State Athletic Commission's failures. More on the current state of Margarito's license after the jump. November of 2010 saw Margarito return to an American boxing ring for the first time since his suspension to face Manny Pacquiao. Margarito displayed a ton of heart as he took a violent beating at the hands of Pacquiao for twelve rounds. After the fight it was determined that Margarito suffered a fractured orbital bone which required surgery to fix. He then had to have an additional surgery done to repair the lens of his eye. That second surgery was done by one of the leading experts in the field and he declared the work a success. However, hose two surgeries and the health of Antonio's eye have the NYSAC hesitant to grant a license. Recent shots of Margarito on HBO's 24/7 series show where some of that concern comes from (repaired eye is Margarito's right): New York held a hearing on Friday which ended with a determination that if a NYSAC chosen doctor cleared Margarito, they would grant the license. This forced Margarito to break camp in Mexico to fly into  While it is admirable for the NYSAC to look out for the health of a fighter, it's the way which they went about the situation that has many people upset. Back on September 20 one of the most vocal members of the licensing board, Melvina Lethan, appeared at a Top Rank press conference and said the following (via Bad Left Hook): "Whenever Bob comes to town, he comes to town and really throws out the red carpet. That's what we need in New York. I can't tell you how proud, how happy we are at the commission to have such a beginning of Madison Square Garden, once she has a new facelift that is, that we are going to be the ones to help open it. This is a great show, both shows are going to be a great show (Donaire vs Narvaez on October 22), and we're just really looking forward to these exciting -- both evenings of boxing. "I have a great crew, which in part helps to maintain and make sure that everything is safe as far as the welfare, the safety of the boxers are concerned. Without that crew and their dedication, the state athletic commission just would not be, and I am very happy to have them on my team. I applaud them myself. Come out to the show, know that everything is going to go well, and best of luck to both participants. Thank you again." So just two months back one of the people holding out on the license was attending a press conference and assuring the public that the fight would go off without a hitch. That led to great ticket sales to see the fight at Madison Square Garden with fans booking flights and hotels only to be told mere weeks out that the fight may be a no-go. Steve Kim of Max Boxing suggests that this may have all been a plan by New York to wait until it was too late to move the fight and then force Top Rank to switch out Margarito for a late replacement. This would have kept the big selling fight in the state without allowing the controversial Margarito to fight in the state. Kim explains the flaw in New York's thinking if that were the case: While the live gate is an important facet of any promotion, with fights like Cotto-Margarito II, it actually pales in comparison to the pay-per-view possibilities. Yeah, the Garden might seat around 20,000 patrons (and, from what I'm told, is scaled for a gate of $3.4 million) but if this card does 300,000 pay-per-view buys, that means right around $7.5 million for the promotion. And while the "Kangaroo Court of Gotham City" believed it may have pushed Top Rank to the point of no return, they were really at the point of no return regarding Cotto-Margarito. See, the real money in this instance is with the pay-per-view. This was not just an ESPN card where the main event participants are interchangeable. With the expenses for marketing, promoting and advertising already paid, you couldn't have suddenly thrown in a Martirosyan or anyone else on the opposite side of the ledger from Cotto. And with this fight's much-talked about first episode of HBO's "24/7" debuting this weekend, it was another step toward the inevitability of this bout. The fact that the PPV money trumps the live gate means that Top Rank has already lined up alternative venues for the bout, with the leading candidate apparently being the Pepsi Center in Denver. The fight will be going down regardless of if it happens in New York. For fight fans, that is a good thing. Margarito and Cotto put on one of the better fights of my lifetime the first time around and a rematch really feels "needed" to finish the story. Top Rank also did something unique and put three potentially great fights on the PPV undercard including a rematch of the fight of the year candidate between Delvin Rodriguez and Pawel Wolak, a Brandon Rios vs. John Murray fight and action fighters Mike Jones and Sebastian Lujan meeting in what could be a great brawl. New York will hold a hearing today at 3 p.m. ET to announce if Margarito was cleared by their doctor and will be licensed to fight. If not, expect an announcement quickly from Top Rank on the official venue change.

Posted in: fight, time, boxing, license, margarito

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

On Sat., Nov. 19, at UFC 139 in San Jose, Calif., Urijah Faber beat up Brian Bowles to ensure that he would get another chance to square off against his nemesis, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz, in a trilogy match-up for which the "California Kid" has been asking for since he was defeated at UFC 132 earlier this year. The last time Faber and Cruz met, mixed martial arts (MMA) fans were treated to a five-round throwdown, which will undoubtedly go down as one of the top fights of 2011. Though a date and event have not yet been confirmed, it's certain that these two will share the Octagon once more in 2012 in a fight for the 135-pound strap. "The California Kid" believes things will be different this time. Of course he does. He has to say that. However, during an appearance on HDNet's Inside MMA, Faber said he believes the difference, this go-round, will be his ever-improving hands: "He's not dangerous. He's a world champion and there's a reason why he's there. He has my respect, but he doesn't have my respect when it comes to punching power or danger. I'll walk right through his punches and march forward. It's just gonna be tracking him down and scoring more points on the way to finishing him." Faber exhibited some of this new and improved striking ability during his fight against Bowles. He feels like it was an exhibition of how his punching and ground game are finally starting to come together as one: "I feel like I was just seeing stuff. I feel like it's just a matter of time before my hands really come into their own. It's a matter of time. You know, I've been wrestling since the eighth grade. That's second nature to me. I've been doing jiu-jitsu at a high level for a long time. It's just getting to the point where my hands and putting it all together is coming to fruition." Although Faber takes a decent amount of criticism, he was quick to not take the praise for his maturation in the stand-up game. He gives all the praise to his instructor, Master Tong: "Yeah, I gotta say, my instructor, Master Tong, he's been a guy that's one of the top boxing coaches in the world. He's been with me for almost three and a half to four years. I've really started to see the pay-outs from working with him. I get more and more comfortable. I see it in my sparring. Our whole camp is getting great." Though Faber doesn't believe he's ever been a poor striker, by any stretch, he definitely feels like he's come a long way. His goal isn't to settle or stay where he is. He's constantly trying to improve and predicts big things for the future: "I'm a better striker every day. It's crazy. I do a lot of things to work on it. You know, I haven't been bad. I've had a lot of great fights. I've been knocking guys down the last four fights. I've either knocked them down or shook 'em, at least and wobbled 'em. You're gonna see my best knockouts coming in the near future." Only time will tell if he's right, or if it's just sour grapes. Either way, the trilogy rubber match should settle things once and for all. No more excuses. Do you Maniacs think Faber has what it takes to knockout Cruz or is it just wishful thinking? Is there anyone in the bantamweight division who can give "The Dominator" a run for his money? Opinions, please.

Posted in: fight, time, faber, he, ive

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Victor Conte, the Godfather of BALCO, says it's time for state athletic commissions to step up their drug testing game with simple, new metrics for analysis of both urine & blood testing samples.

Posted in: time, victor, commission, testing, conte

Read the full article at Fight Opinion

There are moments when a sporting event becomes more than just a competition. Time stands still. Conversations cease. Athletes become immortalized. Last night (Sat., Nov. 19, 2011) was just such an occasion, as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) delivered what will go down as one of the greatest fight cards of all time with UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" in San Jose, Calif.  Mixed martial arts (MMA) legends fought to keep their legacies (and careers) alive. Prospects looked like savvy veterans. Title shots were on the line and boldly claimed. As is usually the case, MMAmania.com will take an in-depth look at whose stars shone the brightest, as well as whose stock took a nosedive.  Check out who UFC 139's biggest winners and lowliest losers were: WINNERS Mauricio Rua and Dan Henderson -- It's impossible to separate these guys from each other after Saturday night's grueling war. It may remain that way for the rest of time. From now on, is it even possible to mention "Shogun" in a sentence that doesn't also include "Hendo?" To put it bluntly, the fight was ridiculous. For five rounds, Rua and Henderson beat each other mercilessly, painting the canvas with their sweat, blood and tears. It was the kind of fight that made you turn your cell phone off and ask your girlfriend to stop talking. Though Henderson did get the decision nod, both of these men earned the respect of all who watched.  Wanderlei Silva -- "The Axe Murderer" is back. How long will he stick around? Hard to say. In the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White still sounded like he wants to keep Silva on a short leash. After his quick and brutal knockout loss to Chris Leben at UFC 132 on July 2 in "Sin City," many were calling for "Wandy" to hang up the five-ounce gloves and call it a career. Many of those same nay-sayers expected Silva to have problems with Cung Le's kicks and martial arts pizzazz. In the first round, it looked like they were right. Silva was puzzlingly keeping his distance from Le, allowing him to stick-and-move and use his advantage. In the second round, Silva did a great job of cutting off the distance, stalking his opponent and lighting him up with his signature heavy hands. By the end of the fight, Le, the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, was hardly recognizable. It's unclear what is next for Silva, but for now, he can rest easy with the knowledge that he's bought himself some more time. Urijah Faber -- This is what Faber looked like during his dominant days fighting for World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). For one round, it looked as though "The California Kid" was merely doing "recon" on his opponent. He methodically figured out where the holes were and stored the information away for the next frame of the fight. In round two, Faber jumped all over Brian Bowles, never giving him room to breathe or a moment to recover. Faber was not fighting a bum. Bowles has only lost once and it was to current Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz. He's a dangerous striker and a very well-rounded fighter. Faber made him look like he didn't even belong in the cage with him. Maybe he didn't. The trilogy between Faber and Cruz is now in the works. Buckle up. Michael McDonald -- He's 20 years old. He can't even buy a beer yet. Some companies wouldn't even let him rent a car from them. Yet, this "kid" has no problem taking center stage in front of thousands of people and engaging in professional combat. All of that is an accomplishment in of itself. But that's not enough for "Mayday." He doesn't just want to compete; he wants to make a name for himself while contending for a title as soon as possible. He's had three fights thus far in the UFC. Two of them earned him a fight bonus. All three revealed just how explosive he is as a fighter. Right now, the world is his oyster. After his thrilling knockout victory over Alex Soto, ESPN analyst Brett Okamoto tweeted: "I want to see Michael McDonald fight Joseph Benavidez. Don't tell me it's too soon, either." I won't. I'd personally love to see it.  Ryan Bader -- After two terrible back-to-back guillotine losses to Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz, respectively, Bader sorely needed a win. He looked good. His quick knockout win over Jason Brilz would have earned him "knockout of the night" on most UFC cards. It's hard to get super worked up over this win, as Brilz has now lost his third fight in his last four appearances. Still, a win is a win and a first round knockout is good enough to get a fighter back into the "relevant" category. Big win for "Darth." Miguel Torres -- I'm not going to prattle on here. This wasn't a win that will catapult Torres back into his position as one of the pound-for-pound greats in the world. A finish would have been nice. That said, I believe Torres showed a newly acquired ability and willingness to adapt his game to his opponent and not just go out and rely on his athleticism and gangly arms and legs. Torres used some very good "dirty boxing" to beat up Nick Pace and break his will with a plethora of violent elbows and knees. Is he back to where he was? The jury is still out.   LOSERS Matt Brown -- "The Immortal" has now lost four of his last five UFC fights. The one win that he did notch during that run was a terribly uninspired decision win over John Howard, who was let go by the promotion directly after the fight. Each of the four losses was a second round submission. Brown is a popular fighter for his willingness to scrap and to "bring it." He'll fight anyone. Just ask him. I'm not saying I don't respect that, but at some point, you need to beat "anyone" if you want to keep getting opportunities in the Octagon. Shamar Bailey -- Fail to make weight? Check. Try to use your go-to weapon, wrestling and get totally handled in the process? Check. Prove that you may just not have the necessary skill set to be a competitor for the world's biggest MMA organization? Check. Bailey just hasn't got it done and it's questionable if he is going to. His wrestling is not enough to make him a dominant or even a top-flight fighter. Truth be told, Bailey needs to take a step back, find a good camp and really figure out what weight class he should be fighting in. For each of his last five fights, he has weighed something different than the last. It's time to get that worked out if he really wants to make a run at being a professional fighter. Jason Brilz -- As recently stated, Brilz has lost four of his last five fights. The 36-year old former Omaha high school state wrestling champion has got some soul-searching to do. Is this what he wants to keep doing? Brilz is the assistant wrestling coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He's also a trainer at Omaha's Premier Combat Center. Fighting in the UFC is not his full-time job. After his showing Saturday night, it might not be his part-time job either. Referee Dan Stell -- It doesn't happen often. Most of the time, MMA referees do a fantastic job of stopping a fight right when they need to. If anything, we see more early stoppages than failures to end things in a timely manner. That's why what happened in the fight between Chris Weidman and Tom Lawlor is such an anomaly and raises red flags. In the first round, Weidman was able to sneak in a "filthy" d'arce choke that left Lawlor unconscious. The problem? Weidman had to actually tell Stell that Lawlor was out. By the time Stell pulled Weidman off of him, Lawlor was asleep and looked like he had been for a few seconds. That's dangerous. Every second that a fighter continues to squeeze after the blood has been cut off to the brain is an important and scary one. Stell wasn't in position to see what was going on and that's a problem. We've got to do a better job of educating our officials.  That's a wrap, Maniacs. Think you can do better? Prove it. Who were your winners and losers from this fantastic UFC event? To check out complete UFC 139 results and detailed blow-by-blow coverage click here.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, fighter, round

Read the full article at MMA Mania

When the UFC debuted on network television on Nov. 12, 2011, it did so with a heavyweight championship fight on FOX that culminated in a 64 second knockout. And while the bout itself pulled big time ratings, to the tune of 8.8 million viewers, the entire event broadcast did significantly less, garnering 5.7 on average throughout the hour long broadcast.  The blame for that lies in the fact that the fight was so short. Interest was there, but it was never allowed to build through a long war of attrition. No one viewer got the chance to shoot a buddy a text telling them to "turn the fight on, this one is crazy." They definitely would have had that chance if Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua had met one week sooner. In the main event of UFC 139 last night (Sat., Nov. 19, 2011) in San Jose, "Hendo" and "Shogun" engaged in a fight already regarded as one of the greatest of all time, a five round epic clash of titans. You would think UFC President Dana White would have wanted something like that for his promotion's first foray into network TV. And you would be wrong. If you could have like a (Rua-Henderson) type fight on TV, I mean, imagine what the number would get to. But that's not the fight you want for your first time on network television," said White at the UFC 139 post-fight press conference. "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 be 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. And people are like, 'Oh, you don't care what the 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 understands 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 five or six days." That seems like an interesting stance to take at first but when giving it a closer examination, maybe White has a good point. After all, before the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos fight ever popped off, photos were taken showing members of the UFC crew painting over blood inside the Octagon. Clean presentation or conscious decision to avoid looking barbaric? Silly as that may sound, detractors of MMA are still out in force. In fact, before the FOX broadcast, protesters gathered outside UFC headquarters to voice their disapproval of the promotion and called for FOX to cut all ties with the organization. That didn't happen, of course, but it's definitely something that has to be taken into consideration. And that's likely why White wouldn't have wanted a bloody, brutal war the likes of which Henderson and "Shogun" had last night.  Brand new eyes may not have been happy with that as the appetizer, which is really all Velasquez vs. dos Santos was meant to be. And it was just that. So maybe it worked out in the end. Then again, what are the chances the next UFC on FOX main event will come anywhere near the level of epic Henderson vs. Rua reached?

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, fox, vs

Read the full article at MMA Mania

To many, Stephan Bonnar is a staple in the UFC but hasn't been thought of as a either a contender or an important figure in today's scene. In a lot of ways, he's just "a guy" competing in the middle ranks of the light heavyweight division and not an impending threat for a title shot. But on Saturday at UFC 139, he pulled off something he hasn't done in the Octagon in over five years: win his third consecutive fight.His unanimous decision victory over Kyle Kingsbury was as dominant as you read about with Bonnar taking Kingsbury wherever he wanted to go, grinding him out in the process. It wasn't pretty and the fans booing at the conclusion showed their displeasure at the lack of forceful action when the fight went to the mat. As Bonnar said in his post-fight interview, he's not used to that. In actuality though, it didn't matter. A win is a win and for 15 minutes, Kingsbury had nothing for him. Although that was his first fight of the calendar year due to injury, Bonnar now has wins over Kingsbury, Igor Pokrajac and Krzysztof Soszynski -- a long time removed from his three-fight losing streak in 2009-2010 that had detractors questioning his future in the UFC. The 34-year-old who will forever be tied with the resurgence in MMA thanks to his 2005 slugfest with Forrest Griffin now is experiencing his own resurgence.But on this post-event Sunday, where does his UFC 139 win put Bonnar in the UFC's 205-pound division? For a while, he's been saying he wants shots at top contenders and has repeatedly mentioned Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as a desired opponent. While that seems like a big jump in name value at first blush, further evaluation has this writer believing that would be the right fight for both men at the right time and especially for the promotion's return to Japan in February. Coming off a loss to Jon Jones in September and being a former PRIDE star, Jackson seems earmarked for the Japan event and while a bout against "King" Mo Lawal would be media gold, you have to wonder if Dana White wouldn't give the nod to a guy that has been in the UFC since the start of the boom period. Fans know Bonnar and he would make for a tough opponent for Jackson. For the UFC, it's a no-lose situation. With a win, Bonnar would become an interesting name in the upper reaches of the division and someone White can sell as making "the run" at the title for the first time in their career. With a loss, he would return to the middle of the pack where he's spent much of the last few years anyway. Regardless of whether it's Jackson, fellow UFC 139 winner Ryan Bader or perhaps Forrest Griffin for a third time, Stephan Bonnar is on a surge at a time when the 205-pound division is still in a bit of flux. With him turning 35 in April, it couldn't come at a better time for him either. SBN coverage of UFC 139: Henderson vs. Rua

Posted in: ufc, time, stephan bonnar, bonnar, he

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

People really seemed into last night's Hendo vs Shogun match. 'Fight of the Year' has been thrown around, alongside 'Fight of the Decade' and 'Best Fight of All Time.' It was pretty awesome, and even Dana White agrees: "It was the greatest fight I've ever seen" UFC president Dana White said of his veteran battle. But when asked if maybe that fight would have been the perfect fight for FOX, Dana switched gears a little: "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 five or six days," White said when MMAjunkie.com asked him the question. "We've got to ease our way – look, we live in this bubble, gang. We live in this bubble that the rest of the world doesn't live in and doesn't understand. We're still in an education process and educating the masses about what the 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 just incredibly appreciate what those two did tonight in there, and you can understand what they went through and what's going on. The rest of the world would go, 'Oh my God. What was that?'" I guess he's got a bit of a point. You've got Shogun getting beaten to a pulp, bleeding all over the place. Shogun getting tired, then Hendo getting tired. Rua wailing on Henderson for the last two rounds, only to lose a decision because of the first three. I can see fans flipping out because they thought the wrong guy won.But still ... an awesome fight is an awesome fight. And why are we even playing around with this imaginary possibility? I guess you can only bitch and moan about how things would have been had Ben Henderson vs Clay Guida made the broadcast for so long. Now we're going to wonder about how every fight would have played out on network television?

Posted in: fight, time, fight people, bubble gang, fight ive

Read the full article at Fightlinker

Fedor did it and more importantly I did it. The Last Emperor has won for the first time since 2009, and wins by decision for the first time since he fought Cro Cop in 2005, while I successfully woke up early to watch him fight. It feels good. I would like to thank God and my alarm clock. Tonight/this morning Fedor took to the M-1 ring and methodically picked apart Jeff Monson with a gaggle of leg licks and expertly denied takedowns. For fifteen straight minutes Fedor had his way with the anarchist and by the end of the match, Monson's lip was nastily split. He kind of looked like this with a limp. After the match Vladimir Putin, Fedor's wife (who kind of looks like a more attractive Sofia Coppola) and his entire M-1 entourage entered the ring in celebration as Fedor declared himself 'The new Fedor'. Once Fedor is done talking quietly into the mic (some things will never change) he passes it over to Vadim Finkelstein and the M-1 head honcho announces that Fedor Vs. Satoshi Ishii is in the works for this New Years Eve. Cool.                        

Posted in: time, jeff monson, fedor, cro cop, minutes fedor

Read the full article at Middle Easy

I apologize if I come off a little incoherent. This has been about the most amazing 25 minutes I've had with my pants on. Here are some of the thoughts I can muster. I'm typing this article with my eyes wide and a smile on my face. I'll start at the beginning of the match. Dan Henderson looked solid. He was beating Mauricio Rua to the punch, landing clean, handling himself on the ground well and bloodied up Shogun. There was less damage in the second round, but the third was aaaalllll Hendo. I scored that round 10-8 and Shogun's face made it look worse. But then something funny happened. Dan shook his hand out at the end of that round as if he hurt it. He looked a little tired. Shockingly Shogun looked a little bit fresher. He started to come back a little bit. He hit Dan clean a couple times and at the end of the fourth round, it was Dan with his arms hanging at his sides as he sucked in huge breaths. It was Hendo and not Shogun who was showing weakness after three rounds of all Henderson! Invite the Rocky comparisons immediately, because they are well deserved. The fifth was an incredible display of determination by both men - Shogun desperately wanted to win and Dan was bound to not to get finished. Round five is one that I really want to expand upon here. First of all, how in the WORLD was that round not a 10-8? Does a fighter have to get a kidney ripped out and somehow not get finished before someone gives a 10-8? Fight Metric has their stat report up. Please filter to round five and look at the striking and the grappling. How does someone get outstruck 79-8 and get mounted five times (I thought I counted six, but whatever) and not lose the round 10-8? I do not understand the rationale of judging this sport at all sometimes. But I digress. It was tremendous. It showed immense courage and will from both men. They threw such huge absolute BOMBS, especially in the first four rounds. Like a single 1 of those uppercuts they exchanged would have put most people in a coma. Bisping would have been KO'd 500 times tonight. They fought like absolute gladiators going for broke. I can't write enough superlatives about this fight, and I don't think anyone else can either. Now we need to figure out where this fight falls in the history of greatest MMA fights of all of the times. Let me correct myself. We don't need to, but where's the fun in that? So let's start off with a few other fights that immediately spring to mind. They need to have the following criteria: awesome fight, historical relevance, exemplifies the glory that is MMA. Garcia vs Jung was an awesome fight, and the go for broke attitude of the combatants certainly highlights the drive, determination, and pushing the human body which I'm looking for in that third category, but it had no relevance to the sport as a whole. It featured a guy in Garcia who probably should be in the minor leagues of the sport against a middle-tier featherweight. Let's try a few on for size: Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard II and III Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar Fedor Emelianenko vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira I and IIIAnderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen Edgar/Maynard were absolute thrashings in round one by the challenger before the champ showed us the heart, courage and measure of greatness that drives our passion for this sport. The historical relevance is somewhat lacking, but this was for the UFC lightweight belt and quite honestly they were two of the best fights of 2011. Griffin/Bonnar wasn't a title fight and featured two prospects, while the other examples I've given were championship matches, but the historical significance of this can't be understated. Millions of people tuned into this fight as it was happening. Not because they were fans, but because they were channel surfing and stumbled onto this glorious gold nugget. Their friends texted them and told them to flip on Spike, something amazing was happening. It was the cannon shot that thrust MMA into the American psyche for good and helped turn the UFC into one of the biggest sporting companies in the world. The Fedor/Nog fights weren't the most thrilling of contests in terms of non-stop action, but it was the clear-cut best heavyweight against the clear-cut second best heavyweight for the biggest organization at the time. Fedor spent about 20 more minutes in Nog's guard than any person had done previously and landed some of the most disgustingly powerful ground and pound ever. Josh Gross said it sounded like shotgun blasts going off on Nog's head. Mauro said they sounded like someone hitting a buffalo with a baseball bat. This can't take the top spot in my mind because it slowed down tremendously as Fedor eased off the gas in the last round to coast to a victory as he laid in Nog's guard. Historical, glorious, and definitely exciting, but it was almost anti-climactic at the end. Silva/Sonnen was about as one sided a beating as Nog took from Fedor, except that Silva won in the final round with a minute left. It didn't have quite as much historical significance, but this was the only time anyone had seen Anderson get beat on like this by anybody. Then Sonnen popped for testosterone injections post-fight. So it lost much of the luster that surrounded it at the time, but really, it was one of the best fights of the year and easily one of the very best comebacks ever. Now Henderson and Rua didn't fight for a title, but fortunately it was five rounds of everything we look for in this determination. You had two legends, including one of the greatest of all time going at it for 25 minutes. It exemplified the warrior spirit from both men, and likely has propelled Dan into a title shot against either Jon Jones or Anderson. There have been other great fights. Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le fought a dynamic and exciting fight just minutes ago. Over in Bellator, Michael Chandler knocked off perennial top5 lightweight Eddie Alvarez in a match that likely featured 10-8 rounds from both fighters before Chandler choked him out in the 4th. But neither of those had the same relevance in history that this fight had. Hendo has won titles in Rings, Pride and Strikeforce. He's a 41-year old legend who's held titles in multiple weight classes. Shogun is another multiple title winner. Former Pride middleweight champion and UFC light heavyweight champion. Hendo beat Yvel, Big Nog and a prime Babalu in one night to win Rings. He's beaten Wanderlei, Belfort, Bustamante, Franklin and Fedor. Rua beat Rampage, Lil Nog, Overeem and Arona in succession, the last two in the same night. LEGENDS. Two of the greatest this sport has seen in its young history duking it out until the final bell. via Facebook.Two of the finest human combatants in the world. Thank you.

Posted in: fight, time, title, round, shogun

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

Filed under: UFCSAN JOSE, Calif. -- Five rounds of bloody, back-and-forth action. That's what UFC president Dana White got out of Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139, and what he must have hoped he would get out of Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez for the UFC's FOX debut last weekend, right? Not so fast, said White, who admitted that while the 64-second heavyweight scrap on FOX didn't offer much chance to build up the ratings, a brutal 25-minute fight like the UFC 139 main event would have had some negative consequences for the organization's network debut. "If you could have like a [Rua-Henderson] type fight on TV, I mean, imagine what the [ratings] number would get to," White said. "But that's not the fight you want for your first time on network television." With a peak of 8.8 million viewers, White has reason to be pleased with the first FOX offering. Following the UFC 139 press conference he confirmed rumors that he celebrated the ratings milestone by leaping up on a table in the UFC offices and sending all his employees home early. "I hear all kinds of rumors about, oh, I heard he was flipping out after the fight and all this [expletive]," White said. "No, I wasn't flipping out and yes, I did jump on a table and send everybody home. I was pretty excited." But as much as hardcore fans might have liked to see something on par with the Henderson-Rua scrap on network TV, White suggested it might have been too violent for mainstream FOX viewers to handle right off the bat. "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 be 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. And people are like, 'Oh, you don't care what the 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 understands 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 five or six days." That's because, White said, the UFC is "still in the education process" when it comes to introducing mainstream sports fans to his product. Even with the quick, bloodless debut, White said there were still opponents who didn't want it on network TV. "These people come out of nowhere, attacking this sport, literally saying that it should go away, that we shut down the UFC and this thing should go away," said White. "That's realistic. But those are the kind of people that come after you. It's crazy." But as White has been repeating ever since the FOX debut, the UFC still needs to "ease into" the mainstream rather than charging in with a bloody battle like Henderson-Rua, which might be hard for the uninitiated viewer to stomach. Just don't expect that easing process to last very long, according to the UFC president. "In my opinion, we eased into it already. We did it, we put the first fight on FOX, now we're going with four fights. And the more fights you do, the more chance you have to have one of these." In theory, maybe. In practice, you could put on MMA fights for years and not see anything like what Hendo and Rua produced on Saturday night. That's what makes it so special, whether the mainstream viewer is ready for it or not. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, fox, that

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Before the UFC 139 weigh-in, Josh Koscheck took some time to answer fan questions at a Q&A session.

Posted in: ufc, time, koscheck, fan, josh

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Yesterday we took a look at the UFC 139 prelims. Jumping over to the main card today, there are a lot of exciting fights to be seen herein. One of the Fighters.com family makes his long awaited return to the cage, and some of the UFC’s most popular personalities are competing at the event as well. I’ve often found these overlooked non-title cards to produce some of the best fights and everything on the main card has that potential, especially the headliner between Mauricio Rua and Dan Henderson. Let’s get to it, shall we? Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury You’ve got to hand it to Kingsbury. He’s probably had the four quietest wins in a row in recent history to make it to the main card here against the effervescent Bonnar. His willingness to do whatever it takes is reminiscent of his night’s opponent who has established himself as a UFC lifer with his “never say die” work ethic, as well as his ability to dig deep and his ability to bleed easier than Oleg Taktarov and somehow maintain composure throughout. This could easily be “Fight of the Night” based on sheer will alone. Kingsbury won’t stop pushing forward and neither will Bonnar. If either fighter hesitates it won’t be for long. Bonnar’s iron chin will be tested often against hometown boy Kingsbury’s striking and Kingsbury will never relent. Bonnar could take this to the ground and have an advantage but that’s not his style. Expect a fast paced exciting fight from both. Bonnar rarely loses when he’s expected to win and you would have to call him the favorite coming in so that’s on his side. They might even have to paint over the blood spots when this one is done. Prediction: Stephan Bonnar def. Kyle Kingsbury via TKO Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story You’ve seen throughout the last few weeks that our guest blogger Kampmann is more than ready for his return to the Octagon. The Dane, whose last two fights have seen controversial decisions go against him is matched up against Story, a scrappy wrestler who had fairytale rise toward contendership at 170 pounds stifled by Charlie Brenneman back in June. Kampmann still remains one of the most complete fighters at welterweight. He can punish you from so many angles and has been so consistent for so long that you just expect what he does out of him every time out. Story follows an equally consistent, yet less hyped path. He’d won six fights in a row before the Brenneman bout and was starting to turn heads. His dominant wrestling and strength and conditioning propelled him to impressive victories over previously unbeaten Johny Hendricks and Thiago Alves. Nearing the end of that Alves fight, however, and all throughout the Brenneman one, Story’s weaknesses began to prevail leaving too many openings for takedowns, especially in the latter, with him being unable to find a groove after being dominated. Kampmann is one of the best in the world at exploiting these weaknesses, and whether it’s standing or on the ground, he should find ways to break Story down and take the victory. Take Kampmann via decision, as he looks to find his footing once again. Prediction: Martin Kampmann def. Rick Story via Unanimous Decision Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles In a true battle of East vs. West, California native Faber welcomes the explosive Bowles into his territory. Both men are former WEC champions, both share the same goal of extracting a rematch with Dominick Cruz, and this is basically a #1 contender match. Each man has looked very good since the WEC/UFC merge. Faber’s loss to Cruz was the closest anybody had been to beating the champion in years and Bowles is undefeated minus an injury stoppage. Faber’s fast hands and compact ground sprawl let him to some of fastest and most impressive submission victories during his championship run in WEC and that will be his key to victory in this fight. Bowles has fast hands and can absorb a ton of punishment to the point where I don’t believe Faber can knock him out by trading shots and it would be a poor decision to do so. Bowles is very good on the ground as well but doesn’t quite possess the speed Faber does at times. Years ago I may have said Faber would take this in the first round. Now, I believe Faber will walk out the victor, yet it would neither surprise me that it goes the distance nor if Bowles won. This fight has the largest disparity in booking odds right now but might be the closest pick for me out of the main card fights. Regardless, I’m going to take Faber with a tireless late fight submission. Prediction: Urijah Faber def. Brian Bowles via Submission Cung Le vs. Wanderlei Silva Random fact only I likely care about: Le has never competed in MMA outside his hometown of San Jose. Things obviously don’t change here. This fight’s status as the co-main event puzzles me a bit, but as a long time Silva fan I can’t complain too hard. I called Bonnar/Kingsbury my odds on at this point for FotN, but this fight could get the nod if it even makes it out of the first round. Le is representing San Jose as well here and fans will be hoping he doesn’t choke as badly as the building’s other occupant (the NHL‘s San Jose Sharks) do every playoff year. He draws Silva who provides him with the perfect stylistic match-up. Silva, the always fearless striker, has participated in some of MMA’s greatest wars and this is definitely set to be one of his last hurrahs. After rattling off one of the greatest winning streaks this sport has ever seen, Silva’s career changed with one swoop of Mirko Filipovic‘s leg in 2006 and he has only won two of eight since then, looking vulnerable in his losses to Chris Leben and Quinton Jackson. Le may not have the same one punch power that Leben and Jackson have, but his ability to strike from different angles is a fight Silva has arguably not had since “Cro Cop” back in 2006. Silva’s heart often gets the better of him, and in the interest of pleasing fans and creating an exciting fight he has left himself open to some massive strikes and has paid for it over time. His last loss was the quickest of his storied career, yet it showed that side that has endeared his fans to him for so long. The same fighting spirit that brings him to Saturday, and brings him to a fight that possibly holds his career in the balance. Will Saturday be it? I don’t know, but I will say this is one of those times my heart tells me Silva, but my head says Le. Unless he left it all behind while filming Tekken, Le’s technical striking should catch Silva off-guard and unless Silva can find a way into the barrage and start landing shots to slow the kickboxer down it might be the end of the road. Don’t leave your seat since this match-up probably won’t exit the first round regardless of who wins. Prediction: Cung Le def. Wanderlei Silva via TKO Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua The ageless Henderson enters the Octagon as a member of the UFC for the third time against Rua who comes in five straight knockout victories. Making it a sixth would be one of MMA’s greatest feats, considering Henderson has never been stopped due to punches in his 36 professional fights. Not even fifteen minutes against Silva at his peak could knock him out. Ever since Henderson set foot into the cage at UFC 17, with the exception of two or three fights, he has only ever faced the best names in the divisions of whichever promotion he was competing in. His grappling and wrestling expertise are matched by his explosive knockout power, of which he can claim eleven of his last eighteen victories. His gameplans are diverse, though his objective is simple – score a knock out or will his way to victory. His wrestling is world class, and his ability to do work his clinch-game up against the cage, or from mount, is almost balanced and equally effective. It’s asurprising to know that despite his world class grappling and his all around ability as a fighter he has not won by submission in nearly fifteen years but then again I guess that’s never been his style. Then there’s “Shogun,” capable of solving any strange riddles at light heavyweight. He solved the mystery of Lyoto Machida‘s evasive fight style. He figured out Cyrille Diabate during his highlight reel knockout days. He even stopped Antonio Rogerio Nogueira‘s rise to prominence in 2005 enroute to winning the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix. In the last eight years, Rua’s only losses have come to men who have held UFC gold and one (Mark Coleman in 2006) was only stopped due to an injury. This fight features two strange, yet similar career paths. A staggering 85% of Rua’s victories have come by knockout with only one submission. Strange percentages for a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, though when’s the last time you saw him use it? You’d probably have to go back to his early UFC fights if not farther back than that. This fight should give him plenty of opportunities. He’s going to have a hard time knocking Henderson out, so he may have to resort to his BJJ skillset to take the fight to him that way. Henderson’s going to be tested early, and though Rua has great cardio when in shape it wouldn’t be surprising to see Hendo’s endurance start to turn the fight his way in the late going. This should be a very good technical match between both fighters featuring a lot of action around the cage, from clinches up against, to numerous mounts, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a few submission attempts thrown in. Rua is going to approach this fighter smarter than Fedor did, and likely won’t leave his chin out as often. Look for this one to go the distance in Hendo’s favor, though likely a 29-28 type of fight. Prediction: Dan Henderson def. Mauricio Rua via Unanimous Decision That’s UFC 139 as I see it happening. It’s good to get a couple weeks off before we swing into the year’s end with the end of Ultimate Fighter, and the start of the holiday season. It’s snowing outside my window as I finish typing this, and I know the first snowfalls have already happened in some of your areas. Stay safe out there. You’re all the best readers in the world, and I thank you again for taking the time to do this with me. See you cageside! Tweet

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, silva, faber

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Later this evening (Nov. 19, 2011) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will return to pay-per-view (PPV) as UFC 139 takes place live from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. Not only is the area the homebase for Zuffa-owned Strikeforce, but it will also mark the promotion's first-ever "Shark Tank" venture. Coming off record network television numbers, the UFC hopes to use that fire to promote yet another successful PPV this weekend, which is headlined by legendary light heavyweights Mauricio Rua and Dan Henderson and includes a fight card full of other interesting match ups. One of those match ups will be between Pride FC psychopath and mixed martial arts (MMA) pioneer Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le, who will make his Octagon debut after a promising and attention-grabbing run under the Strikeforce banner. The match up itself is one of intrigue as  "The Axe Murderer"  will bring in his vicious, violent and aggressive striking style once again into the Octagon, while Le brings with him a very unique, flashy style. For more on that, Le's Sanshou striking, follow me into the extended entry as we break it all down (.gifs included, naturally): With a near-perfect MMA record (7-1), Le is one of the more talented strikers in the sport. While arguably unproven against top competition inside MMA, Le sports a flawless (17-0) kickboxing record, as well as being a black belt in Taekwondo. However, it isn't his record or background that is the most intriguing about Le. Le is one of the most notable practitioners in MMA who uses the discipline of Sanshou as a primary base. Too add to his kickboxing world titles and perfect record, Le is also undefeated (16-0) and a world champion in Sanshou competition, too. What is Sanshou? Sanshou is a Chinese hand-to-hand combat discipline that when translated can mean "hand fighting" or "free fighting. It was developed and based upon traditional Kung Fu, evolving with the addition of other technique such as takedowns and most wrestling skills. Le has a very unique stance and is incredibly quick in his strikes, probably most notably his kicks. Now, we will take a look at some of those kicks from his previous fights. Cung Le's most notable fights outside of his fight with Frank Shamrock were the two fights he had with Scott Smith. Even though the pair split the fights, it was very one-sided both times. And in one fight, "Hands of Steel" caught Le and was able to finish the fight while being down on the scorecards. Le is most known for his spinning strikes, in particular, the spinning back kick. While very unorthodox and risky, the move has made Le's career up to this point. In the clip above, Le feints as if he may throw a low kick with his left leg. As a southpaw, Le is already in a very difficult stance to begin with, and as he launches the fake kick toward the legs or possible body of Smith, he forces him to retreat, which is very important to accomplish. Should Smith circle instead of back up, then a kick would whiff right by and put Le in a very vulnerable position. Smith backs up and anticipates the kick to the body as seen by his arms coming tightly together to defend and cover his mid-section and liver area. Instead of attacking the body, Le goes higher and lands beneath the chin on the hands of Scott Smith. Le plants down on the foot he feints with, pivots around in a 180-degree motion and propels his right leg in a very tight motion toward his target. The force in which he throws it actually causes Le to momentarily leave the ground completely. Smith drops from the impact and force.   This time around Le feints with his hands. He throws a very non-committed "one-two" combination that once again forces Smith to retreat, which he does so by back pedaling once again. With Smith once again walking straight back, Le unleashes another spinning back kick. This time it isn't visible to see where he lands; however, the kick often lands with the heel on the side of the torso. That spot is left open when someone covers the center of their torso with their arms. Even if the kick lands on the arms, there is a chance the kick powers through and the arms still accumulate damage. Le forced Shamrock into defeat by breaking Shamrock's arm while defending a kick. The kick once again sends Smith to the canvas because of the force of the kick, the momentum added to his back pedaling and quite possibly the impact of the kick, too. Being hit in the body by any strike feels anything but good. These two kicks in particular do two things that can prove to be very crucial in any fight. For one, these sorts of kicks and set ups cause immense discomfort when standing in front of Le, preventing fighters from being able to let go of their own strikes. It disrupts the timing and willingness to engage. The second thing it does is it keeps Le's opponent constantly on the defensive. It allows him to press the action, and in doing so, the more times he lands forcing retreat and hitting the body he opens up strikes to the face and saps cardio all at the same time.   Spinning strikes are so unpredictable to read defensively and so hard to counter against when they are coming as fast as Le can throw them. To begin the round Le starts with yet another spinning kick. In one quick motion, Le plants the rear leg forward after a small step and hurls that initial lead leg tightly toward Smith. The kick has to be tight because a wide kick takes much more time to land and it is easier to block. Think of that being a hook punch in comparison to a straight punch. Instead of attacking the body, Le goes high, which is extremely more difficult in terms of balance to pull off. Le lands the kick and rocks Smith forcing him back into the fence. As the aggressor, Le chases him down and looks to attack. As you can see Smith is now very skirmish in his posture and hand placement. He doesn't know where to defend and his timid demeanor shows his lack of comfort and confidence standing in front of Le. Without any sort of offense, Le attacks the solely defensive Smith with another spinning kick this time to the body. Though it lands, Smith stays upright. Even more timid and uncomfortable then before, Smith does zero but wait for whatever Le throws next. This time Le throws a head kick that partially lands. The diversity in the same set up is what makes it so hard for Smith to defend or offer Le any sort of danger. Though he spins the same and sets up the kick the same it very rarely lands or targets the same place. When being kicked in the liver as hard as the kicks are landing, you want to protect the body because of the intense pain that goes along with the strikes. However, doing that leaves your head exposed.   This particular clip shows the extensive damage and finishing ability of Le's spinning kicks. Again, he sets up the kick with a feint combination and he catches Smith vulnerable and exposed as he attempts to counter with his punches. The kick lands heel into the liver area of Smith and with the force in which the kick is propelled, Smith drops to the canvas in pain clutching the injured area. This goes with my statement earlier that it is very hard to counter something so fast especially when that strike is designed to attack the area that is exposed when attempting to punch. These sorts of strikes also are defensive. Kicks are longer than arms. And when propelling the spinning kick toward an opponent it is always outside of the punching range of a counter strike. And the spin itself creates a lot of momentum that while the strike may not look powerful it lands with tremendous force. This has been Cung Le's bread and butter thus far in his career inside mixed martial arts. How will it be utilized when he faces Wanderlei Silva's brawling style? Probably the same way it was against Scott Smith. But, only time will tell. Tune into UFC 139 to find out.

Posted in: time, strike, kick, land, smith

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Miguel Torres still believes he can be a mixed martial arts (MMA) world champion again. And the former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) 135-pound kingpin has seemingly surrounded himself with the right people to get him there. After years of running his own gym, Torres used UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre's Tristar gym in Montreal, Canada, to help him refine his technique, add a jab and become more well-rounded in the last year. However, in preparation for his UFC 139 fight with Nick Pace, he also mixed in several weeks of work with Imperial Athletics (a.ka. "Blackzilians") to help bring back his old school, aggressive style. Torres was once the most feared bantamweight on the planet. He'd like to reclaim that title again. And it all starts tomorrow night (Nov. 19, 2011) at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. The Carlson Gracie Jr.-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt suffered a minor setback in his last fight, a razor close decision loss to Demetrious Johnson, but a victory this weekend on the UFC 139 preliminary card against Pace should hopefully get him right back in the thick of things. Torres spoke with MMAmania.com about bringing back his aggressive style, changing up his priorities in the cage and how exactly he'd like his fight to finish against Nick Pace on tomorrow night in this exclusive interview. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You did some training with the Blackzilians for this fight, splitting some time a bit with them and Tristar up in Canada. So how'd they let you in? Did they have to change their standards or something? Miguel Torres: Yeah, they did. They decided to be a little more inclusive, they let me in there to change up the feel a little bit. What actually ended up happening was, I had some issues with my old manager and I was talking with Glenn Robinson and he wanted me to come down and check out the gym, see what he had to offer down there. I worked with Tyrone Spong and and Van Arsdale and a couple other guys over there. It was only going to be a couple of days and I ended up staying for two weeks. They've got some really good guys up there. They've got JZ Cavalcante, Marcus Aurelio, Tyrone Spong, Van Arsdale, all good guys down there and working with those people, one of the things I liked the most was the aggressive style they had in their stand up. It was kind of like my old style, I revisited it and I was able to work on a lot of stuff and I had a great time down there. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Yeah, and I actually saw in your announcement video of your signing with Authentic Sports Management that you talked about combining that Firas Zahabi gameplanning with that aggressive old school Miguel Torres style that you're working on with the Imperial Athletic guys. Do you feel like that can make the perfect fusion of styles for you? Miguel Torres: Yeah, I do. I think that'll be the best option for me. I understand Firas' ideals and why he wants us to fight with a gameplan, to be smart but a lot of times that I've been fighting lately I feel like I'm fighting my nature. I have that high intensity and want to go out and put on a show and just perform but he wants me to stay safe, he wants me to have a long career and he's worried about me after the fight. He says, "After the fight, you want to be healthy, you don't want to be all messed up and broken and have brain damage, you know?" and I can totally understand that. The guys at Imperial Athletics, they're more about the glory and going out there for the kill so I think the best option for me is to find the perfect fusion of the two. That's gonna come with time. I'm not gonna say that's gonna happen with two weeks but having guys like K-1 level strikers working with my stand-up and then wanting me to go out there and knock guys out, it's one of those things where I'm on my way to developing the perfect fusion. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You had such a really close fight with Demetrious Johnson in your last bout. How did that loss affect you, if at all? Miguel Torres: Well the fight was very close and I've thought about it a lot. I've watched many interviews where Demetrious said he won the stand-up exchanges but I think 95 percent of that fight was on the ground and basically, I threw most of my strikes from the bottom and I had him defending the whole time. He was defending submission attempts that were trying, I was trying to put him away the whole time and he was laying there. They gave him the nod, he got a title shot and I think everything happens for a reason. If I would have won that fight, I never would have had the opportunity to meet and train with the Blackzilians and I would have spent the whole summer in Montreal training for that fight and I wouldn't have seen my family or my daughter. Everything happens for a reason. I got to spend a lot of quality time with my daughter and work on my home gym. A lot of stuff in my personal life got squared away and I recovered physically, mentally and emotionally. I'm in a really good place and ready to get back in title contention. I'm still upset about that fight. That fight really upset me a lot. It showed me that wrestling, I really worked on my wrestling a lot and the gameplan was to beat him with jiu-jitsu. It's a sad thing but the way I used to win a lot of my fights, that style is dying. It's dying. If guys are training to play nothing but defense, it's hard to beat wrestlers. You have to wrestle. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Yeah, it does have to be frustrating when guys just take a top position and not take any risks, not going for much ground and pound and yet they're still winning the fight in the judges' eyes. Miguel Torres: Right, it's very frustrating because it takes away a lot from the sport but at the same time, it's gonna make fighters evolve into better wrestlers to where they're gonna be able to counter takedowns and it's going to make jiu-jitsu even more important. Guys are not going to be able to come in and throw a sloppy guillotine or a lucky armbar or triangle. Guys are gonna to have high level Brazilian jiu-jitsu and it's gonna raise the level of the game. That's what it's doing. I understand that, I don't like it but that's the way it is now. MMA is going in that direction. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I know when you were starting in MMA, your first 10 years of fighting pretty much, you were running your own gym, you were the guy in charge. Can you tell me about making that transition to working at other gyms and kinda taking instruction from these other people and surrendering control? Miguel Torres: Well the biggest thing is the severity of my situation. I understand that in the old ways of running the gym, taking care of my family, doing my PR and training for fights, the level we're at now, that was holding me back a bit. Everybody caught up really fast. The WEC raised the stakes for all the lighter weight guys. The UFC's popularity made a lot more guys going into it where they weren't just working full time jobs on the side of training a little bit and people were dedicating themselves more to training camps and it raised the stakes. I seen it because I was training full time but I was also running a gym and I had to look for a gym where I could train full time and I had to have these other pressures taken away from my mindset. I had to evolve to get better. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Let's talk about this upcoming fight for you. You're battling Nick Pace and he's a really creative jiu-jitsu guy. Do you feel like this is a really great matchup for you where you guys could actually be battling everywhere? Miguel Torres: I think we'll get a fight like that but it just depends on how he's gonna show up on that day. If he has a gameplan to just stall the fight on the ground, it all depends on how he looks to fight. I'm ready to take the fight anywhere. I'm not looking to use my jiu-jitsu on the ground with him. If he shoots for a takedown, I'm gonna stuff it right away and I'm gonna make him stand-up. I'm looking for a knockout. I'm not gonna play guard anymore where I'm on bottom looking for a submission. I'm sweeping the guy or I'm stuffing the takedown. I'm not playing the bottom game anymore. It's there, I have those skills to submit guys but my primary option is to stand with guys and knock them out. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): In your fight with Anthonio Banuelos, you picked him apart with your jab, just destroyed him with your reach advantage but you caught some flack because people thought you weren't being aggressive enough. Do you think with this work with Imperial, that you'll be able to follow up better if you're able to get your jab going? Miguel Torres: 100 percent. 100 percent. The biggest thing with the Banuelos fight was it was hard to get going because he wasn't coming forward. He was at that distance where he wasn't closing the distance so I couldn't use my other weapons. I was prepared for his shot and I wasn't going to surrender easy takedowns by charging in there, I was gonna make him work for it. When we worked on that fight with Firas, the whole training camp I was throwing 1000 jabs a day, popping them off and the whole mindset there was it was one of the new skills I developed and I think, for me, it went to the extreme of winning but not being too aggressive and it came back to having my other extreme because I never used my range before. I would always rush my opponents and I would kill my reach. Firas showed me how to use my reach and use that jab and I'm very happy. In that fight, I was taking no damage. It wasn't even like I was sparring. I was just picking the guy apart and when he tried to come in, I'd throw my right hand and keep him on the outside of my range and keep picking him apart. To me, that was one of those fights where you can't fight everybody the same. Some guys you've got to do something like that and some guys you've got to knock out and I think Nick Pace is the type of fight where he's tough but I can put him away. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Does it bother you at all that this fight isn't on the main card of the event or does it give you less pressure on yourself to go out there and do your job? Miguel Torres: You know whether I'm in the main event or the first fight of the night, I never feel any pressure. For me, this is a main event fight. Every fight I have, I look at it as the main event. You can't take a fight as less important because you're on the preliminary card or you could get yourself in trouble. Every fight is important. Every fight can be your last fight in the UFC or a title shot so for me, this is a title fight and I've got to go out there and kill this guy. He's trying to take food from off my daughter's table and I'm trying to feed my daughter so we have two people coming out there trying to give it their all. That's the mindset that's carried me in the past and I lost it for a little bit but I've got it back again. I'm very eager to go out there and prove what I've been working on and show the world that I belong in the top echelon with the other 135-ers where I was at in the past. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): With Dominick Cruz having basically beaten numbers 2-7 in the bantamweight rankings, even this upcoming number one contender fight between Bowles and Cruz is between guys that have already lose to him. Do you feel like with over Nick Pace that you're right back in the thick of it in title contention? Miguel Torres: 150 percent. I think I'm very close to a title fight still. I think I'm one of the only fighters that can present a real danger to Dominick Cruz. He's an outstanding wrestler and he's a great boxer, but he doesn't have that knockout capability and yeah, he's great at taking guys down but he's not submitting guys, he's not a finisher. I can be a baller, I can take the fight to him everywhere. MMA fights are about style matchups and for him, I think I'm a bad style matchup. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): My last question, you've been visualizing success against Nick Pace for a while now so when you close your eyes and think about the fight, how do you see yourself getting a victory next Saturday night? Miguel Torres: I see a left hand and then a big uppercut. I see me finishing him with strikes. Miguel would like to thank everyone at his gym, Miguel Torres Martial Arts, all the guys who helped him train the first month and a half. He started training for this fight in August and his students dedicated their time to helping him. He'd like to thank the guys from ASM and the Blackzilians, Glenn Robinson and of course Tristar, Firas Zahabi. He didn't leave them to train with Imperial like was initially rumored. Look him up on MiguelTorresMMA.com for Miguel Torres shirts, his "Submission of the Week" videos and he's got a bunch of media content. So what do you think, Maniacs? Will Torres channel his old school self and bring back that killer aggression that made him so popular and seemingly unstoppable? Or are those days fully behind him now? Sound off!

Posted in: fight, time, guy, miguel, im

Read the full article at MMA Mania

MMAFrenzy concludes its coverage of UFC 139 with our preview of Saturday’s main event between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson. Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy as we provide complete coverage of UFC 139 including weigh-in results, recaps, and play-by-play starting at 9pm ET. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Dan Henderson Keys for Rua (Bryan Robison) -  There is no better way to garner the interest of MMA fans than to put together a matchup of two former PRIDE stars. We get that gift on Saturday with Dan Henderson taking on Shogun Rua. The two have had very different roads after leaving PRIDE leading up to UFC 139. Henderson has fought for the UFC title at both light heavyweight and middleweight, losing both times. He famously knocked out Michael Bisping at UFC 100, then moved on to Strikeforce to win the light heavyweight title there, along with defeat Fedor in the last Strikeforce match for both. Meanwhile, Shogun has stayed in one division and one organization, but faced similar scrutiny. He started his UFC career with a deflating loss to Forrest Griffin, but came back with a victory over Mark Coleman. He has a current patter of loss-win-loss-win going into this fight, with the most recent win occurring against Griffin in a rematch at UFC 134 in August. The two have nearly squared off twice before, both during their PRIDE careers, but those fights never occurred. Now we finally get the opportunity to see two of the greatest light heavyweights of all time. Regarding Shogun, he has a complete arsenal of strikes. He has excellent punches, great knees in the clinch, and fantastic leg kicks. The latter two can prove to be integral to defeating Henderson. Even with Henderson’s strong right hand, Shogun’s punching can not be discounted. Henderson has been knocked down in the first round of his last two fights, firstly against Feijao Cavalcante, and then against Fedor Emelianenko. If Shogun is able to knock Henderson down, expect him to be able to finish the fight, unlike Feijao and Fedor. Shogun looked much more alert and agile in his most recent fight against Griffin than he did in his loss against Jon Jones in February. Coming off of a long layoff at UFC 128, in which Shogun was fighting for the first time in ten months, Shogun looked out of shape from the beginning. That was not the case against Griffin, as he has always been better the more active he is, and with less extended layoffs. Even with that improved conditioning, neither fighter has consistently shown they can maintain that energy and agility going into the championship rounds. With this fight scheduled as a five round affair, chances are the fighter that imposes his will in the earlier rounds, will carry the advantage throughout the whole fight. That will be advantageous for Shogun, who of his last ten wins, eight came in the first round. Meanwhile, Henderson has just two. Both of those occurred within the last year. If Henderson is unable to impose his will on an opponent, he can get flustered and begin to rely on his overhand right too much. That was the case against Jake Shields, along with his loss against Rampage Jackson. While Henderson is an elite wrestler, he has never truly relied on it, as he has always been willing to test himself against his opponents on his feet. As long as Henderson does not surprise everyone by attempting to grapple with Shogun the entire time, Shogun can either outpoint Henderson, or win the striking battle and use his advantage on the ground with his submission game. Keys for Henderson (CL) – Dan Henderson is a former Olympic wrestler who was also a standout college wrestler. However, as time has gone on he has increasingly become the incarnation of a former baseball coach’s favorite saying “swing hard in case you hit it.” Henderson has a lot of power in that right hand and his ability to survive punches that would fell a horse is an asset to someone who makes up for a lack of technique with power. While Henderson has been dropped multiple times in his last few fights, that only seems to wake him up since he creates violent knockouts soon after. Shogun is aggressive and posseses some of the hardest striking in MMA when he is at 100% and he can also finish off an opponent after rocking them without getting too over-extended. Henderson knows this, and while this would cause normal fighters to be more cautious, Henderson is not a normal fighter and will likely be MORE aggressive so he can try to land first. Do not expect a lot of technical wizardry to set up that sledgehammer of a right hand, just expect a lot of violence.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, henderson, shogun

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

There are many touchstones Alex Soto can look to when it comes to keeping the first time UFC jitters at bay before his Octagon debut this Saturday against Michael McDonald. He can refer back to his time in Afghanistan as a member of the United States Army, an interesting trip to his native Tijuana for one of his first amateur fights, or his current job as a dolphin trainer for the Navy. But instead, he will find inspiration in the person he calls “the best fighter I ever met.”His wife Joy Clausen Soto.“I’m used to dealing with pressure and stuff like that, but my inspiration before every fight and the person who really calms me down is my wife, Joy,” said the unbeaten bantamweight prospect. “She had cancer, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and she ended up beating the cancer. She was a day away from dying and she came back, and to me, she’s the best fighter I ever met. She’s been my inspiration. So every time I go out there, I know that I don’t have what Joy had to go through. The person out there is just a man, and what I’m going through is not worse than cancer. It really pumps me up and takes away all the fear, the lights, and it really calms me down.”Diagnosed when she was 23, Joy battled back against the disease, even documenting her fight in a film entitled “Just One Year – A Documentary of Triumph Over Cancer.” “She’s so tough,” beams her proud husband, who isn’t too shabby in the toughness department himself, and if you look at where he’s been in his 27 years, maybe a second film should be in the works for the Soto family.Born in Mexico, Soto and his family relocated to California when the future mixed martial artist was a teenager, and his parents had some firm thoughts on what their children should be doing in their new country.“My parents have always instilled those morals in us where it was ‘hey, you guys are in this country, and you need to do your part as good citizens. We came here for a reason. We came through all our struggles because we want a better life for you guys. And it’s up to you to take full advantage of this. The whole world’s yours.’ That was always the message taught to us from our parents.”So when the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001, Soto’s immediate thought was not to sit back, but to take action. “During the 9/11 attacks, I was scared, and it was a horrible feeling not knowing what was going on,” he recalled. “We felt almost helpless, and I wanted to do something about that, so I joined the military right after I graduated high school, and got to go to Afghanistan and spend a year out there, doing my part.”It was an admirable act any way you slice it, but even more so because Soto was willing to represent and defend a country that he wasn’t even born in, but one that he made his home. Yet after being stationed in Hawaii, as he got ready to board the plane to Afghanistan, he realized the gravity of his situation and that he might not be coming home.“When we got onboard the plane to New York to fly out to Afghanistan, I realized that this could be the last time I see this country,” he said. “I looked around and kinda took in the moment and said ‘it’s not my time.’ I could just feel it. Luckily my whole team came back and everything was fine.”After returning home, Soto began working at Sea World, where he eventually landed a gig as a dolphin trainer. That job evolved into a classified one where he helps train dolphins for the US Navy, but at the same time – while also going to school - he began to pursue mixed martial arts, a bug that got in his ear when he began training in jiu-jitsu and boxing while in the Army.“When I was in the military I began training jiu-jitsu and boxing, and I would always get my butt whipped because I was the smallest guy, but I always felt like I was competitive,” he said. “So when I got out of the Army, I was going to school here in San Diego, and I decided to start training.”Soto immediately showed promise in the sport, and when his trainer Manolo Hernandez told him about competing in some amateur MMA fights in Tijuana, the San Diegan jumped at the opportunity and got in the car with his teammates, including future UFC fighter Walel Watson, for this south of the border adventure.Of course, as soon as they got to the club where the fights were being held, things started to go south. First they were told that not everyone had MMA gloves, so gloves wouldn’t be used, but they could still use their headgear and shinguards.10 minutes later, headgear and shinguards were out as well.“Turns out it’s gonna be a street fight,” laughed Soto, but he went through with the bout anyway, and despite the smoky room that had the “smell of cigarettes and beer everywhere,” he submitted his opponent in the first round.“I got $50 and a couple bruised ribs and it was enough to get us gas money and some tacos for the way back,” he said.By 2009, Soto was competing in more conventional venues, making his pro debut in July of that year with a one minute submission of Chris Dixon. Five more wins have followed, with the lone blemish on his record being a June 2011 draw in a DEEP bout in Japan against Seiji Akao. And even though he’s in the UFC now, what Soto’s remarkable story has overshadowed is a pretty intriguing fight against fellow prospect McDonald. It’s so good that it got bumped to this weekend’s UFC 139 prelims telecast, meaning that millions will see Soto in his first Octagon bout.“I feel extremely lucky, number one to be fighting for the UFC, because there are a ton of great fighters out there,” said Soto. “And another reason is because I’m fighting Michael McDonald. When they told me ‘congratulations, you’re in the UFC, you’re fighting Michael McDonald,’ I was like ‘whaaat?’ I’ve been following this kid for a long time, even before he was in the UFC, and I’ve been a big fan of his. I think he’s a top ten bantamweight, it’s an honor to fight someone of his caliber, and I’m ready. Everybody in the bantamweight division is a badass, and I’m gonna go in there and do what I do best.”And just what is it that the multi-dimensional Mr. Soto does best?“I want to perform. I want to leave my mark in that fight.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, i ’m, soto

Read the full article at UFC

This Saturday night the second and third ranked fighters in the world of their weight class step into the cage in a can’t-miss fight with definite title ramifications with a bout featuring two of the elite female flyweights in the world. At Bellator 58, fan-favorite Jessica Aguilar takes on Lisa Ellis-Ward for the second time. Aguilar, affectionately known as “Jag” in the MMA community, is one who enters challenges fearlessly with a positive attitude and undying passion for what she does. Rarely will you see her without a smile on her face, or passing along words of inspiration to others. Aguilar was originally scheduled to fight Zoila Gurgel at a Bellator event in October, but broke her foot while training and was sidelined for a few extra weeks. When asked about her current status and mobility, she assured fans she was okay, saying, “I’m great. My foot’s healthy. I’m good to go! I’m ready for Saturday,” in an exclusive conversation with Fighters. Ward and Aguilar are meeting in the cage for the second time. They first fought in 2006 when Ward, in her fifth pro fight, met a debuting Aguilar who was filling in as a last minute replacement. Aguilar had only been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for a matter of months, and had been honing her skills for a full MMA fight for less than a week. While she lost in the second round, she took the defeat as invaluable experience, another indicator of her always-positive demeanor. “I don’t regret anything, you know? It’s all about the story. (Back then) this was never my dream, and this was never my passion. I didn’t even know what I was doing. I don’t know that I was going to continue practicing and fighting. I didn’t have a real plan. I just kind of did it. That’s who I am – I’m a daredevil, I’m a spontaneous kind of person. I’m grateful that I got my first taste of MMA when I did, and how I did it, but I don’t have any regrets.” Despite having a few options on the table that night against Ward, her training throughout helped decide fighting was for her. “For me, I just thought “Oh my gosh, look what I can do,” Aguilar explained. “There was just so much to learn, like in the submissions and grappling. I just wanted to learn more. It was like an addiction. So I started competing, and I started winning. I’m an athlete by nature, and I’m competitive, and that’s what drew me, and that’s what caught me. Now it’s become my passion and I’m so happy that I am where I’m at today.” She does, however, urge female fighters in her shoes to think twice before jumping in, warning that, “Looking back, I can tell other female fighters not to do that — not to go into fights with five days training. I don’t really have any regrets, but I would tell other female fighters to find a gym, start training and get educated on the sport. Get some experience first before they go on to their first professional fight. If they go out there and do it? That’s fine, but I would advise not to” Since that debut in 2006, she now has eleven wins to her name, as was as multiple Gold Medals representing Team USA in International Grappling Championships, and has earned a Purple Belt in BJJ. A self-professed workaholic, it isn’t unlikely that Aguilar will put in many long days, and uses every possible second as an opportunity to improve. “My sleeping is a part of my training. My eating is a part of my training. Everything I do from when I wake up to when I go to sleep is a part of my training. Hours that I put into the gym? About 6-8 hours. In between, I’ll have my naps, have my meals. I’ll work, do my thing. It’s all a part of my lifestyle. From when I wake up to the time I go to sleep, it’s all to do with my training. It’s just my lifestyle.” With that vigor, enthusiasm and her focus, Aguilar has vaulted herself into the spot of a highly ranked flyweight and has put herself on the map as a future Bellator champion. Her best exposure may well be her performance in last year’s women’s 115 lb tournament, where she defeated Lynn Alvarez with a rarely seen arm triangle choke before fighting Gurgel in the semi-finals. That fight, which ended in a controversial Split Decision, saw Aguilar pushing forward in a grueling battle many saw in her favor. Two judges, however, saw it differently (despite the other giving it to her 30-27 in her favor) and she was eliminated from the tournament. “I just know I need to finish the fights now, you know. Not leave it in the judges hands,” proclaimed Aguilar. Finish she has. She bounced back with a quick 1st round submission victory in March, and now rides six of seven victories coming into November 19. This Jag is much different than the one that fought Ward five years ago. “I know Lisa well. We’ve travelled together for the US Grappling Team. We’ve seen each others’ Bellator fights. I’ve seen her fight. She’s seen me fight,” Aguilar said, adding how much trust she puts in her coaching. “I leave the strategy and the videos in the hands of my trainers. I just focus on me – on how healthy I feel, on how my training is going, and to be ready for whatever comes.” While not looking past Ward, Aguilar has a clear-cut goal for her MMA career. “My goal is to become #1, and that’s where I’m going. That’s my goal. That’s all I see.” she said. Asked if the ranking meant more than a championship, she replied “Yeah, it does. The belt doesn’t mean anything to me. I know I won that fight, and I believe the #1 pound for pound fighter in the world is still Megumi Fujii. I mean, I’d love to have the ranking more than the belt.” She outlined some of her long-term goals for us as well, revealing she would like, “To help other females grow in the sport. For me, it’s all about helping. We all have to help each other. I’m not against anyone. We’re all a team – This is all our sport. I want to help everyone I can help, and maybe one day create my own charity. I haven’t figured what I want to yet, but I want to help, you know? I like to help. That’s what I’ll do. One day I’ll have my gym, one day I’ll have my clothing brand. Those are just ideas and things, but you know, that obviously takes money and investors and things, but with time, everything will come. She was quick not to dismiss her current goal, however. “Right now, my main focus is to become #1, and then after that, everything else will fall into place.” It has been quite the journey for Aguilar thus far, and as she nears that goal, she wanted to take a moment to recognize some of the many people that have helped her so far, making sure to show love to the entire group. “I want to my sponsors, just thank them thank them thank them all for all the support they’ve given me. They keep me alive. They give me the opportunity to do what I love to do and I’m very appreciative. I really don’t want to miss anyone. I want to thank my fans, the MMA media. Without you guys I wouldn’t be here! I’m so grateful and honored to be blessed with such a fanbase, and the media support and everybody behind me.” She stopped to laugh and add that she doesn’t use her Facebook fan page much, but asked for all of us to “please please please like it” and continued with her thanks. “My team. Miami Sports Performance. American Top Team. Palm Beach Boxing. I couldn’t do it without my team either. I have the best trainers in the world. Just everyone, you know! I’m blessed.” Before finishing up, Aguilar made sure to offer up the words of inspiration that she leaves her friends and fans time and again. “Like I always say – Just smile and believe. You know, there’s times where you’re going to be down. It’s gonna be okay. Just smile and believe!” Back we say – Smile and believe, Jag. Saturday is your night to shine! You can follow Jessica Aguilar on Twitter at (@jagatt) and like her on Facebook too. She also has a website including more of her story, links to all of her sponsors, photo galleries, booking opportunities and her merchandise (Jagwear) at www.jessicaaguilar.com. PHOTO CREDIT – KIMURAWEAR Tweet

Posted in: fight, time, fighter, training, aguilar

Read the full article at Fighters.com

When Wanderlei Silva enters the Octagon this Saturday night to face Cung Le at UFC 139 he’ll do so with a secret weapon in his back pocket. Though Silva has already talked about reuniting with Rafael Cordeiro, his longtime trainer at Chute Boxe, it appears he’s also spent time with another talented Brazilian in the form of pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva. Silva recently spoke up about working with “The Spider” in preparation for this weekend’s bout where he praised his countryman and talked about how his time with the middleweight champion could come into play when he faces Le. Silva Details Time Spent with Cordeiro It was really nice. Anderson is a really nice guy. We’ve trained together a lot some time ago. He’s a good friend,” said Silva in an interview with Tatame. “He abdicated his free time to train with me. He’s got a pretty evolved way of seeing martial arts. His coaches must be congratulated (because) they’ve built a super athlete. Back there we noticed his potential, he knew great boxing and how to move, but he overcame himself and became one of the best of all times.” As far as Silva’s suspected rematch with Chael Sonnen, the PRIDE icon explained, “I guess it’s a fight everyone, me including, want to see. I guess Anderson won that fight but Sonnen was the only one who had a better presentation while fighting the champion, so it’s a really interesting fight.” “Everyone wants to see it again, but I guess it’ll be easier on Anderson to beat him this time,” he continued. “I guess he’ll let his game go and probably will knock him out.” Regarding whether or not Silva’s dynamic stand-up will show when “The Axe Murderer” attempts to defend against Le’s arsenal of deadly kicks, the 33-11-1 legend replied, “It’s a good question. Let’s find it out. We plan some things we think about doing some things but when it comes, it’s always a surprise. We’re setting a route to follow and we hope to do it to get the win.” In fact, Silva isn’t willing to tip his hand yet on any front, stating he may even be a bit more reserved than in the past when it comes to letting his hands go. “We’ll only know it when the time comes. I guess after this last fight I trained my defenses better. My attack is good, but my defenses weren’t that good, so I focused on that and I hope to win. It doesn’t matter if it’s by points or KO. What I want is the win.” Fans can catch Silva vs. Le on the PPV when things fire up at 9:00 PM EST with a plethora of preliminary pairings to pick from on Facebook/Spike TV in the hours preceding the broadcast. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: fight, time, silva, “ i, anderson

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Here's Shane Carwin updating us on how his back is. TL;DR: Shit be fucked, man. SHANE CARWIN: “You know, right now I’m doing all right. I’ve got to get up early, I’ve got to get up about 3:30 AM in the morning to go have surgery. But it’s T-10 through T-12, so it’s basically the middle of my back. I’ve got a disc that’s pressing into my spinal cord and it’s basically removed all the spinal fluid around the area, so the first time something really happened bad I was doing a seminar and just drilling takedowns and I got taken down and both of my legs froze up and I actually thought I was paralyzed and it lasted about 10 or 15 seconds and I wasn’t able to move. Finally, I was able to recover after that, you know, your spinal cord gets rid of that initial impact. I also noticed that when I started jumping and stuff, I’d get a tremendous amount of pain throughout my legs. So, I’m going to go in and have that done and what they’re going to do is actually drill out the bone in my spine to give that spinal cord some room in there.”RICH FRANKLIN: “What’s your down time, Shane?”SHANE CARWIN: “I think I’m probably only looking at about 10 weeks with that, similar to the neck injury that I had. … This is the third time my back’s been operated on.”(later on…)“I love to fight and I’m passionate about it and, you know, any time you’re passionate about something and you love to do it it’s easy to go to work and that’s what I love to do. So, the doctor told me that I could either have this surgery and be able to train and do all the things that I need to do be, you know, a complete athlete or we could fore-go the surgery and I could quit, I would be done because I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of the athletic moves and stuff like that but probably would be looking at surgery down the road, any way.” How about ... having the surgery that fixes your back. And then not crashing up against other giant heavyweights in training every day so you can then crash up against the biggest, baddest motherfuckers on the planet every couple of months? Just a thought. Don't get me wrong. I like Shane Carwin. I also like the thought of him walking around when he's 60.

Posted in: time, i ’m, carwin, shane, surgery

Read the full article at Fightlinker

Though the UFC’s recent run of live events is set to end this weekend, fans couldn’t have asked for a better note to end on as UFC 139 is stacked from top to bottom with talent including as good a PPV card as has been seen in some time. Four of the show’s main players will sit down with media this afternoon to discuss their bouts at UFC 139 including headliners Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, as well as Cung Le and Wanderlei Silva whose middleweight match-up appears destined to end with one man seeing stars. As always, Five Ounces of Pain will be on the conference call when it starts at 1:00 PM EST, ready to relay highlights back to readers in real time in addition to any scintillating soundbytes springing forth from the festivities. Read below for UFC 139 conference call highlights: Dan Henderson: Mauricio Rua: Cung Le: Wanderlei Silva:

Posted in: ufc, time, ufc ’s, ppv card, show ’s

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

submitted by suicidenausea [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: time, overeem, lesnar, repost, suicidenausea

Read the full article at Reddit

There is a well-documented negative side to “hype” for a fighter. It creates cynicism and a belief that the excitement for this particular fighter is disingenuous. It also causes additional pressure to be placed on the success of said fighter. Those would all be relevant issues if that fighter was not a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler who qualified for the 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship by winning the East Coast trials after only eight months of formal Brazilian jiu-jitsu training, who has an undefeated pro MMA record, including two wins inside the Octagon, and is already the proud owner of a “Submission of the Night” bonus in his second fight in the UFC. Actually, the hype can’t even compete with the reality of Chris Weidman.“I am in this 100%,” declares Weidman. “The only reason I got into this sport was to be the champion. I wasn't doing this for any other reason. Where I'm at right now, with the hype behind me, if that wasn't behind me or if I wasn't undefeated, I don't care if I'm undefeated, just as long as I'm on the right streak towards the top. I have put this pressure on myself since day one, so it is nothing new.”At 27 years old, this Hofstra University alum from “Strong Island” was at the top of every MMA website’s must watch and see list. Weidman was the prospect of prospects coming into his hurried Octagon debut in March at UFC Live against veteran UFC middleweight Alessio Sakara. On less than three weeks’ notice, Weidman went toe-to-toe with Sakara for a grueling and bloody three rounds in which Weidman controlled all the action. It was a true test for Weidman with little prep time - a tough opponent on a three fight win streak, and it was a physically exhausting fight which he won in every aspect. “It was huge for me,” says Weidman. “It was a great experience. I was in there with a seasoned guy and I knew he was ready for a full fight. I wasn't in the best shape going into that fight for sure. It was pretty much two weeks’ notice, so I was a fat kid two weeks before that. So for me to get in the shape I did and to be able to go three full rounds and get the win even though I wasn't in the best shape makes me feel confident, especially having a full camp to be able to go three rounds at a fast pace. I felt like I went hard in that fight for all three rounds, but I didn't go for some submissions that I usually would have because I wasn't in my usual top quality shape. It was a great experience. He was a tough guy, and to go all three rounds like that was good for me.”About three months later, Weidman was itching for another fight, and he replaced Court McGee in his bout with Jesse Bongfeldt. This time he had eight weeks’ notice to prepare, which was really the first time in Weidman’s six fight career that he had a dedicated training camp. Most of Weidman’s other fights were on short notice, with just enough time to make sure his cardio was there. Weidman had the opportunity to get better during the full camp and was considering this a statement fight, which was bad luck for Bongfeldt, “Every fight is a big fight,” tells Weidman. “After the Sakara fight there was a lot of hype about me and where my future is heading. I think every fight is going to be kind of like that, but the fight with Jesse Bongfeldt really felt like people were trying to figure where I'm at. I wanted to show that I belong here in the UFC and that I'm someone who is going to be no joke and that I'm coming up.”In his second Octagon appearance, Weidman didn’t disappoint, displaying the vaunted wrestling and submission skills everyone expects to see. “It's definitely one of the things I work on - the kimura from side control,” notes Weidman, who attacked Bongfeldt with that move numerous times in the first round, and even though he didn’t secure it, it helped win the fight. “It's one of my go to moves and I tried to set that up for the finish. He did a good job defending, but it ended up working out that I got another submission. As long as I am keeping pressure and attempting submission after submission, even if I don't get it, it is mentally breaking the guy and sooner rather than later I'm going to get the submission.”The “Submission of the Night” finish came at 4:54 in the first. As the two scrambled to their feet, Weidman drilled Bongfeldt with a knee to the mid-section and followed up with a standing guillotine choke. It was a lethal combo, which did help stamp Weidman’s arrival into the UFC middleweight division as a fighter whose power and submissions can make quick work of anyone. “When I hit him with the knee, I knew I took the air out of him and my arms were instantly around his neck,” remembers Weidman. “I knew he wasn't going to have much fight because he just took a knee to the stomach pretty hard and probably wasn't expecting me to go so hard with the choke because of the short time. I was pretty confident with it that I would get the finish even with the time that was left.”In San Jose this Saturday, Weidman will tangle with the returning Ultimate Fighter season eight alum “Filthy” Tom Lawlor for his third trip to the Octagon in less than a year. At 3-2 in the UFC, facing all recognizable opponents, Lawlor will look to employ his own wrestling, submissions and strikes on Weidman. Although it was 11 months ago, Lawlor had his best Octagon appearance to date in his dominance of former number 1 contender Patrick Cote at UFC 121. Lawlor is durable, versatile and will be hungry for a win over a young, but rising, name like Weidman.“I think he is going to be a great test,” admits Weidman. “I think he is a tough kid and he's going to come forward. I think he has good wrestling, good jiu-jitsu and good striking, so he's well-rounded. I'm really excited and I think he's going to be a good test to where I stand. I want to be on the top of this sport and these are the type of guys I need to be able to beat: tough guys who are well-rounded. It's going to be an exciting fight, a good test for me and I'm going to try to win in a dominant way and get the finish.”To prepare for this fight, Weidman is training with the dynamic duo from Long Island and TUF season six: Matt Serra and Ray Longo. Both coaches have vibrant personalities and a near unparalleled amount of experience, which they both use to pass on their fighting knowledge to Weidman. They have been with Weidman since the beginning and facilitated his quick rise in MMA by pushing Weidman to go pro immediately after believing in what they saw in him in their gyms. Weidman also trains a couple times a week in Manhattan with Serra’s own jiu-jitsu mentor, the legendary Renzo Gracie.“They're great coaches, so it makes it easier for me to become a fast learner because they're great teachers,” asserts Weidman. “They're both fun to be around. They're easy going guys. They make light of tough situations if you're having a bad day and they're making you laugh. They make it fun. Having them together in your corner is a perfect combination. I think we match up well as far as them being the coaches and me being the student because as a wrestler I was a very technical wrestler and that's what they're all about - the technique. The way I learned wrestling from technique to technique is how I'm trying to learn jiu-jitsu and the standup. It's not that much of a different type of learning than when it was wrestling.”At UFC 139, Lawlor will be playing a dangerous game by standing on the tracks with Weidman’s hype-train ready to come through. “Just like any fight, I'm completely ready for a war,” states Weidman, who has higher aspirations than being a prospect; he’s looking to make the middleweight division his own, one fight at a time. “I'm 100% ready for a three round back and forth crazy slugfest, on to the ground then back up again, attempting submissions, and non-stop action. I'm totally prepared for that. And I'm going to be looking for the submissions and looking for the knockouts the whole entire fight. Without a doubt.”

Posted in: fight, time, submission, weidman, im

Read the full article at UFC

As a full-time working man, family man and professional mixed martial artist at the highest level, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight Seth Baczynski definitely has his plate full these days. Spending his mixed martial arts career fighting everywhere from the International Fight League (IFL) and Rage in the Cage, Seth earned a spot on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "Liddell vs. Ortiz."  After losing to eventual winner Court McGee, Seth then lost a decision to Brad Tavares at TUF 11 Finale. After picking up two wins outside of the Octagon, Seth received a second chance with the promotion, stepping in for an injured Demarques Johnson at UFC Fight Night: "Shields vs. Ellenberger." Seizing his opportunity, Seth submitted Clay Harvison in the second round via rear naked choke. Seth will look to pick up his fourth consecutive win and prolong his stay in the UFC by taking on UFC veteran Matt Brown this weekend (Nov. 19, 2011) at UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" from San Jose, California. Get to know "The Polish Pistola" a bit more as he took time out of his training schedule to speak with MMAmania.com about recieving second chances, his time in TUF house, and balancing together all of his obligations and duties. Check it out: Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, first off, what are the origins of the nickname, Polish Pistola? Seth Baczynski: "I used to box at an all Hispanic boxing gym, I was the only white guy in there and I really didn't know how to box that well and they put me in against all those pros and you know... I didn't know anything, so as soon as I'd get tagged up, I would just start winging punches as hard as I could. When the boxing coach would talk to me he would say, "Why does it look like your pulling your pistols from your hip you Pollock?" and after a while everyone just started calling me Polish Pistola." Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): You've been in the MMA game for close to six years now, fighting everywhere from Rage in the Cage, the IFL , a stint on TUF and eventually the UFC: how would you best describe your journey? Seth Baczynski: Bumpy to say the least. There have been a lot of ups and downs in my career. I think I jumped the gun to early and went pro and took fights I shouldn't have at the time. Fortunately I got with the right guys, with the right coaching staff and everything fell together after that. I figured out how to train like a pro. You don't know your doing something wrong until you see it. However training with guys like Aaron Simpson, C.B. Dollaway, and Ryan Bader you get to see what real training is like. The first months of training, I was like "Man, I don't know if this is for me." My body hurt so bad and I was not used to high lever of training partners like that. But I kept at it and it made more sense. I feel like I have not hit my wall yet and there is still a lot of room to grow. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Past participants on TUF have mixed feelings about thier time spent in the house. Being isolated from everything and everyone you know, how would you describe your time in the Ultimate Fighter house and would you do it again? Seth Baczynski: I think the biggest thing for me and my career was the show. I mean I'm always going to work hard, that's what I do. I'm a competitor so, I would do it again...but I didn't win it (laughs) However if I had won I would be like, "hell no I ain't spending six more weeks in that house," but seeing as how I lost, and the margin of loss to the guy that won the show (Court McGee) was very slim, I would do it again. But it was tough, my son was two weeks old when I left, my fiancé was awesome. Both her parents are pro golfers so she understand the amount of work you have to put into it. I just knew I had to do it because I did not want to be 50 years old and say, damn why I didn't take the opportunity to do it, because it is an opportunity of a lifetime. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): In your current camp, Power MMA in Arizona, you have a lot of high quality partners to train with, do you feel that camp absolutely brings out the best in you? Seth Baczynski: Absolutely without a doubt they bring the best in me. Nobody stays on top of the mountain in our gym for long because everyone gets so good and we push each other to evolve. You have a lot of guys that are high level wrestlers and you are constantly getting the crap beat out of you every day by guys like Ryan Bader, Aaron Simpson and CB Dollaway. Adam Guillen Jr.  (MMAmania.com): In your 2010 fight with Tim McKenzie, you broke your left arm due to a strong arm bar he had locked in, yet through the pain, you still didn't tap and kept going and eventually won the fight a few seconds after. Did you know right away that it had broken, and how did you keep going after that? Seth Baczynski: I knew it was in trouble, and I had previously got arm bared on the same arm in a previous fight against Eddie Arizmendi and I got out the same way, I just turned the corner quicker so I didn't have the dislocation of my elbow. So I felt it pop and crack, so I realized that if I didn't get it back to the feet and I didn't knock him out it would be over. It happened so fast, it popped and I started raining elbows. It didn't break but I busted it up pretty bad and it will never be the same. But I got the win and that's all I cared about.Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): The fight had a bit of controversy afterward, with claims from Mackenzie camp that you tapped; however, after seeing the fight a few times, the ref never even came close to stopping it at any time and you never tapped. Can you elaborate a bit on that bit of controversy? Seth Baczynski: Tim is a good guy. No one has a bad word to say about the guy. An even though all that crap happened after the fight. It was a pivotal fight in our career so I understand him trying to take it off his record. After that a lot of people said bad things about me and my heritage. At the end of the day, I'm a pro athlete; I might do things that some people are not going to like. I think it overshadowed an awesome fight between me and Tim and probably one of the coolest wins of my careers. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): You're coming off an impressive victory of Clay Harvison at UFC Fight Night 25 after getting a second shot at the UFC. Gives us the feeling you get when you get a call from your manager and says, "Hey they want you to fight in the UFC." Seth Baczynski: You know it was a huge weight off my shoulders. I know I can compete at 170 with anyone in the world. It was a grind you know. I was disappointed when I got back from the show with a lot of things in my game. I worked hard and dedicating the time to get back. I just had to walk that road that a lot of mixed martial artist walk after a couple bad defeats. It was a situation to whether I sit and get fat, or stay prepared for an opportunity. It was hard to stay focused because, I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel because I didn't know when I was fighting next. So I knew that I might have to take fights on short notice. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): With MMA going so mainstream now, with the new deal on FOX, with new mainstream exposure, comes a lot more PR work. What do you think of fighters and athletes these days that simply try to get out of as much PR as possible? Seth Baczynski: It's a necessary evil. If you want to blow of media and PR and stuff like that, you're going to have a hard time getting your name out there. Guys that blow off media now already have huge names.  I'm trying to stay focused on doing what I gotta do, but if you're going to be under public scrutiny, that's just the way it is. If they think it's bad on the forums, imagine being a NFL quarterback. You know? (laughs) If you think we got it bad, how do you think Terrell Owens or Chad Ochocinco got it (laughs)? I see it as a blessing. I'm truly blessed to be where I am at so it does not bother me at all. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): MMA is one of the few sports, if the only, that fans can get up close and personal with all their favorite fighters. Again, some fighters appreciate a fan asking for an autograph or a signature and some don't, some prefer their privacy and space, is that an aspect of being in MMA and fighting for the UFC that you enjoy? Seth Baczynski: I think it's awesome! That is what's unique about MMA. These guys they follow our sport and spend money on us, I never have a problem stopping for anyone. I think the NFL and NBA have gotten so big that I just think frankly they are just spoiled. On the other hand, they are just mega superstars so that sometimes there forced to act like that because at times they can't even go out and enjoy dinner. So it's a catch 22 type thing. Some might be jerks, but some might have good reasons for being jerks. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): A lot of fighters are very up front and honest as to why they fight. Some for money, some for fame, and some say for the pure love of the sport. What does Seth Baczynski fight for? Seth Baczynski: I fight because I truly enjoy what I do. I think a lot of people in life never really find what it is that they truly love to do let alone ever get the chance to do it. I feel like I am one up on all of those people. I can say I do something I am truly passionate about and I truly enjoy doing and I get to do it at the best level in the world. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): You've got a very tough opponent coming up in Matt Brown at UFC 139, what are Matt's most dangerous aspects of MMA that you feel you have to be careful for? Seth Baczynski: His mental toughness. He's a really tough guy. He always comes to fight. I'm not walking into this thinking I have an easy fight, by no means at all! I know I have to go in there and make him fight my fight and dictate the pace. If you start getting in a slugging contest with a guy like Matt you're going to give him the opportunities he wants. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Speaking about mental toughness,  no fighter in the UFC is guaranteed a "next time" should they lose. How do you prepare mentally for something like that going into a fight? Seth Baczynski: It doesn't cross my mind because nothing in life is guaranteed. It doesn't matter if you're fighting in the UFC or if the company you work for the last 10 years is reconstructing everything. I try not to worry about things I can't control. I just worry about me and what I can do. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): You are one of very few mixed martial artists that have finishes on all of your victories. Does that speak alot about your style of fighting? Seth Baczynski: Absolutely, I've lost fights in where I probably could have coasted a round out, but I got submitted or put myself in a bad position trying to go for the kill...but that's something that I will never change about myself. I come to fight and I don't want to go into a fight and just hold them there for time. I really want to beat them up and let them know that they fought me, and I want them to try to beat me up. That's why wrestling has a hard time selling tickets. I pride myself in trying to finish my fights; I don't see coasting out a victory a cool thing. I will always go for the finish. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Aside from fighting in the UFC, you still have a full time job correct? Seth Baczynski: Yup I have four kids, so until I start making enough money to assure that they can still live the same lifestyle that they live I will keep working as a pump technician, a lot of physical labor. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): How do you find the time to fit everything in one day: Family, work, high level MMA training and fighting? Seth Baczynski: It's testing to say the least. I simply try to take it one day at a time. I Just try to cruise to it and do my thing. I never try to look at the whole week , I just look at the workout I have after work, what I have to do at work for and at the gym for that day. Get home and enjoy my family as much as I can and take it one step at a time. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Thank you for taking the time to talk to MMAmania.com Seth, if there was one thing you would like your fans to know about you that they may not know? Seth Baczynski: I love the Arizona Cardinals! (laughs). Seth would like to thank his training partners and coaching staff at Power MMA, Tilted Kilt, Windhawk Nutrition, Sky Auto, his performance and mental coach Al Fuentes and Elite Management Group. You can follow Seth on twitter @sethbmma. Seth will look to keep his hot streak going this weekend against the very tough Matt Brown. One thing for sure, win, lose or draw, if you're watching a Seth Baczynski fight, you know you're in for an exciting night of action. What do you say, will Seth be able to handle the toughness that "The Immortal" brings to the table as he climbs the welterweight ranks in the UFC?

Posted in: fight, time, baczynski, mmamaniacom, seth

Read the full article at MMA Mania

UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin had been training for a return at UFC 141, but he was put on the shelf again when he started suffering some back and leg problems. A scary incident that made him think he was paralyzed for a few seconds led him to get it checked out, and it turns out he will need a second back surgery. Carwin called into lnside MMA last night and gave Bas and Kenny the scoop (transcribed by Zach Arnold of Fight Opinion): I’ve got a disc that’s pressing into my spinal cord and it’s basically removed all the spinal fluid around the area, so the first time something really happened bad I was doing a seminar and just drilling takedowns and I got taken down and both of my legs froze up and I actually thought I was paralyzed and it lasted about 10 or 15 seconds and I wasn’t able to move. Finally, I was able to recover after that, you know, your spinal cord gets rid of that initial impact. I also noticed that when I started jumping and stuff, I’d get a tremendous amount of pain throughout my legs. So, I’m going to go in and have that done and what they’re going to do is actually drill out the bone in my spine to give that spinal cord some room in there." On how long it will take to recover from the surgery: "I think I’m probably only looking at about 10 weeks with that, similar to the neck injury that I had. … This is the third time my back’s been operated on." And his thoughts on the temporary paralysis that day: "It was tremendously scary. I still remember the guy looking at my eyes when it happened and they got extremely big." You can listen to the whole interview in the Youtube video below the jump.

Posted in: time, leg, carwin, surgery, cord

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Because "Hendo" has been around the block a few times and has seen his share of "next big things." Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson, who left his belt in San Jose to re-sign with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), will make his Octagon return against former 205-pound titleholder Mauricio Rua at the UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" event this Saturday night (Nov. 19, 2011) on pay-per-view. And if he's able to successfully unload "Shogun," he's ready for a fight against reigning division champion Jon Jones, who must first get past Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 on Dec. 10 in Toronto, Canada. The "H-Bomb" detonates at MMA Weekly: "I do think that would be a fight I would enjoy. He’s awkward and unorthodox and it creates something to think about and how to beat that, and that’s what excites me these days. Guys that are a big challenge, and he would be more cause he’s awkward and dangerous at the same time, but I think he matches up really well with me style wise. I’m not one to buy into things too quickly. I’ve been doing this for a long time and seen a lot of guys beat a lot of tough guys really quick and then die out. I think he’s going to be around a long time, he’s just going to get better. But at this point he’s still got a lot to improve on, and he’s athletic and talented and he does learn. He’s got a huge future, but I think he’s got a little ways to go." After back-to-back title losses to Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva in his 2007 return to the UFC, Henderson reeled off three consecutive wins, including a thunderous knockout over Michael Bisping to secure what many believed to be another 185-pound title shot.It never came. That's because his contract had expired shortly after "The Count" did and the two sides had very different ideas as to what "Hendo's" value was.The former Olympian bolted for San Jose and may, at long last, come full circle after a stellar 3-1 run with Strikeforce, including a July 30 destruction of former heavyweight "Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko. In fact, the former PRIDE champion is 6-1 over the past three years, his only blemish caused by a middleweight mugging from Jake Shields in early 2010 -- one that saw Henderson struggle with his 185-pound weight cut. He's never looked better -- but are you ready to buy into the Hendo hype? Or is he going to find out why no one is able to break "Bones" the hard way? Anyone think "Shogun" will keep us from ever finding out? For more on UFC 139: "Henderson vs. Shogun" click here.

Posted in: ufc, time, san jose, henderson, hersquo

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Welcome to a special edition of Payout Perspective in which we cover Satrday night’s fight between Juan Manuel Marquez versus Manny Pacquiao held in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand. Pacquiao wins decision over Marquez Unlike his past several fights, Pacquiao was not Superman as we can safely say that Marquez is Pacquiao’s kryptonite. Despite the loss, Marquez is the only boxer that can arguably claim he can hang with Pacquiao in three fights. While the judges’ decisions may have betrayed him, Marquez made a good showing. We now see that for all of Pacquiao’s popularity and wins, the strategy of fighting in upper weight divisions while maintaining his speed worked. But when facing a good counterpuncher, it presents problems. The silver lining in this is that Floyd Mayweather, likely an attention grab during the trilogy’s pre-fight hype, announced he wanted Pacquiao on May 5th. What he saw Saturday probably affirmed his decision to fight Pacquiao next year. As of today, it seems that the posturing for the fight has begun. The LA Times reports that Bob Arum has stated that Pacquiao would rather have a 4th Marquez fight before fighting Mayweather. Frankly, I think every business owner on the Las Vegas strip turned its stomach with this news as its likely that a Mayweather-Pacquiao matchup would be a boon for businesses across the Las Vegas strip. It would also mean a $100 million payday for the fighters. Payouts Speaking of payouts, USA Today reports Pacquiao earned $22 million Saturday night plus a share of the PPV revenue which is estimated at $30 million. Marquez receives $5 million plus another $5 from the PPV revenue. Attendance Attendance was16,368 according to a tweet of Dan Rafael of ESPN. As indicated in the NY Times, the Pacquiao fight was a sellout within two weeks although ticket prices averaged $1,000. Promotion of the Fight For the second time, Time Warner utilized its networks to promote its HBO PPVs. This time around Piers Morgan of CNN interviewed Manny Pacquiao. The network also ran HBO’s 24/7 series which aired its usual 4 week series up until fight night. The Audience Network ran Pacquiao-Marquez I and II which were the best vehicles to promote this trilogy in my opinion. Manny made his usual appearance on Jimmy Kimmel. This time he sang a duet with Kimmel. He also did his share of interviews for the fight including one on the Jim Rome Show. Although he’s a very nice guy, Pacquiao’s interviews are lost in translation as one can tell that he’s trying to be honest while trying to follow some media training. He comes off as a genuinely nice guy but he doesn’t really answer any questions. The promotion of the fight included the traditional press tour. It also included this gem with Pacquiao interviewing Marquez. Via Top Rank (H/t Bad Left Hook) Sponsors MGM Grand, AT&T, Smart and Tecate were primary sponsors. As most big fights, Tecate offered its $25 rebate when purchasing Tecate beer. The rebate is offered only in certain areas. Telecommunications companies must have seen this fight with the belief that many people from the Philippines and Mexico use its services to communicate with people in the United States and vice versa. Juan Manuel Marquez wore a Cablecom hat to the ring and Smart, a leading Philippines wireless services provider, was a primary sponsor. Pacquiao’s fight night sponsors included Motolite, LBC, Cafe Puro, Uno, Ricoa, Phoenix Petroleums and a Nike-sponsored ring robe. Its obvious that both fighters’ in-ring endorsements are based on the draw they receive from their countries. This rings true especially with Pacquiao as we see a lot of mainstream Filipino sponsors. Most of these sponsors (Motolite, Cafe Puro, Ricoa) have been with Pacquiao for a while. Odds and ends -What was Jalen Rose doing as an emcee to the weigh-ins? -One of the better Face-Offs with Max Kellerman was played post-fight to hype the Cotto-Margarito fight. It was heated discussion and much animosity between the two. What HBO intended for these things. An interesting plug for the iPad during the Faceoff as well as Cotto used the iPad to show that Margarito may have had loaded wraps during their last fight. Really a great promo vehicle for the iPad as the photo was clear and Cotto easily used the feature to magnify the picture. Its indirect marketing at its best.

Posted in: fight, time, pacquiao, sponsor, marquez

Read the full article at MMA Payout

What a difference a year makes. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight Shane Carwin scored a violent first-round knockout to earn himself the promotion's interim heavyweight championship belt at UFC 111 in Newark, N.J., on March 27, 2010.  "The Engineer" was on top of the world. Undefeated (12-0) in mixed martial arts (MMA), finishing all of his opponents in the first round, Carwin's future was bright. Then the wheels suddenly fell off. After winning the interim title, Carwin lost his next two consecutive bouts to Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos, respectively. The losses, combined with various health problems, pushed Carwin far outside the heavyweight title picture. And just when he was eager to climb back up the contender ladder, injuries have once again sabotaged his ascent. Tonight (Nov. 14, 2011), Carwin sat down with the folks at HDNet's Inside MMA to discuss the injury that has been keeping him out of the cage, as well as his plans for the future: "Right now, I'm doing alright. We gotta get up early. I gotta get up at about 3:30 in the morning to head down there to go have surgery. But, it's T-10 through T-12. It's basically the middle of my back. I've got a disc that's pressing into my spinal cord. They've basically removed all the spinal fluid around the area. The first time something really bad happened, I was doing a seminar, just drilling takedowns and I got taken down. Both my legs froze up and I actually thought I was paralyzed. It lasted 10 to 15 seconds. I wasn't able to move them (my legs) or anything. Finally, I was able to recover after the initial impact to my spinal cord. When I started jumping and stuff, I had a tremendous amount of pain in my legs. What they're gonna do is they're gonna actually drill out the bone in my spine to give my spinal cord some room in there." Sounds scary. Carwin, 36, went on to elaborate on his injury, specifically in regard to the recovery process. According to his doctor, going under the knife was unavoidable if he wanted to continue his MMA career. According to Carwin, he still has plans to "engineer" one more comeback: "I think I'm looking at about 10 weeks of down time. It's similar to the neck injury that I've had. I actually had bones that were growing around my spinal cord. They went in there and removed that. This is the same time of procedure. This is the third time that my back's been operated on.... I love to fight and I'm passionate about it. Any time you're passionate about something and you love to do it, it makes it easy to go to work. That's what I love to do. The doctor told me I can either have this surgery and be able to train and do all the things that I need to do to be a complete athlete or we could forego the surgery and I could quit. But I'd probably be looking at surgery down the road anyway." Should Carwin be able to successfully recover from his injury, there should be a several interesting fights available to him. He expects to return in spring 2012, meaning that the heavyweight picture will likely be somewhat different than it is currently. Regardless, one thing is for sure: winners never quit and Carwin is no quitter. However, his window of opportunity is closing fast -- he's had just four fights in almost three years. He needs to get healthy, and stay healthy, if intends on making another push to the top. The sooner the better.

Posted in: time, heavyweight, injury, carwin, surgery

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Boxing had a stellar weekend, seeing Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez put on a third great fight against each other Saturday night on a card with three legitimately good bouts. Despite talk from both Floyd Mayweather and Bob Arum that they'd be open to negotiations for Pacquiao vs. Mayweather to finally happen, it now appears the fight is dead before negotiations even get off the ground. Dan Rafael of ESPN with the tweet: @danrafaelespnDan Rafael Breaking: @FloydMayweather & @GoldenBoyBoxing have been told @trboxing won't negotiate Pacquiao-FM in order to pursue 4th fight with MarquezNov 15 via webFavoriteRetweetReply There is no getting around how disappointing this is. But it's ultimately predictable. There's just too many politics at play and neither guy needs the other enough to force it to happen. These are guys making $20+ million for fights with too many egos at play. Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook checks in on the news: ...with Marquez giving Pacquiao a horrible time again on Saturday night in what was a very good fight, the mood changed after, and it's been reported that Pacquiao and his team badly desire a fourth fight to try and finally get a convincing victory over Marquez, who feels that for a third time, he was robbed by the judges. Marquez said after the fight on Saturday, when speaking with HBO's Max Kellerman, that he would consider retirement. If the money is right -- and it will be big, a career-best payday that tops the $5 million purse he made for Saturday's fight -- expect him to go in there with Manny one more time. This will lead to predictable nonsense about how boxing is dying despite any and all indications suggesting otherwise. This isn't a boxing problem (feel free to name another mist-see fight that we've been missing out on), it's a Pacquiao, Mayweather and Arum problem. Both men will continue to do big business without fighting each other. While Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is a huge fight and one that is important to cement either fighter's legacy, I'd be perfectly content to watch Pacquiao and Marquez turn their trilogy into a tetralogy. It's almost guaranteed to be a great fight and it's a situation where one could have scored the first three fights all for Marquez, all for Pacquiao, all draws or anything in between. It sucks to say it, but it's probably time that we treat the "mega-fight" like it will never happen and simply be a shocking surprise if it ever does. I'm going to go ahead and embrace Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV if it happens, it's as good as we're going to get.

Posted in: fight, mayweather, time, pacquiao, marquez

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Undefeated Bellator lightweight Michael Chandler has his sites set on the Eddie Alvarez's 155-pound title. The Xtreme Couture product steamrolled through the Bellator season four lightweight tournament, defeating top prospects Marcin Held, Lloyd Woodard and Patricky Freire to earn a title shot and his wrestling was his bread and butter. A former NCAA Division I All-American, Chandler was among a strong crop of Missouri wrestlers who transitioned to mixed martial arts that included Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren and top Strikeforce contender Tyron Woodley. All three are undefeated and Chandler will be looking to keep that streak alive. After a brief one month delay, the Missouri native will battle Eddie Alvarez in the main event of Bellator 58  this Saturday night (November 19, 2011) in Hollywood, Florida. Chandler spoke with both myself and Matt Bishop during an appearance on Bloody Elbow Radio about his improvements as a fighter, preparing for a five round fight and how he feels he'll be successful against Alvarez where everyone else has failed. Matt Bishop: Mike, this is six months between fights for you and you mentioned it has given you a lot of time to hone your game. What's been the biggest thing that you've learned or picked up, maybe something that you didn't know in this timespan? Michael Chandler: Not really anything specific, but just continuing to work my boxing with Gil Martinez multiple times per week, continuing to work my grappling ground game with Neil Melanson and just being able to get those precious sparring sessions in a couple times a week, those precious grappling practices a couple days a week. Just taking every single opportunity that I can to train and be like a sponge and soak everything up. I'm in a great situation out here with tons of great training partners, guys who have been there and are veterans of the sport. Everybody knows the number of guys that are out here as well as the great coaches that I'm working with so more than anything, just the experience. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): About that 25 potential minutes, I know you mentioned you sparred extra rounds and I read your blog where you talked about putting in more road work and you're working that cardio. Can you tell me about the confidence you have to go in there for five rounds for the first time in your career? Michael Chandler: Yeah, it's one of those things where I know that's what has to happen. It's a constant in the sport. Everybody who wants to win a world title has to fight potentially for 25 minutes so I have put the extra work in, talking about the road work, I got on my bike a couple times a week, doing some extra runs, extra conditioning, extra lift, just being smart about my training making sure I'm not going too hard for too long without recovery and really just sparring and making sure I'm sparring five, six, seven rounds each time we spar and just really going with guys that are gonna push me and making sure I'm using my sparring partners right, the guys who are going to simulate the fight as much as possible. Really, I showed it in my last two fights that have gone the distance. In the third round, I'm still pouring it on. While my opponents were going downhill, I was still on the uphill just laying it on them and I feel like if these fights go into the fourth and fifth round, I'm still gonna have a ton of gas. If I have to fight 25 minutes, I know I'm gonna be prepared and that's just what I'm ready for. Hopefully I can end the fight before the 25 minutes to make it be a dominant performance. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): This fight was delayed a month when Alvarez had an unspecified injury. Do you feel like that gave you an advantage, like more time to improve, more time to prepare yourself? Michael Chandler: Yeah, absolutely. An extra 4-5 weeks to train is awesome for me. I'm a guy who's young and healthy and I can go harder than most people and I really just love this sport and I have a great time every single day training two times a day seven days a week so it's just fun for me. Obviously, I don't want to be in camp for real, real long. I want to get this show on the road, I want to get to that fight and that opportunity but once it got delayed, it was one of those deals where I just kinda had to take a step back. I stayed out of the gym for a week because I had already been training for 4-5 weeks prior to the injury being announced so if I had continued to go another eight weeks, you're looking at a 12 week camp and if you're going that hard for that long, your body is bound to get run down. I pretty much just pulled back for a week, week and a half and I just kinda came in a couple times, hit mitts with Gil. Other than that, I stayed out of the pro practices, stayed out of the hard sparring sessions and that kind of stuff and really just let my body recover for a little bit and then jumped right back into the last six weeks basically. All it did was give me extra time to prepare and that does nothing but help me so it didn't set me back at all and I feel I'm a better fighter on November 19th than I would have been on October 15th. It was a blessing. Matt Bishop: What quality to you feel you have that will make you successful against Eddie Alvarez where so many others have failed? Michael Chandler: I think it's the ability to match his intensity and even go beyond his intensity. I really think Eddie's a great fighter. I say it all the time. I'm not afraid to talk good about my opponent. He's a great fighter, he's a great champion. He puts on exciting fights, he's a fighter that fans love to see because he pushes the pace. He keeps a high pace, he throws his hands. He's kind of reckless at times and it's afraid. He's not timid, he's not afraid to lose his belt. He wants to go out there and beat people up and that's kind of what he's done this whole time he's been with Bellator. Nobody has really challenged him in the department of actually just stepping across the cage with him and not taking any backwards steps. His last fight with Pat Curran, Pat just let him have his way with him for 25 minutes. Pat Curran showed a couple flashes but other than that, Eddie's always moving forward, always on people and getting in their face and I'm the type of guy that I'm not gonna sit back. I'm always gonna be pressing forward, always gonna be in his face and I'm not gonna let him breathe at all for as long as the fight goes on whether it be five minutes or 25 minutes. I'm pretty much gonna bring the pressure the whole fight and I don't think that's something that he has had ever in his career. He's never fought a guy that's gonna be able to push the pace like I am and is as dangerous as I am in any part of the fight so that's just what I bring, it's just a wrestler mentality. We'll see how he reacts. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): In your last fight to win the tournament, you actually stood with Patricky Pitbull for the first round and really had him second guessing everything and you were successful. Did that give you a lot of confidence because the stand-up department is Eddie Alvarez's strongsuit? Michael Chandler: Yeah, every single day that I get to work out with Gil Martinez, it's like my boxing game is my new little toy. The grappling is so similar to wrestling, it's not really, really new but the boxing aspect of it is something that really excites me and it's entertaining for myself. It's not like I'm going out there and working out and hating my life. I'm going there and running stuff and just listening to what Gil says and really just picking up all these pointers, all this boxing stuff that's just going on and I really had no idea about any of it before transitioning to fighting. I wasn't a boxing fan, I never really watched boxing but now I find myself jumping on YouTube, the Pacquiao-Marquez 24/7 on HBO. The boxing part of MMA, I'm really coming to love it and it's fun and exciting. I just work on it a ton and just going out there and standing with a guy who's really dangerous like Patricky and not taking much damage until later in the fight and then getting the takedown and finishing the last two rounds out, that gave me confidence going in there. Eddie's a great boxer and I don't plan on wrestling with him the whole fight. You're gonna see some hands. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I know your pure wrestling is better than Eddie Alvarez's, you were an Division I All-American at Missouri, but do you feel like with his experience in MMA that your MMA wrestling is better when you throw in all the kicks, clinches and how you have to specifically set things up in the cage? Michael Chandler: Yeah, absolutely. I think people give him a lot of credit with his wrestling because he fought a lot in Japan and they don't know how to wrestle over there. His last couple fights, everybody he's fought, he hasn't really fought a really good wrestler. In his last two fights he actually got taken down. He got taken down by Roger Huerta and he got taken down by Pat Curran so that definitely shows you that his wrestling might not be as good as everybody thinks it is and I don't know if you want to call it pure wrestling or MMA wrestling but no matter what, in the wrestling I am head and shoulders above him. That's what I bring to the table as well as every part of my game. There's no way I think he'll be able to stop any takedowns if I want to get them. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Now Gray Maynard is a big training partner of yours and your upcoming opponent Eddie Alvarez is actually a close sparring partner of UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Do you see those parallels with you and Eddie fighting for the Bellator lightweight title with Frankie and Gray's fight for the UFC title? Michael Chandler: Yeah, I know it's really crazy. We knew it was gonna happen because we knew that Gray and Frankie were gonna fight again and right after I won the tournament, I knew that I was gonna fight Eddie and it was pretty cool, just knowing that we had two wrestlers over here that were similar and then two guys over there. Frankie's a great wrestler and his boxing is up there so it's pretty cool knowing that two different sets of training partners were training for each other. That fight already happened and now mine and Eddie's is coming up so it was pretty interesting for the MMA world at least. Matt Bishop: Alright Michael, Eddie Alvarez coming up, November 19th, Bellator 58, how do you see the fight going in your mind? Michael Chandler: I will definitely be bringing [the Bellator lightweight title] home. I can't tell you how it's gonna happen. All I know is I'm going out there to finish the fight, keep pushing the pace and put pressure on him and it's gonna be an exciting show. Everybody tune in. Best case scenario, I go out there and I'm beating him up so bad that he gives up a submission or a TKO. That's my bold prediction. I just know it's gonna be a good show so everybody tune in. So what do you think, Maniacs? Does Chandler have what it takes to dethrone Eddie Alvarez on Saturday night? Will his wrestling be the deciding factor? Sound off!

Posted in: fight, time, week, eddie, im

Read the full article at MMA Mania

There was a time not too long ago where we all thought Lyoto Machida was unbeatable, but those were the 2009's and back then we thought anything was possible. Free love, Twilight, Avatar and UFC Undisputed was in our disc trays...Those were simpler times. Wilder times. Since then, Jon Jones has taken his meteoric rise to the top of the UFC food chain, a place Lyoto is used to being (sipping on a yellow beverage) and in a few short weeks Bones and The Dragon will be in the Octagon fighting for the UFC light heavyweight championship. It's like this was all meant to be. Karyn Bryant of MMA Heat caught up with the champ on the red carpet of UFC on Fox where he breaks down his upcoming title fight, check it out. [source]    

Posted in: ufc, time, jon jones, place lyoto, disc traysthose

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Friday night's heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos was the most-watched UFC event of all time.

Posted in: ufc, time, rating, official, success

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

In all the hoopla surrounding the UFC on Fox card, it's been easy to forget that former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn apparently announced his retirement just two weeks ago. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. Well, Penn did a long interview with Pedro Carrasco of BJPenn.com and covered a lot of different things. It might not be all that topical in the midst of Velasquez/Dos Santos, but he does have a lot of interesting stuff to say, so here's some of it. After discussing the strategy of Nick Diaz at UFC 137 and post-fight antics, he moves right onto the subject of retirement: "You know what, me and the team have talked about this for a long time and we talked about this after the first Frankie Edgar fight. In Fighting you really get a lot of motivation and a lot of fire when you're out there trying to prove yourself and going out there being all you can be. There's nothing else more that I like than fighting, but every once in a while you need to take some time away. As of right now I don't feel that burning desire, that burning urge to compete and I'm just going to hang out. If I feel that desire again than I will be back, but if I don't feel it than there is no reason for me to make a return. ... PC: So just to be clear, you're not committing to retiring 100% but you're not yet committing to return to fighting either is that right? BJ: "That's just the truth, I would love to fight again, I'd love to fight all these guys. Right now I don't have that burning desire to compete so as I sit down and just enjoy life, when and if that desire comes back I will be ready to fight again. I'm sure it will." He mentions that he felt he should have taken a break after the first Frankie Edgar fight (UFC 112), but didn't. And that he had been considering retirement, or just taking some time off, ever since he worked with Marv Marinovich: "I guess it was when I started to see how hard the training camps are to make everything work. You have so many different personalities and trying to put that whole thing together is tough and with the fight everyone thinks you should train a certain way and all the people in the camp think differently. That, plus when you don't get the enjoyment of the success it just kind of wears on you a little bit. So it's been going on for a long time probably ever since the Marinovich's were here." After addressing the criticisms of his cardio, he talks about the stuff that Marinovich brought to his camp and that he should start doing it again in future camps. He then moves onto another popular subject - Cesar Gracie. Gracie recently made an offer to merge camps with Penn. Penn emphatically shoots down that idea:  "I've known Cesar for awhile, whether I dislike him at certain times or not I could never stay mad at that guy. That being said, some of things Diaz has done kind of rub me the wrong way so I think I'm just going to kind of keep to myself and do my own thing. I'm not even training for a fight anyways so there is really no reason why I would be up there right now." PC: So that is a definite "NO", correct? BJ: "Exactly, I'm with Nova Uniao, I've been with them since 1999 and I'm still with them today." There is a ton more, including more detailed thoughts on Cesar and Ralph Gracie, what he's looking forward to doing with some time off, and more insight into his mindset over the past couple of years. It's a very, very detailed interview and well worth a few minutes of your time. You can check it out here.

Posted in: fight, time, camp, im, i dont

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Filed under: MMA BoxingIn an action-packed fight that lived up to the billing, Manny Pacquiao beat Juan Manuel Marquez by majority decision on Saturday night in Las Vegas, the third time these two boxers have battled for 12 rounds and fought a fight that easily could have gone either way. One judge scored it a draw, 114-114, while one judge scored it for Pacquiao 115-113, and one scored it for Pacquiao 116-112. There will be some complaints -- Marquez and his corner were furious after the fight -- but this was too close a call for either fighter to have been confident he won. These boxers are essentially equals, but Pacquiao managed, for the second time against Marquez, to do just enough to win in the judges' eyes. "The fans of Marquez, of course they're not happy," Pacquiao said as the pro-Marquez crowd booed him after the fight. "But my fans are very happy because it's clear I won the fight. ... It's very clear I won the fight." This was the third fight between these two great boxers, and the third time that it was a closely matched, exciting affair. Their first bout, in 2004, ended in a draw. Their second fight, in 2008, was a split decision win for Pacquiao. And now Pacquiao has a majority decision win as well. This time there were no knockdowns and no points in the fight in which either man even looked like he was in any real trouble. Instead, it was just 12 rounds of close, competitive, exciting boxing. Pacquiao was the more active boxer, while Marquez tended to land with a little more authority when he did land, but neither fighter could say he definitively deserved the victory. As it turned out, the victory went to Pacquiao, who improved his record to 54-3-2. Marquez falls to 53-6-1. Pacquiao said he'd love to have a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- the fight that every boxing fan wants to see -- but that he'd also be willing to step into the ring with Marquez a fourth time. "Any time, any time," Pacquiao said. "Let's get it on, make the fight happen. Let's give the people a good fight." Giving the people a good fight is what Pacquiao and Marquez have now done three times. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, time, pacquiao, boxer, marquez

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: UFC, News, UFC on FOXIn a fight that was just as exciting and fast-paced as most expected of a matchup with two of the division's best-conditioned athletes, Ben Henderson outworked Clay Guida in the UFC on FOX co-main event to earn a shot at the UFC lightweight championship. In a measured yet frenetic performance, Henderson outwrestled and outstruck Guida over the course of the three-round bout at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The cageside judges scored it 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 in his favor. "Frankie Edgar, we got a date. Let's do it baby," Henderson said moments after the victory. Describing Guida's style as "energetic and awkward," Henderson clearly had the fight's biggest moments, knocking Guida down twice early on and leaving few openings for his opponent. Henderson got off to a brilliant start from the get-go, dropping Guida early with a left hand and then again moments later after a wild exchange. Guida was able to buy time by attempting a takedown, but Henderson controlled most of the round with his standup, though Guida did have a late knockdown of his own. The second was much more competitive, with Guida managing a pair of takedowns, but he could not hold Henderson down for any period of time. Guida also briefly threatened with a guillotine. But Henderson showed excellent composure throughout, carefully picking his strikes and outmaneuvering Guida for positioning on most occasions. During one scramble late in the round, Henderson took Guida's back and threatened for a rear naked choke as time expired. Both fighters had their moments in the third, but Henderson controlled Guida at various points, again taking his back and hunting the submission finish. Though Guida survived, it clearly wasn't enough to get past Henderson.  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, henderson, guida, moment

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

No matter how good you are, there’s always someone whose got your number. For Manny Pacquiao -- universally regarded as one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters alive -- that man is Mexican legend Juan Manuel Márquez. Despite being unable to score a concrete victory over the Filipino phenom, the narrow results of both of their classic bouts are hotly debated to this day, and no man has been able to frustrate and tag Pacquiao to such a degree in years. Later tonight (Nov. 12, 2011) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the familiar foes will look to settle their score once and for all, battling it out at a catchweight of 144 pounds for the WBO welterweight title. Will the Mexican great finally taste validation, or will Pacquiao finally erase all doubts that he is the best fighter on the planet? Let’s find out: What has made Juan Manuel Márquez so successful in the past are two things: His impeccable timing and his willingness to plant his feet and counter Pacquiao during his murderous lunges. That’s not to say he’s executed this strategy perfectly, however. In fact, he’s gone to the canvas four times in his two wars with Pacquiao, each time more dramatically than the one before. Every time, though, he’s managed to get to his feet and take control of the fight in the middle rounds. That trend ends Saturday. I have all the respect in the world for Márquez. He embodies everything I admire about Mexican fighters, from his impeccable heart to his dangerous body work to his willingness to move up in weight. There are just too many factors working against him this Saturday for me to think he’ll survive Pacquiao a third time. First, while Pacquiao has technically been inactive for two months longer than Márquez, Juan’s sole fight in the past 11 months was against sacrificial lamb Likar Ramos, who folded the second Márquez’s right touched his chin. For someone as reliant on proper timing as "Dinamita," this rust could be extremely detrimental to his chances of success, especially considering the dire consequences should he mistime one of his foe’s monster shots. Second, this is only Márquez’s second real fight at this weight. And his first was a complete annihilation at the hands of Floyd Mayweather. Unlike Pacquiao, his performance seems to peak at 135. Pacquiao is much more comfortable at welterweight than Márquez, more used to fighting opponents of that size, which could play a huge factor. Third, and most important, everything that gave Márquez problems in the past still exists. Pacquiao still has his speed, awkward offense and endless cardio. Only now he has even more power behind it and even more savvy with his right hand. In short, this is the best Manny Pacquiao we’ve ever seen, while I have reason to believe that the 38-year-old Márquez has deteriorated, if anything. He had trouble handling Pacquiao’s power and pressure 15 pounds and four years ago, and should he find himself in the same sort of trouble in the early rounds, he is much less likely to pull himself off the ground. By no means am I saying that Márquez has no chance. Despite his advancing age, his skill is undeniable, and as a true Mexican fighter, he won’t stop until his body outright refuses to listen to him. But Pacquiao is simply too big, too strong, and too fast for "Dinamita." After three straight decision wins, it’s about time for another Pacquiao knockout. Look for Márquez to have some success early before succumbing to the absurd power of the Filipino dynamo, possibly hitting the canvas two or three times before referee Tony Weeks waves it off. Prediction: Pacquiao via third round technical knockout REMEMBER: MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of "Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3" this evening, starting with the pay-per-view (PPV) undercard at 9 P.M. ET. See you then! In the meantime, travel back in time and get a refresher on their first two close encounters in 2004 and 2008, respectively: Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez 1: Fabulous featherweight fight fiesta ends in a draw Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 2: 'Unfinished Business' Of course, also feel free to share your thoughts and predictions for "Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3" in the comments section below. Who you got?

Posted in: time, vs, pacquiao, maacuterquez, marquez

Read the full article at MMA Mania

submitted by AnalogDigit2 [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: time, anyone, prelim, analogdigit, nonfacebook

Read the full article at Reddit

submitted by burndowndc3 [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: ufc, time, mainstream, ny, burndowndc

Read the full article at Reddit

The New York Times takes a look at the rise of the UFC and tomorrow's big UFC on FOX event.

Posted in: ufc, time, rise, york, york times

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

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

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

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

At just 30 years old, Cole Escovedo has seen just about everything. "The Apache Kid" was the inaugural WEC featherweight champion, and throughout his career, he's squared off against some of the best bantamweight and featherweight fighters on the planet. In fact, the man who took his WEC title was none other than Urijah Faber. After dropping down to bantamweight, Escovedo campaigned heavily to be a cast member of season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter, but was instead given a fight in the UFC against Renan Barao, one of the current top contenders for the title. After dropping a hard-fought decision, he was stopped in a wild battle with former title challenger Takeya Mizugaki just over a month ago in a bout that was entertaining enough to make the pay-per-view broadcast. Just one and a half months later, Escovedo is making his return to the cage, taking on Ultimate Fighter season 12 alumni Alex Caceres, better known as "Bruce Leroy," who will be making his bantamweight debut on the UFC on FOX: "Velasquez vs. dos Santos" preliminary card this Saturday night (November 12, 2011). The longtime veteran was a guest today on Bloody Elbow Radio and had a very interesting discussion with host Matt Bishop about getting back on track, how he got a fight so quickly and how he plans to finish "Bruce Leroy" in their upcoming fight. To get things started, Escovedo discussed how he was able to get a fight with such quick turnaround, especially after suffering a technical knockout loss to Mizugaki. As many fans likely understand, getting a call from the boss so quickly after a losing performance is usually not a good thing. "I didn't expect to get a phone call so soon from them as I did let alone a phone call that wasn't me getting my pink slip so it was a pretty welcome phone call. I would say it was within a week of the Mizugaki fight that they called me to see how soon I could get medically cleared and stuff. Any time when you lose a fight and you've got the boss calling you, it's like any other job, you don't want to mess up a presentation or something and then the boss calls you the next day, that's never good. It was a little surprising and it is what it is. If they were gonna cut me, they were gonna cut me but it was a pretty positive phone call." For a fighter who's been in the game as long as Escovedo, he understands that his back is against the wall heading into this bout. There's no room for failure because a three fight losing streak has only been survived by the most popular of UFC competitors. He also believes that after stepping in against some of the toughest bantamweights on the roster in his first two fights, this is an opportunity to showcase what he's capable of. "For me, the third time's a charm. I definitely want to get in there, get my first win, show everybody that I am capable of winning on this level so it's good because I was already on training regimen and this just kinda pushed me right back into training regimen so I don't really feel like I missed any time or anything. I feel right off the bat from where I left last time." Escovedo also has a unique mentality when it comes to fighting. To him, there's nothing more important than being entertaining, not even winning. He'd rather lose a fight that has the fans giving him a standing ovation than ever win a fight and hear boos. "That's how I go with every fight, to go for broke. At the end of the day, whether you win or lose your fight, you could get cut. If you win and  you're boring, then you could get cut. If you lose but you were exciting, you could keep your job. It's a matter of going out there and just doing my job. I don't go out there with the fear that, "Oh God, if I lose I'm gonna get cut!" and try to do whatever I can to try and get the 'W.' I'd rather go out there and go for broke and have an exciting fight and have some super-exciting submission or knockout win or lose as long as the fans are on their feet. I say it time and time and time again. It's like a broken record. If the fans are on their feet and they're cheering and screaming, it doesn't really matter if I win or lose. I want to win, but at the end of the day, I want to have a good fight. I want to have a fight that people talk about whether I'm on the receiving end or the gaining end of it. I just want to have an exciting fight. I want to give fans what they paid for." Escovedo's opponent, Alex Caceres sports a 5-4 overall record with all four losses coming by way of submission. He believes the ground is where his advantage lies. "I'd like to think I [have an advantage on the ground] given that all his losses are by submission and I've got a plethora of submission wins against guys that say they couldn't have been subbed or shouldn't have been subbed and I end up putting them to sleep so I think if it goes to the ground I will have the definite advantage but I kind of think that with just about any fight. I think my ground game, I'm no black belt or anything but in my last two fights, neither of the guys wanted to go to the ground with me so it's just kind of reputation. I'm not a psycho on the ground but I'm definitely dangerous. I think his gameplan will be to try and keep it on the feet and utilize the reach we have." When pressed for a fight prediction, "The Apache Kid" was very straightforward. He is confident in his ground skills and he's going to be too much for Caceres come fight night this Saturday.  "I honestly see it with me winning by a submission, probably maybe end of the first or early into the second when he gets frustrated that he's not capable of using his reach maybe and thinking that the ground game might be his alternative. Realistically, that's it. I can't guarantee you anything except that I'll go out there and do my job and leave with my shield or on it. That's what I always say. I think it'll be a good fight for me. It'll be my first interview with Joe Rogan is pretty much what I'm visualizing." So what do you think, Maniacs? Will Escovedo earn that much anticipated post-fight interview with Joe Rogan on Saturday? Does he have the skills to overwhelm "Bruce Leroy" on the ground like he believes? Sound off!

Posted in: fight, time, submission, ground, escovedo

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFC, UFC on FOXROSEMEAD, Calif. -- If it feels like we've been here before, that's because we have. Just a little over a year ago, in fact, and in this same exact place. That was a very different fight week -- big for different reasons. It was the Brock Lesnar show, and that show went where it pleased and performed on its own terms. Back then, when it was time for the main card fighters at UFC 121 to go through the plodding PR paces of the open workout, Lesnar was nowhere to be found. But Cain Velasquez, then the challenger for the heavyweight title, still had to show up at the UFC gym in Rosemead and be a good soldier, which is exactly what he did. Nearly 13 months later, Velasquez is back here against a very different opponent in a very different fight, but some things haven't changed. At around noon on Thursday afternoon the UFC heavyweight champ strolls into the same exact gym with the same unassuming air that he had last year. And, just like last year, he had his fans there waiting for him, waving Mexican flags and cheering him on as he stepped in the cage to throw a few perfunctory punches and kicks at the air for the sake of the cameras. But this time it's not about the celebrity of one of the participants. Bizarrely, it's not even really about the heavyweight title. Sure, it's there. It's a part of the package, but it feels more like an accessory than the real prize. How can you tell? Just listen to the questions he's peppered with as he moves down the seemingly endless media assembly line. Are you nervous about representing the UFC and the sport of MMA itself on network TV? Are you feeling the pressure from your boss, from the fans? In other words, are you freaking out yet, or are you going to wait until later? And for whatever reason -- maybe because it's true, or maybe just because his fighter's instinct is to resist pressure rather than succumb to it -- the champ refuses to play along. He's not especially nervous, he says. It's just another fight. He doesn't think about the stakes involved or the millions who'll be watching. He won't even admit to feeling the pressure of the champion or the betting favorite. "I feel like every time I go out to fight, I'm always the underdog," he insists. His trainer, Javier Mendez, stands nearby chatting with reporters and looking up with genuine surprise when nearby fans want their pictures taken with them. "This is all your guys' fault," he grumbles to the reporters before going over to fulfill his obligations as a newfound semi-celebrity. This didn't happen back before he was known as the champ's trainer, but such is the brave new world he finds himself in, for better or worse. Velasquez's opponent, Junior dos Santos, who shows up for his workout more than an hour later, also won't admit to feeling the heat. If anything, he does an even better job of selling his media tormenters on how relaxed he is, smiling through the multitude of interviews as if he's actually having an okay time. "When you are nice, nice things happen to you," he explains, as if it's the simplest, most obvious philosophy in the world. Like, haven't you guys figured that out by now? When asked how he managed to go from MMA neophyte to heavyweight title challenger on live network TV in just six years, he answers quickly: "Work. And be nice." You want outsized egos and superstar personalities? You want guys at each others' throats? Too bad. Regardless of what you want, this is what you're getting. It'll have to be good enough, at least for now. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, year, heavyweight title, network tv

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

“Cardio is something I’ve always used my entire life to push the pace and get the upper hand. Ever since I was back in junior high wrestling I knew I was in better shape than the other kids. You might be better than me, you might be faster, you might be stronger, you might have better technique, but guess what, I’m gonna keep pushing the pace and I’m gonna go until you break.”Sounds like something that would come out of the mouth of Clay Guida. But it’s not. Instead, the man speaking those words is Guida’s opponent this Saturday night in Anaheim, lightweight contender Benson Henderson. And given the dedication both men have shown to being tougher, meaner, more aggressive, and in better shape than their opponents, the anticipation for their bout is pretty high. That’s not even counting for the fact that the two have won a combined 19 of their last 22 fights, making this a pivotal one in terms of finding the next challenger for UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.But a title shot is something that’s on the horizon for these two 155-pound standouts. The only thing that matters right now is Saturday and a fight that is expected to be an old-fashioned 15 minute war with enough sweat, spit, and hair flying around that ringsiders should be given ponchos. And that’s a night out Henderson will never turn down.“I’m gonna continue doing the exact same thing I always do,” he said. “Clay has good cardio, we all know that and we’ve seen him go for a long time, but my goal, as in every fight, is to break him, to make him so tired that he just wants to get out of there.”On the other side of the Octagon, Guida has gone on record in the past saying that his goal isn’t to break his opponents, but to make them miserable. Henderson can appreciate that sentiment, but he’s sticking to his guns.“My goal isn’t to make people miserable, my goal is to mentally and physically break them,” he reiterates. “I want you so tired that there’s no way you can keep going. Let’s see who can go longer. Let’s turn the treadmill all the way up to the highest level and see who steps off first. Let’s put some burning coals in our hands and see who lets go first. It’s not gonna be me.”Those are fighting words, and as laid-back and affable as Henderson and Guida are outside of competition, when the bell rings, they’re as ferocious as fighters come. And while that’s been Guida’s reputation for years, it’s only now that Henderson is getting that same kind of respect from casual fans. Of course the diehards know “Smooth” from his days tearing through the WEC lightweight division, but it’s only been in 2011 that the rest of the world has gotten a dose of the cool contender from Arizona. So how’s it feel to be the “new” guy?“I get that quite a bit and it’s fine by me,” he laughs. “I understand and it’s no big deal.”Maybe it’s because the 27-year old doesn’t get rattled by too much, if anything, or because with a body of work that includes a WEC championship and wins over Donald Cerrone (twice), Anthony Njokuani, Shane Roller, and Jamie Varner, he really doesn’t have anything to prove. Yet even with a stellar reputation in hand as he entered the UFC earlier this year, Henderson fought like he had a point to make in the Octagon, first decisioning Mark Bocek in April, and then snapping Jim Miller’s seven fight win streak in August with an emphatic three round win. And now he’s got Guida and the opportunity to cement his place in line for a shot at Edgar, who successfully defended his crown for the third time in October with a knockout of longtime rival Gray Maynard.“The Frankie-Gray fight was awesome,” said Henderson of the third bout between the two. “It was a quality, entertaining fight fought at a high pace, and man, what a chin by Frankie. He showed the true heart of a champion and he’s definitely one of the most underrated belt holders in the UFC. It was a heckuva fight and what more can you say that hasn’t been said already? Great job by Frankie and Gray, and it was a thoroughly entertaining fight.”Now it’s Henderson’s turn, and to get ready for 15 minutes in hell with Guida, he’s enlisted his usual group at the Lab in Glendale, and just as in the aftermath of his win over Miller, he’s not shy about singing the praises of training partners like UFC vet Efrain Escudero, Chris Gruetzemacher, and Yaotzin Meza, among others, all of whom he would like to see join him in the big show.“These guys are my brothers,” said Henderson, “and we literally beat each other up every day, we make each other bleed, and it’s not easy. Practices are as tough for me as it is for them and I know everything they go through and how much work they’re putting in, and they know how much hard work I’m putting in. They sacrifice a lot for me and I sacrifice a lot for them, and I was there once. I wasn’t making any money, it was hard to find fights when you have a good name and a good record but you’re not quite at the UFC level, and I see my guys struggling and having a hard time, and I know how hard they work, and I want good things for them too. And they’re ready for it. I want them to just get a chance, and I’m pretty darn sure people are gonna get wowed by what my boys can do.”How many athletes, regardless of sport, are going to take their time in the spotlight and shine it on someone else? Not many. But that’s just who Henderson is, and he hasn’t let the bright lights change who he is. And while the free time he used to have isn’t as abundant as it was before as he’s raised his profile in the fight game, he’s not complaining. For him, it’s just part of the job.“Whether you’re fighting in front of a hundred people in your first couple amateur shows or when you’re fighting for UFC titles, how you prepare should be the same always,” he said. “As far as the media and the interviews, and doing this or doing that, that’s the biggest difference. It’s all a juggling act and you have to be able to balance. NBA players do it, NFL players do it, tennis players have to do the same thing, and you have to be able to juggle all those balls at the same time – training, preparing, making sure you’re eating the right foods and getting enough time to sleep, making sure you’re taking enough time for interviews and to knock everything out.”That’s a true professional right there, but the great thing about Henderson is that he hasn’t taken to talking in clichés and he hasn’t lost his passion for the sport. If anything, getting closer to a shot at the UFC title has only amped him up even more. So, is he starting to take a quick glance at what may lie ahead for him in 2012? You’ll like the answer, because it shows a fighter thinking not about autograph sessions or the next car he’s going to buy, but about his legacy.“I do keep an eye on the division and see how guys are going and how they’re progressing, but as far as matchup wise, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I literally want to have the belt and defend it 20 times. I want to fight everybody in the division. If you’re at 155 after I have the belt, trust me, you’re gonna get your shot, because they’re gonna run out of people to throw at me. I want to run through this division, I want to defeat everybody, and I don’t want to look too far ahead, but that’s the goal.”Sounds like some Joe Louis stuff right there.“I want to be the best MMA fighter of all-time, hands down, no ifs, ands, or buts about it,” said Henderson. “That’s my goal, that’s what I want to do.”

Posted in: fight, time, ’t, henderson, ’re

Read the full article at UFC

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on MMA-Japan, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Growing up I spent a lot of my time is dimly lit room, either playing video games or listening to Iron Maiden. This shaped me in more ways than one. One of those ways it has shaped me is that I don’t like being around other living organism’s besides my cat. Two is that I am not fond of bright things. Which is why speaks volumes as to how astronomically awesome Kid Yamamoto’s shorts are for his upcoming fight this weekend. Don’t quote me on this but I firmly believe that wearing these shorts will make you a more interesting person. If that isn’t the case, it will make you a better liar so you seem like a more interesting person. You can expect me to purchase them and wear them all the time even in situations that do not call for me to wear them, which is about 100% of the time seeing as I don’t plan to start a MMA career anytime soon. Read More...

Posted in: time, ’t, short, isn ’t, iron maiden

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Dana White says he's nervous for the first time in a long time as he heads into Saturday's UFC on Fox event in Anaheim.

Posted in: ufc, time, fox, fox event, saturdays ufc

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

It's been a week and a half since BJ Penn got shellacked by Nick Diaz at UFC 137, which means he's had some time to chill out and really think about whether he wants to stick with that whole 'retirement' thing. Michael Schiavello caught up with him at ProElite's second show and here's what he said: You know what, I kinda think this is something I shoulda did after the first Frankie Edgar fight. A bunch of my coaches pleaded with me to step away from the sport, take some time off. I was just kinda in the mix ... I kept going, kept going, trying to push myself. I don’t really like the results I’ve been getting. I just ... take some time off, take some time away from the sport. If I ever feel it again, I’ll come back, if it interests me, it excites me. I don’t wanna be sitting in the locker room saying "I can’t believe I’m still doing this", you know? So if it excites me, we'll see how everything goes but I definitely need some time away. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but BJ Penn just made a totally rational and sane decision. Taking yourself out of the regular rotation is much smarter than quitting full stop. BJ is on the edge of being just another guy on the roster right now. But after a year or two away, people will freak out when he comes back. Especially if there happens to be someone holding the belt at 155 that he can beat.

Posted in: bj penn, time, ’t, penn, bj

Read the full article at Fightlinker

B.J. Penn, a former double-division UFC champion, shocked many in the MMA world when he announced his impending retirement from fighting after a loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 137 last month. Now, after taking some time to think about his career, “The Prodigy” might be having second thoughts. After Penn dropped his UFC lightweight title to Frankie Edgar, he says his own coaches asked him to take some time off and get his mind focused back on the sport. Instead, Penn took an immediate rematch with Edgar and lost. A win over Matt Hughes seemed to right his course, but Penn went to a draw with Jon Fitch before falling to Diaz. Now, Penn seems to be questioning his own desire to continue competing in MMA. “If I ever feel it again, I’ll come back,” said Penn, in an interview featured on Inside MMA recently. “If it interests me, if it excites me, I don’t want to be sitting in the locker room saying, ‘I can’t believe I’m still doing this.’ If it excites me, we’ll see how everything goes, but I definitely need some time away.” Penn might just wait for a possible rematch with Fitch, or another big-time fight that could place him back among the contenders at either lightweight or welterweight. Here is the entire video clip below: PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, mma, time, penn, mma world

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Good news for B.J. Penn fans. After a three round beatdown at the hands of Nick Diaz during last month's UFC 137 pay-per-view, the former lightweight and welterweight champion (perhaps hastily) declared his retirement from combat sports. But that doesn't mean he's fought his last fight: "I kinda think this is something that I should have did after the first Frankie Edgar fight. Bunch of my coaches pleaded with me to step away from the sport, take some time off. I was just kind of in the mix, I kept going, kept going, trying to push myself. I don’t really like the results I’ve been getting. Take some time off. Take some time away from the sport. If I ever feel it again, I’ll come back. If it interests me, if it excites me. I don’t want to be sitting in the locker room saying, I can’t believe I’m still doing this. If it excites me, we'll see how everything goes, but I definitely need some time away." Aside from the Penn faithful, that's good news for any mixed martial arts fan, especially when you consider the kind of impact the Hawaiian "Prodigy" has on the fight game. Love him or hate him, he puts asses in the seats. Hear more about his possible return (via Inside MMA) after the jump. How about it Maniacs, what's the over/under on his return?

Posted in: fight, time, sport, penn, i donrsquot

Read the full article at MMA Mania

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

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

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

BJ Penn abruptly announced that he was “done” fighting after being battered by welterweight contender Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 137 late last month and the former UFC champion is still planing on taking some time off, but has left the door open for a possible return. “I kind of think this is something I should have did after the first Frankie Edgar fight,” Penn recently said on HDNet. “A bunch of my coaches pleaded with me to step away from the sport and take some time off. I was just kind of in the mix. I kept going and kept going, trying to push myself. I don’t really like the results I’ve been getting. “I’ll just take some time off, take some time away from the sport. If I ever feel it again I’ll come back, if it interests me, if it excites me. I don’t want to be sitting in the locker room saying, ‘I can’t believe I’m still doing this.’ We’ll see how it goes, but I definitely need some time away.” Penn (15-6-1) is just 1-3-1 in his last fight fights, scoring a 21-second knockout of Matt Hughes between a pair of losses to Frankie Edgar and a draw to Jon Fitch and unanimous decision loss to Diaz. For the latest UFC news stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Posted in: fight, time, penn, locker room, ufc news

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre is perhaps the best mixed martial artists in the world today. "Rush" is currently riding a nine-fight win streak with six title defenses and is arguably one of the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the sport alongside his middleweight counterpart, Anderson Silva. With a record of 22 wins with 2 losses -- both of which he later avenged -- St. Pierre has dominated the UFC's 170-pound division for the last six years and is considered by many to be the wholesome face of the promotion. However, if you ask the man himself, he feels that he is not yet the best. But, when the day comes that he realizes that he is the best in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), it will be time to walk away. Speaking to TheGlobeAndMail.com, the Canadian sensation talked about his future goals, finishing fights and having a violent side. Check it out: "I want to retire being the best pound-for-pound fighter that ever lived. It's very hard to say how to judge it, but when I think myself that I'm the best it will be the time to do something else in my life." "Rush" also went on to say, like many athletes, media and public relation duties is his least favorite part of his job. "I'm not going to lie, it's probably the part of my job I dislike the most, but I know it's important. Hopefully the (Fox) deal will take the sport to a new level, it will also bring a bigger range of audience, more sponsors, more visibility, more money -- increase the caliber of the sport." The often soft-spoken champ also touched on the necessity of having a violent side and his criticism for not finishing fights. "Everyone has a violent side; my job is to win, and in order to win most of the time I need to injure my opponent. It's a violent sport but in real life I'm not a violent guy. I'm an athlete in a full contact sport so it requires violence to win. I've had a lot of criticism about not finishing fights, but if there's anyone who wants to finish fights it's me. It's hard to stay champion and in the welterweight division today's number one can so easily become tomorrow's number two. The UFC welterweight champion has often been on the receiving end of harsh criticism and accused of coasting through fights and playing it safe. His last four title defenses have gone the distance, with his last stoppage win coming at UFC 94 against "The Prodigy" B.J. Penn after the Hawaiian's corner threw in the towel. "Rush" will try to add to his legacy by defeating former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz at UFC 143 on Feb. 4, 2012 in Las Vegas; a fight many consider to be one of the most anticipated of all time. A win over the Stockton slugger will definitely be a step in the right direction in St. Pierre's quest to be known as the best of all time. What, or who, else is left?

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, sport, welterweight

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Did someone say "mainstream?" This Saturday (Nov. 12, 2011), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will make one of the biggest moves in the organization’s history, presenting its first event via the FOX network from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It doesn’t sound like that big of a deal at first blush. After all, we’re only getting one fight. And we’ve seen plenty of "free" cards on Spike TV before, right? Well, that would be true if the headliners weren’t UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. In addition to what promises to be the most entertaining heavyweight showdown in years, the promotion is offering a bevy of undercard bouts to be viewed on Facebook, featuring the likes of Japanese dynamo Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto, rising prospects Dustin Poirier and Pablo Garza, and lightweight contenders Ben Henderson and Clay Guida. Follow me after the jump for a look at the first handful of Facebook skirmishes: 135 lbs.: Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Darren Uyenoyama Ouch. It seems like just yesterday that Japan’s Norifumi Yamamoto (18-4) was the most feared man below lightweight. Possessing hellacious power despite being undersized and a dangerous freestyle wrestling game, "KID" dominated the Japanese scene, knocking out the likes of Rani Yahya and Genki Sudo. Then came 2007, a failed bid for the Olympics, a dislocated elbow, a bad divorce, and upset losses to Joe Warren, Jae Hee Cheon and Masanori Kanehara. Finally, a breakout performance from Demetrious Johnson. With his back against the wall, the former featherweight demigod will need a big win to remain employed. Grappling expert Darren Uyenoyama (6-3), perhaps the first American in UFC history to have more syllables in his last name than his Japanese opponent, has also cut his teeth on the Japanese circuit, most recently knocking out Shooto titleholder Shuichiro Katsumura in a bout that saw him escape some scary leglocks before hammerfisting Katsumura into oblivion. Despite debuting in 2002 with a win over Muay Thai monster Rambaa "M-16" Somdet, the "Bone Crusher" will compete for just the tenth time as he attempts to bring down the Japanese juggernaut. Faded though his star may be, taking out Yamamoto would give Darren a serious jump to make up for lost time. There’s a whole lot you can question about KID: His heart, chin post-Zambidis, attitude, the decisions he’s made, etc. One thing you can’t question, however, is the fact that he hits really freaking hard. Despite walking around near the bantamweight limit, Kid has 13 knockouts and pretty much all of them have come against lightweights and featherweights. At one point, he scored seven consecutive knockouts, including a mind-blowing four-second flying knee on Kazuyuki Miyata. With that said, I’m pretty sure that KID Yamamoto is gone. While Johnson was the only one to really dominate him, he’s still lost three of four, and he doesn’t seem anywhere near the killer he used to be. Still, if there’s even a fraction of the former KID left, Uyenoyama is going to sleep. "BC" is 2-2 in his last four, and while Katsumura was technically the champ at the time, he’s not the most durable sort. KID has faced and obliterated bigger and stronger, and Uyenoyama doesn’t possess the skills that let Kanehara, Warren and Johnson smother the Japanese dynamo. KID’s counter right is one of the nastiest weapons in MMA ... and Uyenoyama’s going to learn that the hard way. And then he’s going to forget it because he got hit really hard. Prediction: Yamamoto via first-round knockout 145 lbs.: Mackens Semerzier vs. Robert Peralta There’s always a spot at the table for you if you make sure to bring it. Making his WEC debut at a measly 4-0 against dreaded submissions specialist Wagnney Fabiano, Semerzier (6-3) was given slightly less than a snowball’s chance in hell, as his opponent was expected to challenge for the title if teammate Jose Aldo failed. Dumbfounding everyone involved, however, "Mack da Menace" locked up a triangle choke just over two minutes in and tapped the highly-regarded black belt, sending him scurrying down to the bantamweight division. While he lost three straight before the WEC merged with the UFC, his high-octane style was enough to convince Dana to bring him along for the ride. With a rear-naked choke over Alex Caceres in the books, Semerzier has his sights on making another moment to remember come Saturday night. Power-punching Robert Peralta (15-3), who actually replaced Semerzier against Mike Lullo at UFC Fight Night 25, was slated to be cannon fodder for the DREAM champion Hiroyuki Takaya at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley. After dropping the murderous power-puncher and surviving a wrestling onslaught en route to a decision victory, Peralta was tapped to join the UFC against Mike Lullo and made the most of it, battering the submissions specialist over the course of three rounds. With 11 knockouts to his name, Peralta has begun his ascent up the division ladder. And becoming the first man to stop Semerzier certainly wouldn’t slow him down. I’m a big fan of Mack. His fight with Cub Swanson was absolutely crazy and his offense in general is always a treat. However, Peralta is the more experienced of the two and packs more power. Basically, if you’re sufficiently dangerous on the feet such that Hiroyuki Takaya -- a man who could probably knock out a medium-sized buffalo --doesn’t want to stand with you, you’re doing something right. Semerzier isn’t a technician in any sense of the word. And, exciting as he is, I get the feeling he’s going to run head-first into something painful. I’m going by the same logic I used for the Mills fight, picking the guy who beat someone I, logically or not, consider really, really good. Takaya was far more dangerous than Semerzier. And sad as it’ll be, I think Mack is going to sleep. Prediction: Peralta via second round technical knockout 135 lbs.: Alex Caceres vs. Cole Escovedo My father once told me: Never have an alligator’s mouth if you’ve got a parakeet’s ass. The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 12 showman Alex Caceres (5-4) talked a big game and packed a good submissions game to back it up, but he was unceremoniously smothered by eventual finalist Michael Johnson. His luck failed to improve in his first official UFC bout, as he was dominated and choked out by Mackens Semerzier. Now, dropping to 135 pounds after being choked out yet again by Jim Hettes, Caceres might want to start walking the walk. The sailing has not been smooth on the good ship Escovedo (17-8). After three consecutive losses and a life-threatening bout of staph kept him out of commission throughout all of 2007 and 2008, the inaugural WEC featherweight champ went on a tear, winning five straight. Unfortunately, things quickly went south once again, as he was knocked out by former victim Michael McDonald, submitted for the first time in his career by Michihiro Omigawa, dully controlled by Renan Barao, and knocked flat by Takeya Mizugaki. With only one win in his last five, Escovedo is nearing the limit of where his legacy can take him. And an afro’d sacrifice will be needed to keep him afloat. I will be completely and utterly baffled if this isn’t absolute domination by Escovedo. I don’t think Caceres has won a single minute since he joined the UFC, and dropping to bantamweight isn’t going to change that. Sure, Escovedo hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire lately, but considering he lost to guys like Renan Barao, Takeya Mizugaki and Michihiro Omigawa (why yes, I WILL continue ramming Omigawa down your throats at every opportunity), that’s still a far more impressive resume than anything Caceres has done. Prediction: Escovedo via first-round submission 185 lbs.: Mike Pierce vs. Paul Bradley Chael Sonnen protégé Mike Pierce (12-4) looked to be building up a good head of steam at welterweight; after putting Jon Fitch into more trouble than anyone besides GSP had in the UFC in a losing effort, he racked up three quick wins before being matched up against Johny Hendricks. Despite his best efforts, Pierce lost a split decision and, in an intriguing reversal of normality, decided to move up in weight and test the waters at 185. Now, slated to fight Paul Bradley for the second time, he’ll be out to make a statement in his middleweight debut. Well-travelled and well-rounded veteran Paul Bradley (18-3, 1 NC) made his UFC debut on short notice, replacing the upgraded Constantos Philippou against Rafael Natal at UFC 133. While he got himself a shot at the big time and plenty of goodwill from Dana and co, he was unable to overcome the size and grappling of the Brazilian, falling via decision. Bradley, who has a nicely symmetrical six knockouts/six submissions/six decisions record, will be gunning for revenge and validation Saturday night, and won’t be satisfied with anything less than a stoppage of Pierce. Looking at their records, it’s clear that they generally only lose to people who are better wrestlers than they are --Pierce’s only recent losses are Fitch and Hendricks, while Bradley’s are to Pierce, Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold, and the much bigger Rafael Natal. I have concerns about Pierce moving up in weight considering how close the fight with Hendricks was, but since he’s fighting someone who also generally fights at 170 and who he already holds a win over, he shouldn’t run into any issues. Pierce is a very, very good fighter. Bradley, I’m not convinced. With the trouble Paul had with Natal, I don’t have much confidence that he’ll be able to stay off his back against Pierce; look for a classic Team Quest 30-27 for the Fitch-Slayer-who-Almost-Was. Prediction: Pierce via unanimous decision 205 lbs.: Aaron Rosa vs. Matt Lucas San Antonio fighter Aaron Rosa (16-4) got his biggest opportunity yet when he was called upon to replace Dave Herman against Joey Beltran at UFC 131. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell his waistline, and a bloated Rosa was beaten down by Joey Beltran over the course of ten minutes. Returning to 205 after a series of ungainly heavyweight bouts, Rosa, who was originally scheduled to fight Fabio Maldonado on the "Cruz vs. Johnson" undercard, will need one heck of a win to erase the memory of his last effort. Southpaw banger Matt Lucas (14-2), following consecutive submission losses to Bellator veterans Richard Hale and Givanildo "The Arm Collector" Santana, rolled back his sleeves and got to work, securing five consecutive wins in the past two years, four by knockout. Most recently, he pasted Shawn Frye for the second time, knocking him cold in a grand total of forty-two seconds. In the shark tank that is the light-heavyweight division, he’ll need some encore performances, and Rosa is a great place to start. I understand that letting yourself go between training camps is a pretty common occurrence, but my word, Rosa looked awful against Beltran. Even though he’s definitely better suited at 205 pounds, the fact that he hasn’t made the cut in a long time and the fact that he was around 240 last time out doesn’t fill me with confidence. Lucas’ impressive record is, like a lot of guys’, built on weak competition, but he seems to have solid takedowns and decent power in his hands. No matter how much I want to stick to my tradition of picking guys who are proven against at least decent opposition, I can’t get Rosa’s last fight out of my head. Prediction: Lucas via second round technical knockout The two best heavyweights on the planet duking it out and we get to see it for free. It doesn’t get any better than this, Maniacs. Remember, MMAmania.com will deliver up-to-the minute, blow-by-blow coverage of all the fights on Facebook, which will also be available on FoxSports.com. The online portion will also feature several other intriguing match ups, including a potential number one lightweight contender eliminator match between Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson. For all the UFC on FOX 1 fight card updates, news and notes check out our complete event archive right here.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, kid, semerzier

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Nick Diaz is probably the loudest voice in MMA about the difference between paydays in this sport and boxing. Every time Diaz talks about his situation in life he laments the fact that he could be making millions in boxing. While boxing has nice paydays, much better on the undercard than many realize, it takes success to get to the big money. No different than MMA. And that seems to be the point Dana White was making at the UFC 138 press conference: Quotes from the video (transcribed by MMA Mania): "From 2001-2006, we were almost $50 million in the hole. Over that time, not one fighter ever got paid late, no check bounced, no employee at Zuffa, ever. The Fertitta brothers funded this thing for that long. In 2006 we started turning a profit. From 2006-2011, I can't remember what the number is, but it's like 40-something millionaires. 40-something millionaires, 20-something multi, multimillionaires and the list goes on and on. That's from 2006-2011. Boxing's been around for 100 years. It was a mainstream sport before there was television. What we've been able to do, in that much time, is pretty phenomenal." There is also a lot more politically at play with boxing money. This is what people seem to miss. HBO and Showtime are bidding and paying huge broadcast rights fees to put a Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fight on PPV. The UFC does not have that same kind of situation serving as a strong backbone of the money they're putting out. It's also why the idea that Diaz was going to make more in his boxing match with Jeff Lacy than he would have in the UFC is false. There was no bidding war for the rights fees and no demand for PPV to take a cut from. Going through an independent PPV source meant much less money and a payday around $175k as I reported previously.

Posted in: ufc, time, boxing, money, something

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Filed under: UFCI don't know if it was the tape-delay or the lack of big names on the card, but UFC 138 hardly felt like a genuine numbered event by the time it hit Spike TV on Saturday night. It was more like a really good Fight Night event, complete with the same few video game and credit report ads over and over and over again. At least now if I wake up in the middle of the night and realize I have sleepwalked to Wal-Mart to buy Assassin's Creed, I'll know who to blame. But now that the paychecks and the concussions have been handed out and another one is in the books, let's sort through the wreckage to find the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between. Biggest Winner: Mark Munoz It was the cut over Leben's eye that stopped the fight, but it was Munoz's pace and power that put it there. Every punch Munoz threw was a home run swing, and it's hard not to wonder if his relentless pressure didn't help to convince Leben that maybe it wasn't a great idea to try and fight on through the mask of blood. If I had plasma obstructing my vision in one eye, I'm not sure I'd want to march back out into that hurricane again either. It's a great victory for Munoz, but does he really think he's ready for a title shot? He's won four straight against an increasingly impressive list of victims, but it would be hard to put him ahead of guys like Chael Sonnen or the winner of the Michael Bisping-"Mayhem" Miller bout. At 33, I realize he doesn't have years to wait around for his chance, but he needs at least one more high-profile win before he deserves a crack at the gold. If he continues to improve at his current pace, he might really be able to do something with the opportunity by then. Biggest Loser: Chris Leben Something about being stopped between rounds just doesn't seem to fit with the Leben mystique. No matter how legitimate it is, that's not how "The Crippler" is supposed to go out. He's supposed to keep plodding forward, keep deflecting blows with his skull, keep tossing back haymakers of his own until someone is down and out. For him to be stopped by a cut and look almost grateful for it to be over, it just feels wrong. There were rumors of a disastrous weight cut for Leben, so maybe he was genuinely glad to get out of there. Whatever the cause, he's now lost two of his last three, with the lone win coming against the guy who Dana White says should quit. When we talked last week and Leben expressed his belief that this was essentially a number one contender bout, I asked him how he'd feel about it if he never got a title shot in the UFC. What if he retired as the brawler who people loved to watch, but who never even got a close-up look at a belt? "You know what?" Leben said. "Actually I am fine with that. At this point in my career I want to fight epic fights and have great battles." Saturday night in Birmingham was probably a battle he'd rather forget. With a very few exceptions, epic fights typically don't end on the stool between rounds. Just What the Little Guys Needed: Renan Barao and Brad Pickett We hear plenty of griping about the lack of finishes in the lighter weight classes, but Barao and Pickett both showed up intent on damaging someone's frontal lobe. When guys get into exchanging power shots like that, you know it will only be a matter of time until someone's consciousness flickers. The beautiful knee from Barao turned out to be the difference-maker, and he did a great job of capitalizing on Pickett's woozy state in order to sink in the choke. Before the bout, Pickett said he couldn't tell just how good Barao was, since he hadn't faced tough competition yet. That was a fair assessment at the time, but now we know: this kid is good. Pickett knows it too, just like he knows that maybe he should have been a little more worried about Barao's stand-up game after all. Most Overly Ambitious Debut: Papy Abedi The story coming out of Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg during the broadcast was that Abedi had turned down lesser names in order to make his UFC debut against veteran welterweight Thiago Alves. If that's true, it should serve as one more reminder that hubris comes with a price in this business. Abedi was game enough, and he certainly wasn't afraid of Alves. At least, not until a couple well-placed hooks had him doing the stanky leg. If you're going to fight in the UFC, I suppose you'd better think of yourself as someone who's capable of hanging with the best and the toughest, but does that mean you have to do it right away? Your first time in the Octagon might be difficult enough without a guy like Alves standing across from you. Sooner or later, you'll have to fight guys like him, but why not wait and do it when you're getting paid like a veteran rather than a rookie? Abedi showed everyone that he's got guts. Next time, maybe he should work on showing them that he's got brains, too. Most Ado About Nothing: Thiago Alves' weight With his history, it's understandable for people to freak out when he shows up on the scales a pound heavy. This is the same guy who got within a half-pound of making weight for his rematch with Jon Fitch, but ultimately decided to pay Fitch 20 percent of his purse rather than jump back in the sauna. But Mike Dolce, Alves' nutritionist, swears they didn't have any trouble stripping off that last pound while still keeping Alves in prime condition this time. With as good as he looked against Abedi, I believe it. He was calm, patient, and violently efficient. Most importantly, he didn't look like he'd left his best stuff on the scale this time. Alves once told me (while we were sitting down to a great big lunch, appetizers and all) that the thing he hated most about fighting was the diet. He talked about a post-MMA life where he could eat whatever, whenever in the same wistful tones that insurance agents talk about retiring to play golf all day. It's no wonder that weight has been a struggle for him, but with Dolce he finally seems to have that part of his life under control. Next area of emphasis for "The Pitbull"? Takedown defense. Most Resilient: Anthony Perosh What's a 39-year-old Australian with a 12-6 career record doing riding a two-fight win streak in the UFC's light heavyweight division? Beats me, but Perosh just won't go away quietly. He still seems uncomfortable on his feet, and it's incredibly hard to imagine that he and Jon Jones are even in the same weight class, much less fighting for the same organization. Still, Perosh has legitimately dangerous ground game, even if he lacks the wrestling skills to reliably get the fight there. Diabate all but took himself down early in the second, and that was all the opening Perosh needed. He's every bit as patient and methodical on the mat as he is awkward and tentative on the feet. That was good enough for a win over Diabate, but how far can this middle-aged "Hippo" go with this relatively limited skill set? I have no idea, though he seems intent on finding out. Quickest Comeback: Terry Etim After more than a year and a half out of the cage, Etim's return was over in just 17 seconds. Not only is that not enough time to knock off the ring rust, it's not even enough time to work up a sweat. It was obvious right away that Etim and Eddie Faaloloto were simply not operating on the same level, so maybe it's good that it ended so quickly. Any longer and things might have gotten very ugly for Faaloloto, who simply can't be long for the UFC after that performance. It's good to have Etim back, but can we please get a translator in there for his post-fight remarks? I listened closely and tried my best to pick out a few familiar words, but it was like trying to read something in a dream. Whatever language he was speaking, it was just familiar enough to be frustrating. Most Perfunctory Win: Michihiro Omigawa His decision victory over Jason Young wasn't the prettiest or the most exciting fight you'll ever see, but Omigawa needed that one in a bad way. He snapped his two-fight losing streak in the UFC and learned that not all judges are as blind as the ones who handed him a loss against Darren Elkins, so perhaps it was more of a psychological boost than anything else. Now that Omigawa finally has a UFC win under his belt, now he needs to prove that he can do more than just barely edge one out. It's great that he's halted his slide, but it means the opponents will only get tougher. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, leben, he

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) just completed another fantastic weekend of fights with UFC 138: "Leben vs. Munoz," which took place at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England on Sat., Nov. 5, 2011. As usual, there were knockouts, submissions and fights that ended up having to be decided by the judges. We oohed. We aahed. We watched fights on Facebook, then waited several hours to watch the rest of them via tape delay on Spike TV later in the evening. All in all, the main card delivered, despite the pre-event groans and moans from mixed martial arts (MMA) fans and pundits alike who thought it was rubbish. Now that we've had time to fully digest what has happened and witness the aftermath in its entirety, it's time to re-visit the mountain-tops and the valleys of the UFC's most recent offering. We have laid out the big winners and the lowliest of losers from UFC 138: "Leben vs. Munoz" in the extended entry below.  Drumroll please ...: WINNERS Mark Munoz -- This is a no-brainer, folks. Munoz has been called overrated (not by us, of course). His three-fight win streak could have been called a fluke. Some had even said he wasn't facing top caliber guys. He's just a wrestler, right? Not so fast. At UFC 138, Munoz took some huge left hands from "The Crippler," but he kept right on moving. He didn't panic, he didn't stray from the game plan. He was calm, cool and collected. People are going to say that he didn't beat Chris Leben at his best. True or not, that's not Munoz's problem. He beat who was placed in front of him and decidedly so. He probably won't get his requested title shot next, but he's knocking on the door. One more impressive victory over a top five contender and his friendship with current middleweight champion Anderson Silva may just be put to the test. Michihiro Omigawa -- I understand his fight was not one of the most fun to watch on the card. He didn't get a finish or make any highlight reels with crazy, athletic moves we've never seen before. The reason this was such a big deal was because of the desperation involved. He shouldn't have lost to Darren Elkins. Let's call a spade a spade. He won that fight. Regardless, his record shows a big "L" on it. You can't be a prospect forever. At some point, the UFC expects guys to earn their way off the Facebook "Prelims." A loss to Jason Young would have likely sent Omigawa packing. To boot, "Shotgun" is no sucker. The guy is solid. Omigawa used solid grappling and top control to do what he had to do to get the victory. His back was against the wall, but he should have some breathing room now. Maybe Japanese MMA isn't dead yet? Thiago Alves -- Alves was favored coming into this fight. He was facing a guy, in Papy Abedi, who was making his Octagon debut. No big deal, right? Rewind a bit. Coming into this bout, Alves had lost three of his last four fights (and the win came in a razor-thin decision victory over John Howard, a fighter who is no longer employed by Zuffa). He's had well-documented problems making the 170-pound weight limit. It seemed, for a moment, that he had trouble again this time (before it was revealed that the problem had to do with an improperly calibrated scale). Like Omigawa, Alves needed a win. Abedi had nothing to lose and everything to gain. He came out with his head high and chest puffed out. He wanted to tame the "Pitbull" and embarrass him in the process. Alves walked through some big shots, returned fire, put himself in dominant position then finished his opponent, looking like the Alves of old. Don't get it twisted. This doesn't put him back in title contention or anywhere near it, but it does get him off the hotseat for a minute. Terry Etim -- On Saturday night, Etim landed the second fastest guillotine submission in UFC history -- Oleg Taktarov holds the official record with a nine-second guillotine submission victory against Anthony Macias -- when he grabbed hold of opponent Eddie Faaloloto's neck and got him to tap with only 17 seconds gone off the clock in the opening round. It was fast. It was beautiful. It was shocking to watch. I had to rewind it several times because I almost didn't believe it. Standing guillotines are rare. This was a different animal altogether. Afterward, Etim was awarded the "Submission of the Night" award for the fourth time in his UFC career. Look, I'm not trying to tell fighters how to handle their business. I'm just a writer. But if you're a UFC fighter and you have to step into the cage with Etim, you might wanna watch your neck. Just saying. Renan Barao -- Brad Pickett was the hometown hero. He came in with a ton of hype. He beat Demetrious Johnson, remember? Barao had everything against him, including the crowd. Technique can sometimes trump all else. Barao has got some wicked technique. For little more than four minutes, Barao and Pickett exchanged furiously. It was like watching a high-level table tennis match, except the ping-pong balls were 135-pound men in this instance. Barao was a man on a mission. He had an answer for everything Pickett threw at him. Everyone knew Barao had a slick ground game, but on Saturday night, he showed that his striking abilities are no joke, either. Barao is now unbeaten in his last 28 fights and hasn't lost since 2005. Bantamweights: You're on red alert. This guy is for real. LOSERS Chris Leben -- It pains me to have just typed his name. I love Leben. He always brings it. He's given fans some amazing fights in his career and has earned a ton of faithful followers in the process. On Saturday night, he just didn't have his "A" game. Rumors are now flying around that he may have had a drastic 21-pound weight cut in the 24 hours leading up to his fight. If that's true, it's hard to blame him for not being able to perform at his best. The flipside of the coin is that he's a professional fighter. If he really had to cut that much weight in that small a window of time, that's just insane. One way or the other, he didn't properly prepare for this fight and that's just sad. "The Crippler's" biggest enemy has always been himself. He's not a loser in the big picture. I believe he'll rebound. But, Saturday night will certainly be a night that Leben regrets for a long time to come. Eddie Faaloloto -- In three UFC fights, Faaloloto has been finished each time. Two of the three losses came in the very first round. At some point, your game needs to evolve to the state where your name on a card doesn't equal some sort of fight bonus for the guy who is fighting you. It's too bad, but the fight game is cutthroat and Dana White doesn't play. You lose three fights in a row, you generally get your walking papers. It may be time to look into some smaller shows again to re-invent his game to the point where it's UFC-worthy. Spike TV -- This was a great card. It would have been awesome to see the whole thing in its entirety, uninterrupted. But egos were involved and Spike and the UFC seem intent on sticking it to each other. The UFC didn't promote this card. Spike split it up and made it hard to watch. The only people who seemed interested in selling the event were the fighters themselves. Ratings wise, UFC 138 did alright, but it could have done much better. The UFC will be fine, but I feel like Spike hurt itself more than they hurt Uncle Dana and the Ferttita brothers with its "strategy." That's all we got. Tell us what we got wrong. What does your list of winners and losers look like? Bring on your comments, good or bad. We can take it. To check out complete UFC 138 results and detailed blow-by-blow coverage click here. 

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, barao, didnt

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Last night (Sat., Nov. 5, 2011), Thiago Alves rocked Octagon newcomer Papy Abedi before locking in a submission inside the first round at UFC 138: "Leben vs. Munoz" at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England. And he made look easy. It wasn't, though. Far from it, in fact, as Alves has gone through a great deal of turmoil ever since challenging for the welterweight championship back in July 2009 at the historic UFC 100 event.  A loss to Jon Fitch in his rebound fight is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. But his missing weight for that bout was and it had his employers telling him he needed to move up to middleweight. And the fans slowly started to turn against him. A win over John Howard quelled that talk for a short time but a follow up loss to Rick Story, a fight he was supposed to win, had fans wondering if the old "Pitbull" had lost all his bite. Then, another weight issue before last night's fight against Abedi had the world ready to tear his head off. Even with the rather simple explanation, fans were ready to wash their hands and be rid of him if he couldn't get it done. But he's not amateur and he performed incredibly under pressure. That's partially because he's been through it all at this point. His new attitude? Bring it on! "Yeah, you know, I've been through some tough spots," Alves explained at the UFC 138 post-fight press conference. "But, that's just life and the way it happens. This fight was very special for me because I put in a lot of work. It opened my eyes to a lot of things. So, I'm very happy and very prepared for whatever comes next.... I think the more time you spend in this sport, you find more ways to get get, somehow, some way. You stop thinking about the bad stuff. It's just life. Sometimes you got to go through the bad stuff to get better. And that's where I am right now. I've been through all of it and I'm ready. I'm very excited. Bring it on!" After his performance last night, Alves has every reason to feel like he can take on the world. Abedi opened the fight aggressive, looking to bully his opponent by pushing him up against the cage and keeping the pressure on. Alves, however, is a seasoned veteran and he knows how to handle himself in such adverse situations. Which is why he was able to remain patient and explode when the time was right for a near knockout that he turned into his first submission win under the Zuffa banner. Seriously impressive. So what's next for "The Pitbull," who seemingly has the bite to go with the bark once again? Maybe not the world, but a top tier welterweight will do.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, im, alve

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Rundown of post-fight news and notes from UFC 138… — 10,823 UFC fans filled the LG Arena in Birmingham, England for a $1.5 million live gate — Terry Etim took home an extra $70,000 for finishing Edward Faaloloto with a guillotine seconds into the fight. Che Mills picked up the KO bonus for taking Chris Cope out with a knee and strikes. Renan Barao and Brad Pickett earned Fight of the Night honors for packing 15 minutes worth of action into four. — Following his victory over Chris Leben in his main event, Mark Munoz politely declared that he wants to fight his “friend” and former training partner Anderson Silva for the middleweight title. Munoz reaffirmed that at the press conference. “I trained with Anderson,” Munoz said at Saturday’s post-event presser. “He’s a good friend of mine. I came to the UFC because I want to be the best, and unfortunately, he has the belt. “For me, I would love to be a world champ, and that’s what I train for. That’s why I’m in this organization. This is the best organization in the world, and I want to be a world champ in this organization. All respect goes to him, but at the same time, I want to get that top spot.” Munoz then described a “Bruce Lee moment” he once had with Silva. “I was a guy who was coming up the ranks, and I was just teaching [Silva] wrestling as much as I could,” Munoz said. “I was teaching him and pouring all my knowledge in the sport (of wrestling). I’ve been in the sport for 20 years. I was pouring into him, pouring into him. I had a Bruce Lee moment with him. “The first time I trained with him, he held pads for me in Muay Thai. Then he took off the pads. He told me to take off the gloves, and in his broken English, he said, ‘Kneel down.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ He kneeled down in the middle of the cage. He told me to kneel down, and I’m like, ‘What are we doing right now?’ He was like, ‘Mark, when you fight, no fight. No fight. Fight angry. No good. You play. OK? Play.’ “But I got what he was talking about because when you go into the fight with negative emotions, you’re going to fight with that emotion instead of fighting your gameplan – instead of fighting intellectually. I kind of got what he was talking about, and when I trained with him, I trained with him a lot. I kind of got his mentality.” Dana White’s thoughts on Mark Munoz as a possible title contender: “I think [Munoz] has won some fights. He’s won some tough fights, and we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.” — After Thiago Alves took care of business against UFC newcomer Papy Abedi last night, Alves told reporters that he made it through his rough patch and is looking forward to brighter times ahead. “I’ve been through some tough spots, but that’s just life, the way it happens,” he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) after the fight. “This fight was very special for me because I put in a lot of work and opened my eyes to a lot of things. I’m very happy. I’m very prepared for whatever comes next.” “I think the more time you spend in this sport, you find more ways to get motivated some way, somehow,” he said. “You stop thinking about the bad stuff. It’s just life. Sometimes you have to go through stuff to get better. That’s where I think I am right now. “I came through all of it, and I’m ready. I’m very excited. Bring it on.” — Following his thrilling victory over Brad Pickett, Renan Barao didn’t mince words about why he is fighting in the UFC. “The objective is this: When you come up here to the UFC, it’s to fight for the title,” he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through a translator. “I’m ready any time.” Urijah Faber or Brian Bowles may be on deck for Dominick Cruz but after his performance last night, Barao probably isn’t far behind. — We already covered it, but it looks like Josh Koscheck vs. Carlos Condit is in the works for UFC 143. — Dana White couldn’t get out of England before a reporter asked him if he’s changed his tune on Paul Daley yet, and guess what, he kinda did. “The Strikeforce-Showtime deal isn’t done yet,” White said. “We’ll see what happens with that first. I just have a hard time with what Daley did.” “It’s not like Daley’s been so friendly since that happened, either,” White said. “Plus, he hasn’t won. The guy’s got to win some fights. “Any guy who loses in the UFC or other promotions, you lose, and you go get some wins somewhere else and come back.” “I’m not a fan, to be honest,” White said. “You know that.” What Dana didn’t say was “Paul Daley will never fight in the UFC again” like he usually does when someone asks him that question, so maybe there’s a chance if Daley racks up a couple wins. Video via MMA Weekly

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, daley, munoz

Read the full article at MMA Convert

If you're a fan of the classic striker vs. grappler mixed martial arts fights, UFC 138: "Leben vs. Munoz," going down today (Sat., Nov. 5, 2011) in Birmingham, England, had you covered. That's because a light heavyweight battle was booked pitting Muay Thai specialist Cyrille Diabate against submission artist Anthony Perosh. Something had to give when they met in the center of the Octagon. As it turns out, that would end up being "The Snake's" neck, as Perosh used his superior jiu-jitsu to take Diabate to the mat and choke him until he tapped. That makes two submission wins for the Australian grappler in the 205-pound division. "I'm here to stay at light heavyweight," Perosh said. He sure is. The fight opened with Perosh on his bicycle, looking to avoid the long reach of his 6'6'' opponent. It worked for a short time, too, until Diabate decided to lunge in and do some damage. "The Hippo" had a great deal of trouble finding his range and each one of his takedown attempts were stuffed by the longer Frenchman. Even pulling guard was a bad decision, what with Diabate landing heavy blows on the ground. Eventually, though, Perosh did, in fact, get the fight to the mat in an advantageous position. He looked for submissions but wasn't aggressive enough to truly attack with one, ending the round on top after having gotten blown away for four minutes. The second round featured the same narrative. Diabate using his reach and superior striking to attempt to keep Perosh at bay, while Perosh worked to get Diabate to the floor. Only this time, the Australian accomplished his task within the first minute instead of the last. He quickly showed why that was the plan coming in, as he took full mount and eventually got Diabate's back. The ensuing rear-naked choke failed but he also locked in an arm triangle on the other side. Finally, Perosh took his back again, flattened him out, landed some ground-n-pound and locked in the rear-naked choke once again. This time the tap came and he's 2-0 at light heavyweight inside the Octagon. Watch out for "The Hippo!" To check out MMAmania.com's LIVE UFC 138 results post, which includes up-to-the-minute, blow-by-blow coverage of EVERY fight click here.

Posted in: fight, time, light, perosh, diabate

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Why is this man "very happy" every time he speaks? Does he know something we don't? MMA Nation's Luke Thomas tries to solve the serendipitous puzzle that is Junior Dos Santos right here.

Posted in: time, nation, something, dont, serendipitous puzzle

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFC, NewsSince making the UK market a priority a few years ago, the UFC visited the country eight times between 2007 and 2010. And even though shows there have tended to do big business, 2011 nearly came and went without a return, until the promotion managed to wedge one into the final stretches of a hectic schedule. While some in those parts have claimed they've been neglected, UFC executives say they have already planned another event for the UK in 2012, and possibly a second. "It's still a work in progress but it's a work we're prepared to do, committed to do," UFC managing director of international development Marshall Zelaznik said on Thursday. "Dana and Lorenzo are coming. We're committed to this market. We love coming here. The fans have been very supportive ... We're not giving up on this market and you can expect to see us here next year and I hope more times in the years to come." The UFC has faced some troubles in the market due to unstable television contracts that have "disjointed" programming in Zelaznik's words, but each time they've brought the show to town, fans have turned out in droves. During the UFC 138 pre-fight press conference, he announced that Saturday's UFC 138 event, headlined by Mark Munoz vs. Chris Leben,at the LG Arena in Birmingham, would set a gate record. Because of time zone differences, North American TV audience sizes are often affected by events held in Europe as well, though Zelaznik did not mention that as a factor in their scheduling decisions. The UFC's ambitious international schedule -- Scotland and Italy are two European nations they've spoken of visiting in 2012 -- is ultimately to blame, according to the company. There are only so many shows they can produce, leaving someone, somewhere disappointed as a result. "In a perfect world we'd be here more times a year, but as you know, you've heard our mantra, we're trying to get everywhere, and there's a lot of pressure to bring the event everywhere around the world," he said. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, event, year, market

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

You can admit it – it’s always been nice to think of Chris Leben as the guy who missed his cab to the airport, sprinted to the gate, got on the plane to his fight, ran off that plane, and then showed up in just enough time to put his gloves on and scrap.But he’s not that guy. In fact, he never was, but there was always the idea that The Ultimate Fighter season one cast member didn’t put too much thought behind the other parts of being a professional athlete, that he was all about the fight, and nothing else, and from that end of things, he rarely disappointed.But these days (and maybe before as well, but he’s finally going on record about it), Leben makes it clear that to be successful in this sport, being tough ain’t enough. Take his trip to England for this Saturday’s UFC 138 main event against Mark Munoz for example. Stuck with a hellacious trip from Hawaii to Birmingham, Leben made it a point to get on site last Thursday to make his final preparations for the fight, a key decision for a number of reasons.“One is your sleep schedule,” said Leben. “That’s a big one, so we came over a little bit early to get acclimated. Two, when you’re dealing with such a long flight and so much travel time, especially when you get on that plane after training hard, the blood settles down in your legs and your feet swell up a bit, so getting your body moving and getting it back to normal after the travel, that’s another one. And three, the food is a little different than it is in Hawaii, so we had to make the proper adjustments to my diet plan, figuring out what we were gonna have access to and what we needed to bring with us. You have to make all those different calculations.”Yeah, this is the same Chris Leben we all know and love. So let’s just call it a refined version of “The Crippler,” one who has learned that to make the most out of his career, he had to look at himself and be honest in his subsequent assessment.“You have to know yourself, and one thing I know is just how much to trust myself and just how much I can’t trust myself, and that’s part of the reason I bring coaches out now for over a month before my fight, and it’s also part of the reason I leave a little early,” he said. “I get out and get my head cleared and get ready to go to battle.”Against Munoz, he will be in for a battle, and one scheduled for five rounds, the first time ever in the UFC for a non-title bout. And while most expect the bout to end far before 25 minutes are up, given the styles and knockout power both men possess, in this sport anything is possible, so Leben has made sure to prepare to go the distance, which is yet another wrinkle added to his training camp that has forced him to prepare not only physically, but mentally.“The day before I left (for Birmingham), I did five fives with fresh guys, and it takes a lot more to get ready for,” he said. “The hardest part is that you’re training and conditioning as hard as you possibly can and then they say, ‘get ready for ten more minutes,’ what do you do differently? So there has been some gameplan restructure and some changes in my diet to help bring my cardio up another notch and help me maintain a consistent pace through a 25 minute bout.”Thankfully, Leben has had a full training camp for this bout, which follows his 27 second knockout of one his fighting heroes, Wanderlei Silva, in July. Given the method of victory and his admiration of Silva, the win was an emotional one, which makes you wonder whether it was difficult for him to recharge the batteries for Munoz.“It hasn’t been hard because I’ve been real motivated,” he said. “Especially after a good win streak and then a tough loss against Brian Stann, winning against Wanderlei reminds me what I can accomplish if I put my mind to it, and how dangerous it is to let your guard down in this sport. I did that a little bit against Stann and I paid for it, so with Munoz, we’ve definitely been training harder than ever, we’re coming out here early to get prepared, and the nice thing about coming out here early is that it gets me away from my life. It’s just me, my team, and we’re here to fight, so I have nothing from now until fight day but to focus on that 25 minute bout.”And getting back into the Octagon for the third time this year was an important thing for Leben, who was 2010’s Comeback Fighter of the Year for snapping a 3-5 stretch with three straight wins over Jay Silva, Aaron Simpson, and Yoshihiro Akiyama, the latter two bouts coming within two weeks of each other. This year, he is currently 1-1, and looking to make it 2-1 this weekend. And when it comes to preparation, he has no complaints.“I wanted to make sure I had proper time to prepare for my next fight,” said Leben of the time following the Silva victory. “I didn’t want to jump right into something and I definitely didn’t want to have another Akiyama situation come up. But at the same time, it’s important for me to stay active; otherwise I would have let myself go too far.”Every little bit counts against a fighter like Munoz, a former NCAA Division I wrestling champion who has developed a sound striking game that makes him dangerous wherever the fight goes. But when you’re talking about Leben, he’ll only go to the ground if necessary.“He’s a tough wrestler,” said Leben of Munoz. “His hands are coming along. In the WEC he was more of a wrestler, and now we’re seeing more of a martial artist. But I think he’s still probably got a little bit of a ways to go, and I hope to exploit some of those holes in his game. But the biggest thing about Munoz is his heart and determination. I’ve seen him get rocked and I’ve seen him stay in it and come back from being close to out and win those fights. I know that he’s gonna refuse to lose, so I’m gonna have to put him away.” Now that’s the old Chris Leben talking, and for all his attention to detail in the lead-up to this important battle, he is still that guy who grits his teeth, puts his chin down and swings for the fences when the bell rings. The only difference is that he knows that the more times he can walk out of the Octagon with his hand raised, the more he will establish himself as a contender and not just as an entertaining gatekeeper. And if he has his way, this fight just may be the one to do the trick.“The UFC sometimes viewed me in the role of the gatekeeper, and I hate that,” he said. “I’d like them to view me in the role of a number one contender, especially after taking this first five round (non-title) fight. If I go out there and win in decisive fashion, that’s five (wins) out of six (bouts), and I feel I definitely should be the number one contender. And if they give me that fight, I’d be pretty happy about it for sure.”

Posted in: fight, time, bout, leben, munoz

Read the full article at UFC

UFC 138 About to Go DownI have a great team around me right now! Feel blessed to have the guys here! @EllenbergerMMA @KSOSufc @kings_mma @OnePunchDist  -Mark MuñozThanks to all my fans. It took a little longer than we tough but like always work on brazilian time ;) ha. Time to feed the Pitbull! @ufc   -Thiago AlvesAlmost there couple pounds to go yfrog.com/nzymuzj  -Brad PickettTweet it out, BoysJust watched my last fight for the first time. Damn, I was awful.  -Dan Hardy@danhardymma if you wanna feel better about yourself watch my fight with @amirMMA lol it would be a pick me up ha ha ha   -DaMarques Johnson@DaMarques_UFC to be fair you called me dumb I think.   -Amir Sadollah@amirMMA you are tougher cooler and drive a nicer car than me. Just let me have the dumb comment lol but don't hit me k?!?  -DaMarques JohnsonWho’d’ve Thunk It?.@TheMandyMoore is pumped for @UFConFOX! bit.ly/tMKqnx  -Dana WhiteThe Weight is the Hardest PartCutting weight sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   -Che MillsWho needs bacon cheese burgers when you can eat an eggwhite omelet Mmm I <3 Diets. FML #CUTTING WEIGHT @Jimmie_Rivera @ufc  @LouGaudinotUFC  -Nick PaceBest thing about being a heavyweight: no weight cutting: which equals some #paninis  -Stipe MiocicRonda Rousey –The Pretty Bill MaherJust saw a homeless guy yelling at his shadow...by groundhog standards I think we're in for 6 more weeks of recession   -Ronda RouseyNutrition Talk with the DannysDear Lady at the gas station, Im not tryna tell u how2raise ur kid, but feeding ur 3 yr old "Funyuns" is bad parenting! #ObesityInAmerica   -Danny Castillo@lastcall155 don't you get a serving of vegetables from Funyons?  -Daniel DownesCareer & Finance Talk with Big CountryJust broke up high school street fight @ bus stop.Trying educate the kids get paid 4 that $h!T Retweet @ufc @renzograciebjj @georgesstpierre  -Roy NelsonCompetitive Tweeting Most creative tweets: @ForrestGriffin @JoeLauzon @SmoothOne155 (Benson Henderson) and @JoeB135 (Joseph Benavidez). Each bonus worth 5K! -UFCBig Day. I won the UFC twitter bonus for most creative, and I am on the cover of this coming month's Fight! magazine. -Joe LauzonCub's All Growns Up@ufc What does a guy have to do to get a B-day tweet?  -Cub SwansonUFC 137 Tweet AftermathA proud @CesarGracieBJJ pic.twitter.com/pbh6HTB1  -Diaz BrothersMy legacy - 2 time UFC champion, dedicated father, bestselling author. How will you #LeaveYourLegacy? @assassinscreed  -BJ PENN@danawhite Thanks to UFC for making Diaz fight happen- it's the fight I want. Thanks to Carlos as well. See you all Super Bowl weekend.  -Georges St-Pierrelockerz.com/s/151639048 Who is this guy?? -Roy Nelson@verafied great job bro thx for the fight  -Eliot MarshallGood news everyone!Hand is good, just need to rest it till dec 15 :) so planning on getting back in the @ufc octagon feb/mar some time #fb  -Bart PalaszewskiGood thing I didn't get to talk to @joerogan after my fight, I was going to call out @MattMitrione since he called me out, let's do this!  -Ramsey NijemThank you everyone for your support. I guess it just wasn't my night. I always try to bring an exciting fight. I love fighting for @ufc  -Chris Camozzi

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, guy, fight i

Read the full article at UFC

submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [comment]

Posted in: mattyblayze link, mattyblayze, time, sport, mma

Read the full article at Reddit

"For me to take two hits to land one, that's a calibrated risk that I've taken. It's generally in my gameplan because if I can get that guy suckered into thinking he can hit me a few times, a put my head down -- catch a few on top of the head -- and then come back up with an uppercut … BANG! You know? Lights out for him. Everybody can say I'm a brawler and, 'Oh, Chris got lucky.' Every time I go on [the Internet] after a win, it's always, 'Chris got lucky or I landed a wild shot.' How many wild shots can you really land? How many times can you really be lucky? This is my 21st fight in the UFC and I'm still around. I must be doing something right." Chris Leben has a message for all the folks who think he's a lucky, one-trick punching pony: His seemingly reckless style is all part of his master plan. During his time with the promotion the "Crippler" has compiled an impressive record (12-6), with seven of those victories coming via strikes. Will he get "lucky" again in the UFC 138 main event against Mark Munoz or will the "Filipino Wrecking Machine" resist the urge to get suckered into Leben's trap and walkaway victorious? To check out the first episode of Chris Leben's UFC 138 video blog click here.

Posted in: ufc, time, chri, time i, leben

Read the full article at MMA Mania

There was a certain expectation in the minds of hardcore fans when Japanese featherweight kingpin Hatsu Hioki stepped into the Octagon this past Saturday at UFC 137 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Many of us hoped for a definitive answer to a question while others sought to lay more bricks onto the foundation of an argument that has become more prevalent as time has passed. Can Japanese fighters compete with their American counterparts? Over the past few years, the answer has been a resounding no. Nearly every single high-level Japanese mixed martial artist who trains extensively in the Land of the Rising Sun has failed in the UFC, leading to even broader generalizations such as the notion that Japanese MMA is dead. The USAT/MMA Nation consensus #2-ranked featherweight was supposed to, at least for one night, calm those fears. His perceived victim, The Ultimate Fighter season eight contestant George Roop, didn't play the part, however, giving Hioki all he could handle for three rounds and nearly pulling off his second consecutive upset. Fortunately for Hioki, two judges awarded him the win. During the post-fight interview, Hioki touched upon the generalization that many of us have made about Japanese MMA: "I want to say something to the world, even though we are in a tough situation, Japanese MMA is not dead," Hioki stated. "It's time to change." Hioki is right. Japanese MMA isn't dead by any stretch of the imagination, nor will it ever actually cease to exist. Most fans understand that the exaggerated message is a less verbose way of saying it's at a low point. Among most fans, however, the verbal jabs and arguments are specific to the lack of evolution. We've talked in great lengths about this subject in the past. Japan doesn't have the infrastructure to consistently create quality mixed martial arts fighters. A lacking amateur circuit, inadequate training facilities, lessened knowledge, and the absence of top-flight coaches in vital fighting arts like wrestling make it almost impossible for Japanese fighters to compete against the best fighters in the world. It's time to change. Luckily for those of us hoping to see the underdog one day prevail, the wheels are already in motion for a momentous comeback. More Japanese fighters are traveling overseas and away from homes to improve. Hatsu Hioki trained under Firas Zahabi at Tristar Gym in the lead-up to Saturday's contest. Former Sengoku featherweight champion Masanori Kanehara has sought out the help of Greg Jackson in New Mexico after losing three of his last four fights. Akiyo Nishiura traveled to the U.S. to train with Matt Hume in the lead-up to his fight with Hideo Tokoro at DREAM 14.  Things aren't going to change for the better overnight, but breaking the stubborn practices that Japanese fighters have made in the past is a good sign. Times are changing and other Japanese fighters need to follow suit, not just for the betterment of their own careers, but for the good of the sport in Japan. In the long-term, these fighters are instrumental in helping the next generation of Japanese MMA fighters succeed. Why not instill the idea that it takes knowledge to succeed in the country's youth interested in combat sports? Obviously, this doesn't solve every problem. The stubborn mentality, however, is the outer wall of the castle. With time and proof that Japanese fighters are improving by leaps and bounds by utilizing facilities outside of the country, a shift will eventually happen. Is Japanese MMA dead? No, just behind the times. Hopefully Japanese fighters will take the path less traveled and continue evolving. Perhaps one day, in our lifetime, Japan will rise again.

Posted in: time, fighter, japanese, hioki, japanese fighters

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Who doesn't love a heartwarming tale of CroCop's retirement? Here's Stitch Duran talking to MMA Junkie: "I was at the weigh-ins, and when I saw 'Cro Cop,' he came up to me – the 'Cro Cop' I was never used to seeing in Japan, where he never spoke to anybody – he comes up and gives me a hug," Duran today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "The first thing he asks me is, 'Are you going to be able wrap my hands?' Then he tells me, 'This is going to be my last fight.' "I said, 'Oh, absolutely – especially if this is going to be your last fight. It's going to be a big honor for me to say I went in there and wrapped your hands.'""I got into the dressing room, and I got in there a little bit earlier than normal to wrap their hands," Duran said. "'Cro Cop' and I literally sat there for a good five minutes and just chatted. It's something I never really have had – and probably a lot of people haven't had – the opportunity to do."The first thing I asked him is, 'What are you going to do when you retire?' He says, 'Spend my money.' Then he turns his chair around, and we're making eye contact and talking, and he says, 'You know, 'Stitch,' I'm tired. Today is 20 years from the time that I had my first fight. My body is beat up. I've had six surgeries. I got cut six weeks ago in training. I'm tired.'""The thing that really got me, ironically, was he said, 'I've been all over the world, but I've never seen anything because I'm always in my hotel room, locked down, or I'm always in the gym. When I'm training, everything is just training, training, training. It's time for me to spend time with my family and rest,'" Duran said. "That came straight from his heart to me. I thought that was very sincere, and I was glad to be a part of that."

Posted in: time, training, cro cop, im, duran

Read the full article at Fightlinker

“I was at the weigh-ins, and when I saw ‘Cro Cop,’ he came up to me – the ‘Cro Cop’ I was never used to seeing in Japan, where he never spoke to anybody – he comes up and gives me a hug. The first thing he asks me is, ‘Are you going to be able wrap my hands?’ Then he tells me, ‘This is going to be my last fight.’… I got into the dressing room, and I got in there a little bit earlier than normal to wrap their hands. ‘Cro Cop’ and I literally sat there for a good five minutes and just chatted. It’s something I never really have had – and probably a lot of people haven’t had – the opportunity to do. The first thing I asked him is, ‘What are you going to do when you retire?’ He says, ‘Spend my money.’ Then he turns his chair around, and we’re making eye contact and talking, and he says, ‘You know, ‘Stitch,’ I’m tired. Today is 20 years from the time that I had my first fight. My body is beat up. I’ve had six surgeries. I got cut six weeks ago in training. I’m tired.’ … The thing that really got me, ironically, was he said, ‘I’ve been all over the world, but I’ve never seen anything because I’m always in my hotel room, locked down, or I’m always in the gym. When I’m training, everything is just training, training, training. It’s time for me to spend time with my family and rest.’ That came straight from his heart to me. I thought that was very sincere, and I was glad to be a part of that.” — Cutman Stitch Duran on MMA Junkie telling the story about wrapping Mirko Cro Cop’s hands for the last time Damn, that story almost brought a tear to my eye. It’s been a rough road for Mirko Cro Cop in the UFC, and while I’m sure he would have liked to finish his career on a more positive note, it’s time. I’m sure there will be “TUF noobs” that will always wonder what all the fuss was about, but whatever, Cro Cop was the man back in the day, high kicking people’s heads from the ring to the cemetery. That’s the Mirko Cro Cop I’ll always remember. As for that other guy who “retired” at UFC 137. You know, BJ Penn. He’s decided to “take some time off to enjoy life, train and teach.” Unlike Cro Cop, I think he’s still got some gas left in the tank and I’m betting BJ will come to that same conclusion after a little downtime. Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

Posted in: time, training, cro cop, cop, cro

Read the full article at MMA Convert

After dropping a decision to Nick Diaz in the main event at UFC 137 and having his eye swollen up to grotesque proportions, B.J. Penn announced his retirement from MMA in an interview with Joe Rogan. Penn has talked about retirement many times before, and the moment seemed appropriate for that sort of announcement. But today he released a statement through his webpage BJPenn.com, and it might have opened the door to a return just a tiny bit: "I want to thank all the fans for their love and support. I have decided to take some time off to enjoy life, train and teach. I will keep you guys posted with what's next." - BJ Penn "Take some time off" and "retire" are very different things. Could we see Penn back in the cage someday? He is definitely still a top guy in the sport and is only 32 years old, so it's possible. Whatever he decides to do, he's a surefire Hall of Famer. I wonder how long it will take for the UFC to jump on that idea.

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

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

It was Mircea Eliade who said that 'in imitating the exemplary acts of a god or of a mythical hero, or simply by recounting their adventures, the man of an archaic society detaches himself from profane time and magically re-enters the Great Time, the sacred time'. Of course, the 'sacred time' Eliade is referring to is undeniably the potential match-up of Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar. Every time I think of Brock Lesnar, I keep gong back to Joe Rogan's theory that Brock actually comes from a long lineage of vikings who just orgied and had sex throughout the generations to create one concentrated genetic badass that has the neck the size of that dude that broke Batman's back. Lesnar's neck is so thick scientists could drill for natural gas on that thing. That's probably why this newly released poster of UFC 141 also doubles as a UFC heavyweight measuring stick.

Posted in: time, lesnar, time i, brock, thing thats

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Filed under: UFCNow that he's had a chance to think it over, maybe B.J. Penn isn't "done" with MMA after all. In a short post on his website entitled "UFC 137: BJ Penn's Message to the Fans," the 32-year-old former UFC lightweight and welterweight champ seemed to leave the door open for a possible return to competition. "I want to thank all the fans for their love and support," Penn wrote. "I have decided to take some time off to enjoy life, train and teach. I will keep you guys posted with what's next." It's not exactly a vow to return to the cage, but it is a departure from the dejected note Penn sounded in the Octagon immediately following his unanimous decision loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 137. It's also the right move for a fighter at a career crossroads, who could certainly benefit from some time to relax and think things over. If you've been following combat sports for a while, this slight change of heart shouldn't come as a surprise. Even though Penn told UFC commentator Joe Rogan that the loss to Diaz was "probably the last time you're ever going to see me" in the cage, that statement came at an emotional time for "The Prodigy." If he does decide to come back, Penn certainly wouldn't be the first UFC star to declare himself officially retired after a loss, only to return at a later date and in a different frame of mind. Randy Couture, following his second knockout loss to Chuck Liddell at UFC 57 in February of 2006, told fans that it was the last time they'd see him fighting in the Octagon. Thirteen months later he was back to take on Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight championship, and he'd go on to compete for four more years before calling it quits (again) this past April. As anybody who's ever come home after a horrible round and golf and declared themselves done forever with the game already knows, the agony of defeat and sound decision-making don't necessarily go together. That's exactly why, even when things started heading downhill for Liddell, he always said he'd decide on retirement in the gym -- not the cage. Whatever he chooses in the end, Penn's decision not to decide just yet is the right move. He can still compete at the UFC level if he wants to, but if the fire isn't there and the upside doesn't seem worth all the pain and suffering anymore, he'd be wise to move on in life. At least now we know he'll take some well earned time away to settle on a decision. Hopefully it will be one he can live comfortably with, and without second-guessing himself years from now. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, loss, penn, right move

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

This Fan Post Was Promoted to the Front Page by Anton Tabuena [Note: many of the passages from contemporary sources contain derogatory and offensive terms in reference to various ethnic groups. While I in no way condone the viewpoints expressed with their use, I also do not condone pretending such sentiments did not exist. For that reason they have been left in and hopefully do not detract from your reading experience.] This is part four in a four part series shining a gas light on the forgotten golden age of mixed martial arts that existed during the Belle Époque. For the previous installments in the series, check out Part 1: The Golden Age of Wrestling and the Lost Art of American Catch-as-Catch-can, Part 2: The Rise of Judo and the Dawn of a New Age, and Part 3: Sherlock Holmes, Les Apaches, and the Gentlemanly Art of Self Defence. And for the history of the origins and early development of MMA, read James Figg: The Lost Origins of the Sport of Mixed Martial Arts.   The way the Ultimate Fighting Championship was created was a bunch of television guys got together and said, "Let's answer the age-old question, which fighting style is the best?" Would a boxer beat a wrestler? Would a kung fu guy beat a karate guy? - Dana White    The fact is that when started this, it didn’t exist. We started it… they didn’t know what it was… - Bob Meyrowitz, TOTAL MMA by Jonathan Snowden   Autumn of 1993 proved to be pivotal season in the history of combative sports. In September of that year Masakatsu Funaki’s Pancrase held their inaugural event, one where, for the first time in memory, professional wrestling matches were contested for real. It was only fitting that a promotion named after the ancient Greek sport of pankration, a sport that combined boxing and wrestling in an "anything goes" contest, would now be hosting matches where slams, kicks, punches, knees, elbows (but no strikes to the head  except for those with an open hand), and all the "sleeper holds", leg locks, and other submission hooks of "worked" pro wrestling would finally be used for real.   A few weeks later, on November 12, an even more significant event took place: the initial Ultimate Fighting Championship. Advertised as a "no holds barred" contest between a "sumo wrestler, savate champion, kick boxer, karate specialist, jujitsu whiz, cruiserweight prizefighter, "shootfighter" and tae kwon do expert" to find the ‘Ultimate Fighter". "People were intrigued by the concept of style versus style." Dave Meltzer explained in Total MMA,  "People have debated that forever. What if a wrestler fought a boxer or a jiu-jitsu guy?" The event would prove a success, capturing the public’s imagination and giving birth to what would be known as mixed martial arts, a sport the likes of which the world hadn’t seen since pankration went extinct 1500 years ago.   Of course, anything go matches had not died out with the Greeks and Romans, and mixed fights between boxers, wrestlers, savateurs, judokas and other disciplines had already taken place, having answered all our questions during the era known as the Belle Époque. The "age-old question" of who would win between a boxer and a wrestler is one that was actually rarely asked until the 20th century. Before that, in the time of London Prize Fighting, the two disciplines were so intertwined that such a debate would be viewed as pointless: a great number of boxers were wrestlers and a great number of wrestlers were boxers. Being skilled in wrestling was in fact viewed as essential to any boxer, with many victories gained due more to grappling and throwing your opponent to the ground than to the power or precision of one’s strikes. For evidence, one needs only look at the 1825 training manual "The Art and Practice of Boxing" by A Celebrated Pugilist (Anonymous) where they will find that of the eight illustrations contained within, nearly half are dedicated to such "boxing" techniques as the "cross bullocks", "throwing", and "locks".  Mixed competitions between wrestlers and boxers (or, more precisely, wrestlers who boxed and boxers who wrestled) did take place, but were viewed very differently than later discipline versus discipline match ups. They instead often resembled the mixed wrestling matches of the time, were wrestlers would compete in two or more styles (catch-as-catch can, collar-and-elbow, Greco-Roman, Cornish, Cumberland, Westmorland  and even sumo), alternating between them after every "fall" in a best of three or best of five contest. One such mixed boxing and wrestling match was arranged between William Muldoon and the Australian Professor William Miller in the city of Baltimore on the 25th of June, 1888. Unfortunately, only the first match of boxing was completed (with Professor Miller gaining the decision in 12-rounds over the "Solid Man" Muldoon with both men wearing 4 ounce gloves) before the police stopped the illegal prizefight. A year later in Gloucester, Maine, Muldoon faced off against his pupil, the "champion of all champions", bare-knuckle boxer John Sullivan, in the best remembered boxer versus wrester contest of this period. Muldoon had been training the "Boston Strong Boy" for his upcoming bout with Jake Kilrain, and his methods, while affective, were so harsh and sadistic that by this time John had come to despise Muldoon. The match itself was 2-out-of-3 falls and Sullivan made a good showing, gaining the first fall, but eventually, as the New York Sun reported, "Wrestling Gladiator William Muldoon tossed Pugilist Gladiator John L. Sullivan." After winning the second round, Muldoon would go on to take the third and deciding fall when "he just picked Sully up and slammed him to the carpet…the fall seemed heavy enough to shake the earth." Following his defeat Sullivan raised his fist and threatened his tormentor Muldoon with a sledgehammer blow but by this time the crowd of 2,000 spectators had rushed the ring, preventing any post-match altercations. Another famed wrestler of the period who engaged boxers was the catch-as-catch master, Joe Acton, who not only faced the previously mentioned Professor William Miller in Philadelphia in 1888 but the future World Heavyweight champion Robert "the Freckled Wonder" Fitszimmons in San Francisco in 1891 as well. The Angeles Times reported the latter outcome as: "The Pugilist Secures One Fall, but the "Little Demon" Proves Too Much for Him in the Two Other Bouts". Afterwards, Bob Fitzsimmons would himself go on to meet William Muldoon’s chosen heir to the Greco-Roman Championship, Ernest Roeber, in a series of matches that included wrestling, boxing, an alternating mixed competition, and even reportedly a true boxer versus wrestling match in which "Fitz took a punch or two. Then Roeber grabbed him, tied him into knots, and the show was over."   Apparently tired of facing superior grapplers, Fitzsimmons would meet fellow boxer Gus Ruhlin in a wrestling match in 1901 at Madison Square Garden. The two had met the year before in a gloved boxing match where Fitzsimmons proved victorious, beating Ruhlin unconscious in the 6th round, but in the interim year prize fighting had again been banned in New York forcing the two to take up the mat game full-time. The contest between them demonstrated how loose the definition for "a wrestling match" could be, especially when pugilists were involved, as the two of them freely adopted boxing tactics, "and with the exception that they didn’t close their fists, the encounter resembled in every way a boxing match."  Ruhlin would go on to avenge his earlier defeat, winning in straight falls.   With the ascension of the Marques of Queensbury Rules, boxing metamorphosed from the heavy grappling London Prize fighting to a purely striking sport. This divergence created a stark contrast between the two disciplines, causing some to now ask "which of the two would have a better chance in a fight between a wrestler and a boxer?"   In hopes of answering this question – and sell tickets - promoters soon were pitting wrestlers against boxers in either of two different sorts of matches. The first, were "all-in" professional wrestling matches were boxing tactics would be permitted as long as no close-fists were thrown.  Former boxer "Denver" Ed Martin took part in such a match against the "The Russian Giant" Jack Leon, where his strategy consisted of "slapping the Russian in the face with the open hand when he tried to rush in." The second sort were true boxer versus wrestler matches, with the boxer adhering to the Marquis of Queensbury rules while the wrestler conducted himself according to the rules for of his sport.   Matches of this sort were not limited to the United States. While mixed prizefights were forbidden by law in England (although exhibition matches were allowed), they were not banned in the rest of the Empire and proved particularly popular in the Commonwealth of Australia. An example of such a match took place in Melbourne in 1911, when a boxer, a Mr. W. Meeske, and a wrestler, a Mr. Warrington, were pitted against each other "so that those present might form some idea of which was the better method of self-defence. The boxer, who was only allowed to hit, and not to hold, got all the worst of the bout. Once only did he make much impression on the wrestler, who succeeded in getting hold and throwing him heavily several times." Many of these sorts of mixed matches were held in Australia and at one point a Clarence Weber, identified in the papers as a "champion wrestler, weight-lifter, and physical culturist", even challenged the heavyweight boxing champion of the world, Jack Johnson, to an "all-in" fight. Johnson, who had also engaged in professional wrestling matches in Europe, apparently accepted the challenge but for whatever reason (perhaps Mr. Weber came to his senses) it never materialized.   Even with the aborted Weber-Johnson duel, the answer to that "age-old question" was soon clear, as the 1918 Middle Weight Inter-Allied Games champion Paul Prehn explained:   There has been a great deal of discussion of late as to the outcome of a mixed bout between a wrestler and a boxer. The author has conducted many bouts of this kind in and out of the army, seen and heard of a great many others, and only once remembers of a boxer winning.     While the great "boxing versus wrestling debate" ended rather quickly in wrestling’s favor, another, even more passionate debate soon came to the fore between the supporters of boxing and the foreign upstart jujutsu. It started soon after Edward-Barton Wright had imported several Japanese "champions", including Yukio Tani and Sadakazu "Raku" Uyenishi, to London to assist in advertising his "New Art of Self Defense".  The two, along with the exotic jujutsu they introduced to Europe, proved to be a sensation amongst the public and their music hall appearances sparked a lively debate. In 1906 a series of articles and letters were published in "Health and Strength" Magazine (and was possibly orchestrated to publicize the magazine’s release that year of a pair of instructional manuals dealing with the two "antagonistics"), asking as to whether a boxer using the "manly British art" could beat a jujutsuka and his "arsenal of useful tricks" in a regulated contest. A letter from W.H. Hall to the editors at "Health and Strength" provides a sample of the boxing supporters thinking in regards to jujutsu: Hitherto there has been some doubt expressed as to the result of a boxing v jujitsu contest. It seems that quite a number of people labour under the erroneous idea that jujitsu is more effective than boxing as a means of self defence. This notion however, is quite unfounded, as there has never been an instance on record where jujitsu has gained a victory.    It wouldn’t take long for Mr. Hall’s statement to be proven false, for that very year Yukio Tani traveled to Paris to engage in such a boxer versus jujutsu bout at the Circus Bostoock with Marc Gaucher, "one of the best known Parisian masters of English Boxing." The rules for their match had been written up by Gaucher himself, and were to be as follows:   1. The match has to be fought in ten rounds of two minutes, with breaks of one minute in between.   2. If Yukio Tani fails in making me give up in this ten rounds, I should be the winner.   3. Twisting of fingers and catching the others eyes or genitals is forbidden; blows are only allowed to be landed above the girdle and only the normal grips of Jiu-Jitsu are permitted.   4. For me gloves with a weight of eight oz. are determined. - BOXEN UND JIU-JITSU, from the February 11th, 1906 Vienna Allgemeine Sportzeitung   Yuko Tani would see to it that the match wouldn’t see the 3rd round, let alone the 10th. In the 2nd round, after Gaucher struck him with a right to the side of the head, he seized his opponent and brought him to the ground where he quickly applied a stranglehold to end the bout. Such mixed competitions were nothing new to the people of Paris, with contests between wrestling (both la lutte parisienne and la lutte libre), la boxe anglaise, and savate taking place as far back as the 1850s. A revival of these bouts begins at the fin de siècle starting with boxing versus boxing matches – English boxing against boxe française. The most celebrated of these matches took place in Paris on October 28th, 1899, when Charles Charlemont, the son and successor of Joseph Pierre Charlemont and one the greatest savatuers of the era (the other being Victor Casteres who had defeated an English boxer the previous year in a match that was personally judged by the Marquis of Queensbury), faced the ex-champion of the Royal Navy and representative of the opposing English style, Jerry Driscoll.   The match itself left much to be desired. Almost immediately Driscoll claimed Charlemont had bitten him. There were reports from English witnesses that the timekeeper had saved the Frenchman several times. There were numerous stops and starts by the referee, who at one point refused to continue the match, but was persuaded to proceed. And finally there was the conclusion, with Driscoll falling to the ground clutching either his abdomen or groin after receiving a kick from Charlemont in the eighth round. The Englishmen in attendance claimed the winning strike was to the groin and thus a "foul". French spectators reported the victory was due to a fouetté median – a round kick to the stomach. While the French press seemed to claim the match a victory for la savate and the French style, the English press roundly ignored the results so that other such la savate v boxing contests would be required to decide the matter, although these proved equally inconclusive.     While the argument over boxing or savate was left undecided, the French public (or at least the periodical "Lectures pour Tous") had already moved on, turning its attention to the matter of "Jiu-Jitsu ou Boxe Française?" To settle the debate a contest was arranged in 1905 between la savate and fencing master George Dubois and the jujutsuka Ernest Regnier, with the articles of agreement, according to the Decatur Daily Herald, being "everything goes but the biting and gouging. The Fenchman will kick and punch at his pleasure and the Jap is permitted to use all the bone-breaking holds at his repertoire. The crowning bit of humor is the proviso that the ‘referee will stop the contest if it becomes brutal’." The paper mistakenly identifies Ernest Regnier as Japanese, a common mistake as he went by the nom de guerre Re-Nié. In truth Regnier was a French Greco-Roman wrestler who after being introduced to jujutsu by the Parisian physical culturist and former student of the Bartitsu Club, Edmond Desbonnet, took up the art at the Oxford Street Dojo under the mentorship of Taro Miyake and Yukio Tani. The contest was held October 26 of 1905, in a ring set up outdoors "in an icy wind" on the terrace of a factory. It was a private affair which drew a distinguished crowd by invitation only. The "whole of sporting Paris was present. The celebrities of boxing, the kings of motoring, and famous fencers were pressed around the arena, and almost ever member of the sports press was there to record the event." Most of those present wore top hats, while the two combatants were only slightly less formally dressed in evening jackets. The match, as described by L. Sauveroche in the November 4th, 1905 Edition of the L’Illustration, was a brief affair: Dubois tries a right low kick that Re-Nie dodges. Dubois then tries a side kick with the same leg, but at the same time, with extraordinary timing Re-Nie leaps like a cat over the kick and grabs Dubois around the waist. Dubois tries a hip toss: Re-Nie blocks and moves to the right of his opponent, puts his right hand on the abdomen of the Dubouise and at the same time pushes his left hand into the the lower back and sends a knee in the right thigh. Dubois topples and falls on the shoulder blades in a heap, Re-Nei follows him down and siezes his right wrist. Re-Nie then turns Dubois to the left onto his back, passes the left leg across the throat. This done, he pulls violenty against the arm-joint of his opponent; the hold which can dislocate the elbow, provokes such pain that Duboise, after attempting to stand for a second, then begs for mercy.    The fight had lasted just 26 seconds, 6 seconds for the engagement itself.     After the match newspapers as far away as the Atlanta Constitution in the United States of America and the Fielding Star in New Zealand  reported the results. Regnier’s patron Desbonnet wrote that upon his victory "Immediately, all of Parisian aristocracy had enrolled for classes" in jujutsu. Perhaps the most far-reaching consequence was that Dubois himself became a student of Regnier’s afterwards incorporating jujutsu with his knowledge of savate, fencing, and wrestling to assist in the development of defense dans la rue and eventually penning the self defense manual "Comment se Défendre". Another, similar bout with very different results, took place in Paris on December 31st, 1908, when the great American boxer Sam McVey met the judoka Tano Matsuda. The future "colored heavyweight champion" McVey was gaining a mystique as "L’Idol of Paris", so there was a great deal of interest and pageantry surrounding the event between him and his opponent who was advertised as a "Japanese master of jiu-jutsu". In truth Matsuda was not Japanese, but an Englishman named Payton who had limited skills – if any – in jujutsu and would provide no competition for McVey. "McVey charged across the ring at the start of the bout, feinted Matsuda with his left, and ripped a right uppercut to the chin that flattened the jiu-jitsu master." The duration of the fight was all of eight seconds. The interest in these mixed competitions soon spread across the Rhine, where only a few days after Tani’s victory over Gaucher, another jujutsu versus boxing match was staged at the  Zirkus Schumann in Berlin. Representing jujutsu would be Katsuguma Higashi, who had arrived after stints in New York and London, while that old hand of mixed competitions,  Robert Fitzsimmons, would be serving as boxing’s champion. The results proved disappointing to those in attendence. Circus Schumann had a big day yesterday. Higashi, the representative of the Japanese fighting sport, Jiu - Jitsu, had finally set himself against R. Fitzsimmons, the American boxer. The house was full to overflowing, but the crowd did not quite get its money's worth, because the fight between the Japanese and the American was short. After four minutes Fitzsimmons had to excuse himself because of exhaustion and so was declared defeated.  - "The Victory of the Jiu Jitsu", Berliner Tageblatt, February 9th, 1906 The finish would either be blamed on the fact that Fitzsimmons had been suffering from a rather violent cold and thus was unable to put on his best performance or credited to Higashi using a strangulation technique that the audience was unable to appreciate. Either way, the public displeasure over the surprising shortness of the fight did not prevent future matches of a similar vein from taking place. The very next year another mixed competition was held in Berlin, this time between the boxer Paul Maschke (alias "Joe Edwards") and the self-styled jujutsuka Edmond Vary. Maschke would gain a victory for boxing, setting up a rematch later that year. Eric Rahn, a noted jujutsu and judo pioneer within Germany, seconded Vary for this fight, and later recounted the experience:  The meeting took place in the Circus Busch. I was asked by Vary at the last minute to function as his second and explained that although I had no idea about his ability, I was willing to serve. The fight was disastrous for the so-called "Jiu Jitsu master". Consequently, both force- and talent-less he stepped forward and was then felled by a straight punch to the nose. He attempted to trip his opponent while on the ground, but the boxer simply evaded these attempts. I realized that he had no prospects for victory and proclaimed that he had been defeated.  - "50 years Jiu Jitsu and judo; The invisible weapon with Erich Rahn" by Eric Rahn, 1950   Such mixed matches continued, albiet illegally, in Germany and Vienna for some years afterwards. Erich Rahn would himself be challenged by and engage with several boxers immediately following the Great War.   Jujutsu or judo versus boxing contests were not limited to Europe. They proved remarkably popular amongst the nations of the Pacific where they were known as "Merikan", a Japanese slang for American fighting. "Merikan" contests may have actually taken place as early as the 1890s, but the oldest account given is from the 1909 Manila Carnival in the Philippines: The bout was to be two falls or knockdowns out of three. The Jap was to wear a sort of jiu-jitsu shirt while the American was to wear gloves. The Jap was not allowed to hit but all jiu-jitsu holds were permitted. The American was not allowed to wrestle or hold but all clean blows were permitted.   The gong rang. Quicker’n you can say ‘Sap,’ the Jap grabbed ye scribe by the right arm, twisted and pitched us on our ear in a neutral corner some fifteen feet away. One fall for the Jap. After we got the resin well out of our ear we arose only to find the little brown brother right on top of us again. But this time we beat him to it with a sweet right hand, inside and up. The little rascal only weighed 98 pounds while we displaced some 124 at that time. So we take no credit for the fact that the gent from [Tokyo] folded his tent like an Arab and silently stole out of the ring. He forfeited the third trip to the canvas, explaining that he did not expect to get hit, being under the impression that the gloves were only used as a handicap for the difference in weight.  - Harvey "Heinie" Miller, "Now You Tell One!" Ring, Dec. 1922   "Merikan" fights would not only continue to be held in the Philippines but would spread throughout the Pacific Rim. In Australia, the boxing versus jujutsu debate sprung up anew, and both sides were soon issuing challenges to each other (with some using the vilest of racist reasoning to support their claims). The most interesting of the resulting matches may have been the one between Ryugoro "Shima" Fukushima and "Jack" Howard in Melbourne in 1912. According to publications, "The conditions were that Howard was to be allowed to hit at all times and under all circumstances, while Shima was to follow the rules of jiu-jitsu. Howard was to wear 8oz glozes, Shima was not to hit with clenched hands, and there was to be no kicking." The match was a wild and wooly affair, with the boxer Howard knocking out Fukushima in the first of a best of three contest, only to have his Japanese opponent grab his legs in a "scissors grip" and force him to surrender in each of the next two contests.    Sam McVey also made an appearance in Australia to try his hand in another mixed bout, against the questionable "jiu-jitsu champion" Professor Stevenson who had probably done more to usher in the "all-in" mixed fighting craze in Australia than any other individual. The match would prove much more competitive than McVea’s last, with the boxer tapping out for two of the rounds before prevailing with a knockout of Stevenson.   In Hawaii the first recorded match took place in Honolulu on Dec 30, 1916, when professional wrestler and judoka Taro Miyake defeated boxer Ben de Mello. For years afterwards jujutsu versus boxing contests (along with other mixed disciplines fight) would be held on the Islands, the most notable of which took place over the Spring of 1922 and involved the English Boxer Carl "Kayo" Morris against Professors S. "Speed" Takahashi and Professor Henry Seishiro Okazaki. Morris would split a pair of matches with Takahashi, knocking out the jujutsuka in their first match in only one minute and twenty-eight seconds, and then go on to lose the rematch in the third round when Takahashi "threw Morris forcefully onto the canvas and applied a head hold". A short time after that Kayo would go meet Professor Okazaki in a ring with the rules being: Morris would wear a sleeveless jacket and six-ounce boxing gloves. There would be six, three-minute rounds. If Okazaki fell to the mat, Morris would have to go to a neutral corner. If Morris fell, Okazaki could work on him on the ground. Okazaki was prohibited from applying strangle holds using both hands, chopping (shuto) to the face, kicking with the toe (tsumasaki geri), gouging the eyes with the fingers, and punching with the fists - Jiu-Jitsu vs Wrestling and Boxing: Three Months of Electrifying Mixed Matches in Hawaii by Charles Goodin (2005)   During their bout, Morris would break Okazaki’s nose in the opening round before, in the second: Okazaki threw his opponent to the mat and with an arm lock which wrenched the muscles of Morris' right arm and forced him throw up the sponge.   At first sight, it looked as if Morris' arm was broken, but after an examination by Dr. S. R. Brown, who was present in the audience, it was found that the muscles were merely badly wrenched. - "Morris Has No Chance Against Jujtsu Expert", Hilo Daily Tribune May 19, 1922   Merikan matches were also reported amongst the Western and Japanese expatriates of Hong King. In the spring of 1923, at the Theatre Royal, the Australian boxer Nick Boyle was pitted against the jujutsu practitioner Tomikawa in a contest that was to be for either six two-minute rounds or to the finish (Boyle would end up losing to Tomikawa in the second round). Tomikawa would go on to face James Peets of Manila with the Japan Times reporting that "Peets, although a big fellow, was easy for the Jujitsu man."    In no place did these "Merikan" fights prove more popular nor were they staged as numerously as in jujutsu’s home country of Japan. A 1913 article by the Japan times reported on an exhibition that was holding up to a dozen matches a night and drawing full houses every evening at the Yarakuza. Amongst the more interesting results given for the matches was one where "Seven times boxing champion Cally faced his jujitsu contestant Kawashima with vigor and enthusiasm only to be mercilessly defeated by the Japanese 'boy.'" Another match described how "the close fighting between Naito and Smith was another attraction. In this also Smith, the German boxer unfortunately showed that he was far from being a match to the Japanese banner-bearer."    Large events hosting several Merikan matches continued well into the next decade with the Japan Times reporting that on the 10th and 11th of May, 1924, that there was to be in Tokyo "a contest of 'Judo' and boxing between Japanese experts and Americans" with up to a dozen of each participating. A year later Yokohama city officials organized a display of boxing versus jujutsu matches to welcome Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Sinclair and his British Asiatic Fleet flagship HMS Hawkins.       The rivalry between boxing and jujutsu, as well as the one between boxing and wrestling, was soon eclipsed by the feud that arose between the two disparate grappling arts of jujutsu and wrestling. In the first few years after Edward Barton-Wright had arrived in London with his Japanese ‘champions’,  jujutsu had found nothing but success. From the music hall stages demonstrations against the native wrestling folkstyles were held and inevitably audiences found themselves amazed at the apparent ease with which these diminutive foreigners could defeat their giant wrestling heroes.  A prime example, as described by Armand Cherpillod in his 1933 autobiography La Vie d’un champion (co-authored by Abel Vaucher), was the encounter between Sadakazu "Raku" Uyenishi and a Russian wrestler and strongman named Klemsky, who claimed his neck was too strong for him to be choked unconscious.   As quick as a flash, the Japanese leaped onto the Russian and seized him by the collar of the jacket, one hand on each side of his neck, by crossing the wrists, and learnedly exerted the famous pressure on the carotid arteries which brings choking, and even unconsciousness. The hold did not seem to have any effect on the Russian who simply smiled at the audience. Astonished by this resistance, the Japanese wrestler’s eyes gleamed with malice. He rolled across the ground past the Russian while preserving his hold and, to increase the force of the pressure on the neck, planted his two feet in the pit of Klemsky’s stomach. This tightened the grip so extremely that a net of blood escaped from the mouth of Klemsky and sprinkled his face. It was only then that Yanichi [Uyenishi] released his hold and let fall beside him the apparently lifeless body of the Russian.   The public believed that Klemsky had died. They howled their anger and their disapproval of Yanichi. This latter, triumphant, appeared to be insensitive to the hostile remonstrations of the public. He went to sit down on the sidelines, beside his compatriot, in the manner of the tailors at work, by crossing his legs beneath him. And while the spectators redoubled their cries, our two Japanese entered into an animated conversation and even laughed together, contemplating the victim who did not give any sign of life. Suddenly, one of them rose, as if driven by a spring, and approached Klemsky. He leaned on the body of the Russian and gave some sort of vibration or massage to the cardiac area, which revived the victim gradually. Then, to the great astonishment of the audience who were now gasping, Klemsky opened his eyes and asked where he was. This seemed magical, and even more than before, Jiu-jitsu appeared to be a most mysterious form of fighting. When someone asked Klemsky for his impression of the event, he said that while losing consciousness he had heard the sound of bells.   An aura of invincibility soon cloaked the seemingly unbeatable Uyenishi and his fellow countrymen, although, it must be said that  most matches were judo contests of which the domestic grappler had little understanding and an even less chance of success. To even out the odds modified catch-as-catch-can rules were sometimes used, albeit with both contestants wearing a jacket. Even under these more "balanced" rules, Uyenishi and Tani almost always proved triumphant.    And this success was not limited only to matches where the rules were tilted heavily in their favor, but also when competing under the English’s own catch-as-catch-can rules. Yukio Tani, after several months of tutelage from the former champion Joe Acton, even managed to capture the "lightweight championship of the world" (or at least a version of it) from the respected wrestler Jem Mellor at the Tivoli in 1904. The Sporting Life, commented after the match that "The little Jap showed what a wonder he was by beating the Englishman at his own game. Two falls to one was the decision, though the fall given against Tani was questioned by many.’ It was thus little surprise that, as victory after victory piled up for the 5 foot, 9 stone fighter, some citizens of London began to view jujutsu as having almost mystical properties. This view was diminished slightly when Ernest Regnier, still basking in his victory over George Dubous, let his hubris get the better of him and challenged Ivan Paddubny of Russia. Outweighed by 100 pounds and facing one of the greatest Greco-Roman wrestlers of his era, Regnier would be thoroughly trounced, vanishing thereafter from the public eye. But as other arriving Japanese "wrestlers" found the same success as Tani and Raku, jujutsu kept its prestige for some time in London.    Eventually jujutsu would make its way to the shores of the United States, but for whatever reasons, be it the rough "anything goes" style practiced in some regions, the wide-spread familiarity of jacket wrestling amongst a large portion of the population or the fact that the stranglehold and most other "punishing" holds were allowed under the commonly followed American National Police Gazette rules, the States proved to be a much less hospital clime for the Japanese import.   The tone was set immediately by one of the, if not the earliest confrontation between a professional grappler and a jujutsuka in the United States, which took place in Bellingham Washington on September 5th, 1904. In the match, Frank Gotch, perhaps the greatest catch-as-catch-can wrestler in all of history, threw K. Aoyogi three times in all of 32 seconds.   More matches and more defeats for jujutsu soon followed. In Salt Lake City on February 27th, 1905, Eddie Robinson would twice put Kadura Murayam down with ease, in a match where "each man was allowed to use his own style of wrestling."    A few weeks later in, Baltimore, Anthony "Columbus" Wallenofer, the featherweight wrestling "champion", was scheduled to meet Hako, "the jiu-jitsu expert", in a finish match (pin or submission only) where "Everything will go. The Jap will be allowed to use all his foxiest and most mysterious holds, while Columbus will be entitled to do pretty much anything except hit his rival with a club." The bout was to be 3-out-of-5 falls but ended when Hako quit while behind 2 falls to 1, after voicing a complaint about the rules governing the contest.  Shortly after that in St. Louis, in what was billed as a "Wrestling Jiu-Jitsu Match" in which no hold was barred, not even the stranglehold, George Baptiste "proved the American system superior to jiu-jitsu", by defeating Arata Suzuki in two straight falls in less than five minutes total time. The most celebrated match of this period, and often mistakenly listed as the first such encounter, was between George Bothner "the champion lightweight wrestler at catch-as-catch-can style" and Professor Katsuguma Hagashi "one of the foremost experts at the Oriental science in the United States" on April 6 of 1905 at the Central Grand Palace in New York.  The much anticipated match received a great deal of press coverage in the lead up to the event, with many expecting "to see the little brown man break Bothner's bones" while others looked forward to Bothner disproving the Japanese’s boasts. Going into the match, Higashi had made something of a name for himself by giving exhibitions where he would throw up to five policemen in a single evening while also proclaiming the superiority of jujutsu over any other form of defense.  Particularly grating to wrestling supporters where such comments as:    I have met a number of Western wrestlers, and they are as helpless as babes against the art of jujitsu. And no one versed in the art of jujitsu is mad enough to expect anything else.   The contest between the two was to be a best-of-five combined jujutsu/wrestling match with the agreed upon rules stipulating that  "The jiu jitsu man can use in his defense any of the tricks that belong to his art. He also assumes no responsibility for any injury or injuries caused by any act or thing done during the contest, and must be held blameless for any ill-effects or injury that may be received during the match." Each of the men was to wear a "Japanese wrestling costume consisting of short jackets like kimonos with a belt around the waist" and the contest would be to pin-fall or submission, although there seems to be some confusion regarding the length of a pin or how to count "flying falls". After the match there would be a great deal of disagreement as to whether the agreed upon rules had been followed.  The New York Times summarized the match: Bothner got the first fall in the quick time of 14:33 (minutes and seconds) and the second in 1:31:18. The conditions called for the best three falls out of five, but it was long after midnight before the third bout was called. Bothner won this and the match in 12 minutes.   Higashi and his supporters complained vociferously "that he was unfairly treated in respect to a non-observance of the rules that had been agreed" and in this accord they may have been right. Earlier reports indicated that "flying falls", which are common in judo, would be counted but accounts filed from the match seem to indicate that a ten second and then later five second pin was instead required for victory. In any case, many looked at Higashi’s complaints as sour grapes, for with all his earlier boasting of the superiority of jujutsu and of the many deadly tricks at his disposal, "The result was disappointing, that is to those who hoped to see something unusual in the famed jiu-jitsu."   The victory would prove to be the highlight of Bothners career, one he would try to recreate when he faced – and defeated – the judoka Tarro Miyake in his farewell match in 1914. For his part Higashi would soon move to the greener pastures of Europe where he would face – and lose to – YukioTani in a jujutsu match in Paris before making his way to Germany for his encounter with Bob Fitzsimmons. Jujutsu’s lack of success in the States would begin to change as more talented judokas began to arrive on American soil and try their hand at the professional mat game. One of the more accomplished of the early jujutsukas to do so was 4th-dan Akitaro Ono. Having settled into Asheville, North Carolina shortly after arriving in the US in May of 1905 (to serve as a jujutsu instructor at the Annapolis Naval Academy) he immediately found success in the ring, defeating the 6’5’ 305 lb. "Big Tom" Frisbee in a "jacket match" via stranglehold. With his victory the 5’7" 206 pound Ono became an instant sensation to the people of Asheville, who viewed him and jujutsu as unbeatable. Unfortunately this newfound popularity attracted the likes of Charles Olson to pay a visit and challenge him to a match. Olson, one of the premiere wrestling "ringers" of the era, traveled the country setting up "money matches", were he could clean up on side bets from locals unaware of the reputation he held. In later days the Seattle Daily Times described him thus: Olsen is a past master of the punishing game. He is a terror to every foe against whom he is in earnest. All the bone-breaking, nerve-wrecking, heart-rending tricks of this most torturing of all sports are at his command. Olsen has long stood in his own light as a wrestler. He has eked out a fortune… by wrestling under aliases in the ‘bushes'. He was labeled by no less an authority as Frank Gotch as "one of the most dangerous men on the American canvas" . It was a claim that was not without merit: twice during his career he killed his opponent during such "money matches".  The contest between Olson and Prof. Ono would fittingly be billed as a "blood match", with the rules stating that besides each wrestler being required to wear a judogi, it would be "anything goes".  The description would prove accurate as Olson head butted, battered, and strangled Ono for over an hour until one side of his face was beaten into a bloody pulp, and his eyes were so swollen shut that he was forced to concede the match (although the New York Times reports Ono giving in only after being strangled with his own jacket for ten minutes). Ono’s loss created something of a diplomatic row, with the Japanese consulate protesting the results and Olson’s behavior (let alone the $10,000 he and his associates cleaned up on in side bets), although to no avail. Wrestling had triumphed over jujutsu yet again in America. As Ono recovered from the match, he was paid a visit by Esai Maeda, a Japanese countrymen and fellow judoka better known as Matsuyo Maeda. Maeda had come to the US along with Tsunejiro Tomita and Soshiro Satakato on a mission to spread Kodokan Jodo. Maeda had served as Tomita’s assistant, and in this capacity he gave exhibitions as well as took part in several "wrestling matches". Maeda had recently parted with Tomita, and after his visit with Ono, set about to enter the world of professional wrestling. Maeda would engage in his first confirmed professional wrestling match against Sam Marburger, who was billed as "America’s cleverest wrestler at his weight’ on December 18, 1905 at the Grand Theater in Altanta, Georgia. The results of the contest, which was a best of three, was Marburger taking the single catch-as-catch-can fall while Maeda won both the "Japanese style" (with jackets) falls and the match. "Score another one for the wily Jap" reported the Atlanta Journal. "When Professor Maeda is under a full head of steam, greased lightning should be classed with the ‘also-rans’." His opponent, Marburger also had nothing but praise for him following the meeting: "...if you ever hear of that Jap mixing it up with anyone else soon, just let me know. I’d like to put all my money on this unbeatable phenomenon!"   With the victory (and more importantly, the winner’s purse) Maeda took up prizefighting as a career. He, along with the now recovered Ono, journeyed to Europe where he found success not only in "anything goes" matches but also in straight up catch-as-catch-can wrestling. In London in early 1908 he would split two tightly contested and highly praised matches with Henry Irslinger while also capturing second place in the heavyweight division of the prestigious Alhambra open to the world wrestling tournament. Before the end in the year the two would make their way to Latin America, where they would spend the next several years traveling the region and fighting. While in Havana, Cuba, Maeda even tried to arrange a mixed-styles match with the champions of both boxing and wrestling, Jack Johnson and Frank Gotch, but nothing became of it. It was also while in Havana that the pair was joined by two other Japanese jujutsu wrestlers, Maeda’s old companion Satake Shinjiro and another judoka by the name of Tokugoro Ito. Together they became known as the "Four Kings of Cuba". Over the next few years they would crisscross the region - Cuba, Mexico, El Salvador, the Canal Zone, Brazil, Peru - participating in numerous jujutsu, wrestling, and "anything goes" contests. Of the "Four Kings", perhaps none took a more active part in the battles between jujutsu and wrestling - nor found more success against American wrestling - than Tokugoro Ito. Legend has it that a 27-year old Ito left his position as a teacher of judo at the Tokyo Imperial University in 1907 to travel to Seattle, Washington at the behest of the local Japanese population looking for protection from the extortions of Chinese gangsters. Whatever the truth, Ito would take up an instructor’s position at the Seattle Dojo, the oldest judo dojo in America, and, after being promoted to 5th-dan, would soon try his hand at professional fighting.  On September 2, 1909 he would engage in his first prizefight against the professional wrestler Eddie Robinson of San Francisco at the Grand Opera House of Seattle for Japan Day. The contest rules called for both men to wear canvas jackets, and with only gouging, biting, kicking, or striking with a closed fist prohibited. Everything else was allowed. The match would end only after one man surrendered unconditionally to the other.   Going into the match, the advantage seemed to lie with the American Eddie Robinson who had had already competed, and found success, against jujutsukas, having beaten Kadura Murayam handedly back in 1905, and felled Shosha Yoyama in Los Angeles in June of 1909.  Ito had no such comparable experience against wrestlers. It wouldn’t matter.   The Seattle Post-Intelligencer documented the encounter:   Robinson started out by jabbing Ito three times straight in the face… Before the first bout was two minutes old, blood was flowing from Ito's nose…   Ito locked his legs around the white man and began to 'scissor' him. Next he got a strangle hold, using Robinson's neck cloth as a tourniquet, and slowly forced the American into submission by the process of strangulation. The time was 10 minutes 55 seconds.   The second bout lasted three minutes… Again the Japanese tied on the tourniquet and Robinson's face went red and then black. He was helped to his corner, and in spite of the vicious fight they had gone through, the Japanese was the first to assist Robinson. That was a piece of real sportsmanship. Ito’s victory led to a quick challenge from George Braun, also of San Francisco, who claimed to have beaten all the best jujutsu men in California (although the his only recorded matches against a jujutsu man - Shosha Yokoyama - indicate that the results were a draw and loss for Braun). Braun entered the ring for their November 12, 1909, match dressed in a custom-made jacket (for this match the sleeves were to only go to the elbow) which was closed with a belt made from twisted America flags, and boasting that he would eat the Japanese alive. Ito was outraged by Braun’s attire, and the fight was delayed while he was made to replace the offending garment. When the match finally did get underway the Seattle Times was there to record the action: When the men shaped up for the first bout Ito stood erect in an easy attitude watching the Frisco champion make a lot of silly motions with his hands and grimaces with his face. Finally Braun lunged in and got hold of Ito's jacket. The Japanese broke the hold easily and grabbing Braun by the collar he kicked his feet from under him and slammed him to the mat heavily. In a twinkling Ito got a strangle hold and flopping over on his back he wrapped his legs around Braun, rolled off the canvas with him and calmly waited for Braun's wind to be shut off… It had taken Ito all of two minutes and twenty seconds to win the first fall. The second was even less competitive as Ito choked out Braun in just forty-three seconds.   Ito’s next match was March 16, 1910, against Julius Johnson, the 1908 Northwest AAU middleweight wrestling champion and the wrestling coach for the Norwegian Turners.  While the match would again take place in jackets, Johnson’s weight advantage (160 pounds to 143 pounds) was though to even out the odds. It didn’t as Ito won again in two straight falls using what was described as a "erijime" and a "hadakaji".  The Post-Intelligencer also offered the following opinion about these sort of matches: There is more excitement packed into one minute of jiu-jitsu than in ten rounds of boxing or ten days of wrestling. The hand-to-hand, body-to-body style of combat, the rough-and-tumble rules, as well as no small measure of racial feeling, stirs the blood of the spectators. White and brown men were carried off their feet last night by the furious work of the two combatants, and the opera house was a pandemonium while the wrestlers were struggling on the canvas mat. Next up for Ito was Joe Acton on May 18, 1911, although there is some confusion as to which Joe Acton it was. According to Mark Hewitt, it was "Young" Joe Acton who was actually Joe’s younger brother Matt. Other evidence point to it actually being the "Little Demon" who had taken on the boxers Bob Fitzsimmons and Professor Miller decades earlier and who had wrestled Yukio Tani back in 1904. If it was the elder, more famous of the two, he would have been 59 years old at this time.   But whatever Joe Acton he faced, the results were more of the same. According to Henry Furukawa, writing in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on May 21, 1911:   Ito threw his opponent on 'Hijaguma,' and before he could get on foot grabbed Acton on his jacket collar and choked him breathless in three minutes, ending the first bout. Acton was actually dazed and seemed unconscious for a few moments. The second bout was over in two minutes, Ito getting the dreadful arm hold in a short time and Acton gave in. In all Prof. Ito's jiu-jitsu matches in Seattle he won them in such deciding manner that his opponents looked like nothing but 'dubs.' Ito’s next contest would be his first outside of Seattle. On the evening of June 9, 1911 he met Farmer Watson in Portland in a two-out-of-three falls match. The first fall ended after 5 minutes, 33 seconds, with Ito getting an "armbar stranglehold", which left Watson unconscious for almost a minute. The second took three minutes, when Watson couldn’t escape another stranglehold. After this match, Ito would leave his position at the dojo and Seattle and set out on an extensive tour of Latin America, where he teamed with the other "Four Kings" much of the time. For the next four years he would travel all throughout Latin America, engaging in numerous matches, including, according to Ito, a match against the "champion of Panama" and another against the two best heavyweight wrestlers of Peru – beating them simultaneously in under a minute. After several years of wandering he decided to return to the United States, parting ways with the other "Kings" while they were making a tour of Brazil. Upon his return to the States Ito set up residency in San Francisco where he quickly went about looking for prizefights. His first match would be on February 5th of 1916, in San Francisco against the 5’9’ 180 pound Ad Santel, a highly skilled catch-as-catch-can wrestler and claimant to the World’s Light Heavyweight Championship. Santel was not a complete novice with regards to jujutsu, having faced and defeated the self-professed 8th-dan Senryuken Noguchi in November the previous year. The experience paid off, for shortly after the match started, Santel was able to grasp Ito, pick him up, and slam him head first into the ground. The impact gave Ito a concussion and he was unable to continue, resulting in a victory for Santel – and Ito’s first loss. The defeat caught many in Japanese community off guard and the Kodokan felt the need to comment on the matter:  Regarding this match, the Kodokan noted that Mr. Ito had been away from Japan for number of years, and the lack of opportunity to train with stronger opponents may have contributed to his lack of judo ability. In addition, his fifth degree judo rank did not mean that his knowledge represented the ultimate in judo technique. In fact, fifth degree was the mid-point in ranking between first to tenth degrees. Therefore, the Kodokan concluded that Mr. Ito's loss did not reflect negatively on the efficacy of judo techniques, but instead on the poor showing of Mr. Ito. Looking to avenge this blemish on his record Ito immediately set up a rematch for June 10, 1916. The outcome of this contest was recounted by Howard Angus in the Los Angeles Times: Ito threw Santell around the ring like a bag of sawdust… When Ad gasped for air, the Japanese pounced upon him like a leopard and applied the strangle hold. Santell gave a couple of gurgles, turned black in the face and thumped the floor, signifying he had enough. His sole loss avenged, Ito continued to wrestle for the next few years, defeating the likes of the strongman Wilhelm Berne, the Greek wrestler Gus Kerveras, and the talented catch-as-catch-can proponent Ted Thye, all in straight falls, before finally retiring from the fight game and returning to Japan in late 1921 or early 1922. For his part, Ad Santel had only begun his personal odyssey against jujutsu. On October 20th, of 1917 he traveled to Seattle and met Taro Miyako, who he defeated using the slam once again, causing Miyake to experience "dizzy spells for half an hour after the fall." Two weeks later he would face and defeat another Seattle Dojo judoka instructor in Kodokan 4th-dan Daisuke Sakai. With this string of successes, Santel put together a troupe of wrestlers, including Henry Weber and Matty Matsuda, for a tour of Japan in early 1921, during which he issued a challenge to the Kodokan itself. For its part, the Kodokan, which frowned on professional sports, ordered its judoka not to partake in any such matches, but several of its more distinguished members chose to ignore the edict. For two straight days in March a wrestling versus judo card was held at the Yakushuni Shrine Sumo Hall, On the first night Santel faced and either drew or knocked out 5th-dan Reijiro Nagata, while the following evening,  his match with 4th-dan Hikoo Shoji was ruled a draw after they battled for three twenty minute rounds. A few night later, Santel was in the city of Nagoya, to face, and defeat, Hitoshi Shimizu, in his last such match in Japan. Upon his return to the United States Santel would magnify his feats in Japan, claiming that he had faced and beaten the top judokas of the Kodakan and had captured the World’s Jiu jitsu (or Judo) Championship. He even went so far as to defend this imaginary title against other professional wrestlers in "Jiu Jitsu matches" during the 20s and 30s. Santel and Ito’s encounters were very representative of the "anything goes" matches that were taking place in the United States in the second decade of the Twentieth Century. They had evolved out of the jujutsuka versus wrestler contests, developing their own codified set of rules: "no holds were barred" allowing contestant to use the full gamut of jujutsu, Greco-Roman, and catch-as-catch-can holds, even those that induced pain and injury; they could be fought either with or without jackets; they were decided by submission or incapacitation, although victory by pin-fall was sometimes allowed as well; in some cases striking with an open hand and kicking were permitted.  In Australia these matches were known as "all-in", having come directly out of the increasingly popular mixed competition fights, and allowed for contestant to use all the tactics and techniques of wrestling, boxing, and jujutsu. It would seem a new combat sport was taking form, although in truth it was not all that new.  When Clarence Weber made his "challenge to fight Jack Johnson ‘all-in’ and thus prove the supremacy of the white race", it was not lost on observers that they would actually be electing to "fight under the Greek Pancratium rules" (although pancratium was actually the Roman name for what the Greeks called pankration) . A mixture of wrestling and boxing "in it nothing is barred except biting, eye-gouging, and attacks on certain vital spots. Everything else is admissible. The kidney punch, the strangle hold, the double Nelson, and other methods of offence ruled out under different codes, may well be brought into action."  After 1500 years of dormancy the ancient sport and martial art of "all powers" was gaining a new life on the professional wrestling circuit. There had, in fact, been earlier attempts to actually resurrect the pancratium. In 1883, the Olympic Athletic Club in San Francisco had even hosted actual pancratium matches (along with the Roman cestus, a brutal form of gladiatorial boxing, using wool instead of iron gloves), pitting bare-knuckle pugilists and catch-as-catch-can wrestlers in grappling matches where open hand strikes were allowed, as part of their "Roman Revival" at the Mechanic’s Pavillion. While it was enormously successful with the attending audiences it was also a massive financial failure, and future events were abandoned. In 1898, R. Logan-Browne in "Health and Strength Magazine" wrote about the efforts of a group of Englishmen to develop a sport they had named "Neo-Pancratium", declaring "that the ancient Pancratium, suitably adapted, might afford us an excellent method of physical culture and athletic contest, with the additional benefit of being a secure and versatile method of self-defence against roughs and thugs."  He went on to explain that "In re-constructing Pancratium for the modern age, our raison d’etre has been that whilst blows are legitimately outlawed in wrestling, they are the boxer’s stock in trade, and whilst gripping and throwing are banned in the ring, they are practiced safely by wrestlers everywhere.  By combining these two sports we may approximate the Pancratiast’s art in all but its most savage aspects, thereby enjoying its benefits without suffering its excesses." While in the upright position Neo-Pancratium would use boxing as its model but "Where Neo-Pancratium differs significantly from modern boxing is that, when devotees of the purely pugilistic art close together, they are immediately parted by the diligent referee.  The Neo-Pancratiast, by comparison, simply segues from boxing into wrestling and continues his contest." On the ground it was decided that Lancashire wrestling would be the most suitable because the "Catch-hold school offers the option of forcing one’s adversary to surrender through painful holds applied to the joints of the limbs, exactly as was the custom in ancient Greece." One problem cited by the author in developing this new sport was that "the modern glove, so crucial in cushioning the force of a blow, becomes an absolute handicap when wrestling… The solution has been to devise a novel form of glove, rather more open in the palm and with room for the fingers to grip securely, yet well-padded across the knuckles. This innovation allows Neo-Pancratiasts to successfully move between boxing and wrestling as required by the exigencies of any given contest. The Committee is presently undertaking discussions with a leading purveyor of sporting goods and hopes to be able to offer these new gloves to the public in the not-distant future." (A decade later it was still a problem, as Mr. Grainger of  the Japanese School of London and Jean Joseph-Renaude, the author of "La Défense Dans La Rue", where both asking inventors to assist in designing a glove that could be used in mixed boxing and jujutsu matches.) While nothing became of Neo-Pancratium, "all-in" seemed well on its way towards becoming an established style of wrestling. In fact, if one looked at the rules that governed professional wrestling in the 1930s  - rules that are usually credited to Toot’s Mondt and his introduction of "Slam Bang Western Style Wrestling" into the business - it becomes apparent that they had been derived directly from the "all-in" matches of the previous era. The only difference is that now they were no longer contested for real, as "worked" wrestling had become the norm. The end of this "Golden Age of Ultimate Fighting" began with the first shots fired in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. For the next four years Europe would be engulfed by "The War"; amongst the casualties would be the mixed fights that had been popular only a few years previous, swept away suddenly by the forces of history. The War would also spell the end of the mixed competitions in the United States. For a multitude of reasons, professional wrestling, the driving force behind mixed competitions, would move from an often-worked-but-still-legitimate sport to pure vaudeville.  A proposed million dollar contest between the champions of wrestling and boxing, Ed "The Strangler" Lewis and Jack Dempsey, could have perhaps rescued it from this fate, but in the end the match failed to materialize and legitimate contests were now a thing of the past. Only in Asia did mixed fighting continue, at least for a few more years. In July of 1925 Ad Santel visited the islands of Hawaii to meet and draw with another jujutsuka in Tsutao "Rubberman" Higami. In December of that year Seishiro Okazaki met a boxer calling himself "Kid" John Morris who claimed to be the younger brother of Okazaki’s previous victim and who had come to avenge his sibiing. The match was to be a three round affair, and when it went the distance Okazaki left the arena, unwilling to continue. To stave off a riot, Higami was drafted to continue against Morris, winning after two round by arm bar. Afterwards the The Hilo-Herald Tribune called for an end to mixed matches: this paper is of the opinion that a mixed match of this kind between a Japanese jiu- jitsu expert and a white boxer is not a good thing for this community. It serves no good purpose and merely arouses useless race prejudice. Jiu-jitsu is something that the Japanese think undefeatable while the Anglo-Saxon thinks the same of boxing, and both methods are practically rooted in each classes’ national pride. When either meets defeat at the other’s hands, age-pride of caste and country is aroused and good sportsmanship is bound to suffer....   While such matches where no more in Hawaii they continued a little longer in Japan. But eventually due to the violence they incited along racial lines (according to the Japan Times, on July 24th, 1925, in Hokkaido, two judokas were stabbed to death after embarrassing some foreign boxers) or the increase in popularity of "kunto" - actual boxing - amongst the greater population, these contests stopped being held, marking the end of a "Golden Age."   Fortunately for us, as the misquoted George Santanyana aphorism tells us, "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it."   EPILOGUE     The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our time. - Sir Edward Grey For the field of martial arts the Belle Époque was a remarkable time, one that saw unrivaled achievements and previously unimaginable accomplishments. Wrestling would evolve from a regional activity were participants competed in local folkstyles to an international spectator sport where all the elements of the world's grappling systems where melted down into what became known as American style catch-as-catch-can. Jujutsu would be rescued from extinction and then go on to rapidly spread across the globe thanks to Kano Jigoro's revolutionary Kodakan judo. In London and Paris Eastern and Western disciplines would be merged giving birth to the new hybrid fighting styles of Bartitsu and defense dans la rue. And fighters representing the various disciplines of the world would be pitted against each other in mixed competitions and no-holds-barred "all-in" matches, testing the skill of the combatants and the merits of their "art". It was truly a Golden Age for martial arts, one that burned very bright. It would not last. Europe was the first to go dark. From June 28, 1914 until November 11, 1918, the continent was transformed into a vast charnel house by the "War to End All Wars". A whole generation of young men were killed, maimed, or traumatized by the hell that was the Great War. In France, a nation of 40 million, 1.4 million soldiers perished and three times that number were wounded in the conflict. That is, half of the previously able bodied male population was now either dead or maimed, while many, many more suffered from the debilitating effects of ‘shellshock". The United Kingdom did not fair much better, with nearly 900,000 left dead on the battlefields. Germany saw over 2 million of their young men exterminated. Millions more from Russia, the Austrian-Hungary Empire, Turkey, Romania, and the other nations of Europe, not to mention the dominions and colonies, had their names added to the grave markers. Even more were lost when an pandemic of Spanish Flu spread across the globe, assisted by the conditions created by the war, killing between 50 million to 100 million more, with the young tragically being the most at risk of dying. Martial arts would not be spared from this conflict, for in the end, the generation of Europeans that had taken such a great interest in the "antagonistics", that made wrestling a widely practiced and popular sport, that had taken up the study of Japanses jujutsu, who had developed various "arts of self defense" to defend against the night attacks of les Apaches and Hooligans, were almost completely wiped out. And even amongst those that survived the horrors of the trenches "unscathed" we can not underestimate the psychological effect that such an experience had on them and society. How good was wrestling, jujutsu, boxing, or savate when one was faced with machine guns, poison gas, artillery, and aeroplanes? Almost overnigt the Golden Age turned dark in Europe, and like ripples across a pond, the rest of the world couldn't escape the repercussions. The United States was a late entrant into the War, and for that reason suffered much less than those in Europe, but it too suffered and amongst its many casualties was professional wrestling.  Always prone to hippodroming and match-fixing, it was still nevertheless more-or-less as legitimate of sport as, say, boxing or bicycle racing. But during the war years it underwent a complete transformation from being merely a "tainted" sport to one of choreographed theatre. One of the reasons, as theorised by Mathew Lindaman in his essay "Wrestling's Hold on the Western World Before the Great War", is that the change was brought upon by modernity. Thanks to such technological advances as the automobile, aeroplane, cinema and the wireless, the world was a much faster place, and the people who occupied it desired their entertainment to match that pace. So gone went the grueling 5 hour bouts to be replaced by "worked" matches, which would quarantee the speed and action fans were now demanding. The other reason for this move towards completely "worked" wrestling was that the war provided the American stars and promoters the opportunity, which they took, to cement their continued control of industry and their place as headliners. The chance to do so had arisen thanks to the loss of the European wrestlers and the mobilization of some 4 million American males, meaning that during the conflict, a much fewer number of talented but unestablished wrestlers could challenge the postion of those already working. And by careful matchmaking with arranged outcomes these "stars' were able to remain at the top - and would remain there as long as the wrestling stayed "worked". Thus professional wrestling (long the driving force behind combatives in North America) of any legitimate nature died and with it the Golden Age in North America. Japan and the rest of Asia held out the longest, being left relatively unscathed by the War, but even there they couldn't escape its aftereffects. Where before the world had been getting smaller, with the open exchange of ideas resulting not only in the spreading of jujutsu to the West, but the introduction of professional wrestling, boxing, and mixed competition "merikan" fighting to the nations of the Pacific, suddenly in the wake the war, a vast divides and gulf existed between the nations were none existed before. Trade and travel (except for the vast amount of troops on the move) had plummetted during the conflct, with the world economy only reaching its pre war levels in 1925 (and then for only four year before a Great Depression descended on the world). Nationalism and xenophobe were exerberated by the fighting: suddenly foreign ideas and imports lost the appeal they exuded beforehand. And these barriers only got worse as the world begin choosing up sides between communism, democracy, imperialism, and fascism in the dark day afterwards (only ending when another greater slaughter got under way). Eventually the great exchange of fighting disciplines and techniques between East and West died out, and the flame, that had burned so bright only a generation before, faded and died. And thus the Golden Age passed from history, its achievements disregarded, its accomplishments apparently doomed to be forgotten by the world at large. With one exception. In November of 1914, less than four months after the great powers had gone to war, Matsuyo Maeda arrived in Brazil. For the previous decade the judokan had been traveling the world engaging in not only  jujutsu matches, but also catch-as-catch-can and "anything goes" competitions. His experiences led him to add Western wrestling techniques  and methods for confronting boxers to his repertoire of skills. For the next year he would travel through the South American republic along with a troupe of fellow Japanese jujutsu practitioners giving exhibits and offering the traditional at show challenge to "face all comers". Eventually he and his compatriots would find their way to the Northern City of  Belém where, on Christmas Eve of 1915, he engaged in a mixed competition bout with the boxer Adolpho Corbiniano of Barbados, defeating him in seconds (Carbiniano would become a pupil of Maeda's after the loss). A week later, on January 3, 1916 Maeda defeated the Greco-Roman wrestler Nagib Assef by armlock. The fire, now dying in Europe, had been passed to Brazil.  Maeda resided in Belém for several years, where he taught his own brand of judo and (after supposedly facing and defeating the knife-armed capoeirista Pé de Bola in 1918 in a truly "anything goes" match) retired from prizefighting. Amongst his students during his time in Belém was a young man named Carlos Gracie who would himself go on to teach what he learned on the mats with Maeda to his own brothers..  While in the rest of the world mixed competitions had vanished, in Brazil the "anything goes" matches introduced by Maeda and his ilk not only survived but flourished with boxers, jujutsukas, capoeiristas, and both luta livre and Greco-Roman wrestlers taking part.  Amongst these fighters numbers were Geo Omori, Manuel Rufino, Dudu,and the Gracie brothers: Carlos, George, Oswaldo, and the youngest, Hélio. Hélio would continue taking part in such matches, which became known as "vale tudo" or "no rules" in Brazil, for decades to come, with a career highlighted by matches against the North American professional wrestlers Wladek Zbyszko and Taro Miyake, his former student Valdemar Santana, and perhaps most famously, the judoka Masahiko Kimura. Hélio would pass on his system of fighting and an appreciation for "no holds barred" combat to his children. Eventually Hélio's eldest son, Rorion, would move to the United States in hopes of spreading the family's system of self defense.  He would also bring with him the concept of vale tudo, which served as an inspiration for an event held in 1993 known as the "The Ultimate Fighting Championship". The flame, handed down from Maeda to Carlos to Hélio to Rorion had now been spread to the world at large, and a fire that had been extinguished 70 years ago was finally  re-lit. A new age of mixed martial arts had began. Sources are either listed or linked within the article. A number of sites and researchers proved to be invaluable for the material, including images, seen here. And so I would like to thank: Mark Hewitt (and his Catch Wrestling and Catch Wrestlng: Round Two), Jonathan Snowden (and his Total MMA), Joseph Svinth, Graham Noble, Tony Wolfe (and his Bartitsu Compendiums), The Bartitsu Society, The Bartitsu Forum, and the Electronic Journal of Martial Arts. And a special thanks to the Continentalop and Cowboy for their much appreciated input, advice, and suggestions. That concludes The Forgotten Age of Mixed Martial Arts.

Posted in: time, boxing, boxer, wrestler, jujutsu

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The first time I saw Mirko Filipovic fight, I thought he was going to get destroyed. "Cro Cop" was booked against Igor Vovchanchyn, who I recognized from the Pride Fighting Championships (Pride) 2000 Grand Prix and an old International Fighting Championships box set I had. "Ice Cold" was the real deal, as tough as they come, and could hit harder than a juiced up ox. 90 seconds into the fight, the Croatian kickboxer whipped his massive left leg up and around, slamming it against the side of his opponent's skull. Vovchanchyn was knocked out in the most spectacularly brutal fashion imaginable. I became an instant fan. How could I not? From the shores of Japan to the stateside Octagon, "Cro Cop" has entertained mixed martial arts (MMA) fans for 10 years. After his loss last night at UFC 137 to Roy Nelson, the 37-year old called it a career. Having been the recipient of premature eulogizing following his knockout losses to Frank Mir and Brendan Schaub, now comes the time to properly sendoff Filipovic's career, a decade's worth of epic wars and stunning knockouts. Let's do it ... one last time. Not to deal in hyperbole but the term "terrorized" aptly describes the feeling Filiopvic instilled within the Pride roster in when he debuted for the company in 2001. Wanting to make the transition from K-1 kickboxing to MMA as smoothly as possible, two of his first four bouts were contested under special hybrid rules. He earned draws in those while winning -- via stoppage -- the other two. Acclimated enough to the sport, "Cro Cop" was placed inside the ring at Shockwave 2002 against Kazushi Sakuraba. Only two years removed from his 90-minute drubbing of Royce Gracie, "Saku" was still considered one of the best fighters on the planet. Much like he would the following year against Bob Sapp in a kickboxing bout, the Croatian's fist cracked the bone surrounded his opponent's eyeball, forcing an end to the fight. From there, it was off to the races for "Cro Cop." Three fights inside the Pride ring -- including the aforementioned Vovchanchyn bout -- ended in just as many first-round stoppages, each more brutal than the last. A combination of punches and kicked ended Heath Herring's night early in a little over three minutes. "Ice Cold" was out in less than two. Mexican professional wrestler Alberto Rodriguez -- now known as Alberto Del Rio in the WWE -- couldn't even last a minute before Filipovic's widow maker of a left high kick removed him from his consciousness. When then-Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko was unable to compete due to injury, the Croatian was booked opposite former top dog Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to crown an interim champ. Beating and battering him for the entirety of the 10-minute first round, "Cro Cop" looked poised to earn championship gold for the first time in his MMA career. But in keeping with his reputation -- one that makes the Energizer Bunny look bush league by comparison -- "Big Nog" refused to relent and secured a come-from-behind armbar early in the second round. Trying to put the setback behind him, "Cro Cop" quickly scored two more first-round stoppages before entering Pride's 2004 heavyweight grand prix. In one of the biggest upsets in the sport's history, he was knocked out cold from a perfectly placed hook delivered by Kevin Randleman. He was achingly close to the fight he wanted -- a showdown with Emelianenko -- but was denied. From that point, Filiopvic fought like a man possessed. Seven fights in eleven months, all but one ending in the first round. Josh Barnett fell victim to "Cro Cop's" wrath; as did Mark Coleman.  Filipovic exacted a measure of revenge against Randleman, choking him out in less than a minute, while also knocking out younger brother Aleksander Emelianenko in devastating fashion. The Croatian wasn't simply knocking at the door for a title shot. He was punching, kicking, and submitting his way through. At FInal Conflict 2005, "The Last Emperor" and Filipovic finally clashed. Heavyweights have long been synonymous with combat sports. Bouts like Ali/Frazier or Tyson/Holyfield instantly come to mind when thinking of boxing's great heavyweight tilts. This was the first of what promised to be the same for MMA. "Cro Cop" once again came up short in what was an epic battle. A second win over Barnett followed but was soured when he lost a split decision to fellow K-1 crossover athlete Mark Hunt three months later. Following that loss, he took his longest break between fights since early 2003 as he prepared to enter the 2006 open weight grand prix. He dominated the tournament, joining the ranks of Mark Coleman, Wanderlei Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, and Mauricio Rua as men who walked through the grand prix fires and emerged victorious. In fact, he earned the honor by beating both Silva and Barnett -- for the third time in his career -- in a single night. In a little over five years, he had stepped inside the ring 27 times. By that point, Pride's demise was almost a foregone conclusion and "Cro Cop" jumped ship to the UFC. He made his debut at UFC 67 with Eddie Sanchez being selected as the lamb to Filipovic's slaughter. The fight was lost for Sanchez before he even stepped inside the Octagon since he appeared to want no part in fighting the fearsome kickboxer. What followed next could be considered the beginning of the end for Filipovic. A number one contender's bout with Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70 ended with another insanely brutal head kick knockout except this time, "Cro Cop" was the one unconscious on the mat, having been on the business end of "Napao's" shin. When the Croatian was knocked out against Randleman, he came back stronger than ever. But after the knockout in Manchester, felled by the very weapon that made his name feared amongst other heavyweights, it didn't look like there was going to be a second triumphant return. Following Cheick Kong stifling -- and low blowing -- his way to a decision win, the UFC and "Cro Cop" amicably parted ways so the kickboxer could return to Japan. His most significant bout during that time came against UFC 141 headliner Alistair Overeem, a fight Filipovic looked to be on the way to losing before a shot below the belt stopped the bout early, resulting in a no contest. The kickboxer returned to the Octagon at UFC 99 and won three of four bouts, losing only to current number one contender Junior dos Santos. Three wins were great -- and the loss one but gone was the aggressive "Cro Cop" fans fell in love with and replacing him was a gun shy, tentative fighter no one recognized. Back to back to back knockout losses wrote the final chapter in Filipovic's career. I can only hope that years from now he is remembered not for how his career ended but how it began. A dangerous striker who could put any heavyweight to sleep in mere seconds. Enjoy spending time with your wife and two boys, "Cro Cop." Enjoy getting fat, finally able to eat anything and everything your heart ever desired but diet didn't permit. Enjoy life. You've earned it.

Posted in: fight, time, cop, cro, filipovic

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Cain Velasquez has been on the sidelines rehabbing from surgery for several months. Now, the UFC heavyweight champ will defend his title for the first time when he meets Junior dos Santos November 12 on the first UFC on FOX event. Velasquez-Dos Santos will take place in the Honda Center from Anaheim, California, which is the same place Velasquez defeated Brock Lesnar in for the UFC title last October. Following the win, however, he was forced to undergo surgery for a torn rotator cuff, leaving him with months of rehab to get back inside the Octagon. The former Arizona State University standout was put on strict orders from his doctor to remain away from the gym while his shoulder healed. The ultimate workout warrior found comfort in spending time with his daughter, Coral. “That kind of kept my head from being too down, being around my family and being positive with them,” said Velasquez, in a recent interview with the L.A. Times. “They helped me through it.” In fact, as it turns out, the toughest part of the entire process was being patient rather than rushing his recovery. “It took five months of not doing anything,” Velasquez explained. “It was hard, but I knew the less I did the faster I would come back, and I have.” The time he spent on the sidelines appears to have paid off as Velasquez is now fully-healed, adding, “The shoulder feels good. Training is going good. I’m doing hard workouts and my body feels good. I feel ready and confident for my upcoming fight.” Fans can get further insight into the heavyweights’ historic bout by tuning in to catch a special UFC Primetime airing today on FOX with streaming versions to be made available at some point next week.

Posted in: ufc, time, velasquez, ufc primetime, rotator cuff

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

The late money was coming in on Nick Diaz, moving him to a favorite at many sportsbooks by the time his UFC 137 main event with B.J. Penn started. That combined with Penn appearing to be in tears gave the fight a strange feeling before it even got underway. The opening frame went how many fans and media expected it to go as Diaz got countered by Penn's sharper boxing and B.J. even scored a takedown and got a little work done on the ground, setting himself up well for the fight ahead. Unfortunately for Penn, Diaz and his unrelenting cardio were just too much and wilted B.J. in the second round. For the majority of the second frame it was Diaz trapping Penn against the cage and opening up with the trademark Diaz flurries. Penn came back in the third to go out swinging, throwing his hands even in a losing effort. Penn lost on the scorecards but put on a fun and exciting fight that should have fans remembering him the right way after he announced his retirement following the loss. For Diaz, he put on the kind of performance that has many insisting that the UFC should abandon the idea of giving Carlos Condit the title shot against Georges St. Pierre. Diaz claimed after the fight that GSP wasn't really hurt, he was just scared. UFC president Dana White was saying that the outcome of this fight would have no impact on Condit's title shot as recently as this weekend but one has to wonder if that will hold up. As of the time of this article it's sounding like Diaz may be told that he earned a title shot as soon as the post-fight press conference. Before I get to some of the other fights on this somewhat lackluster card I have to say one thing about the broadcast. There seems to have been way more production problems than normal. A lot of missed shots, bad camera angles and other very unusual things for the normally very crisp UFC product. They don't seem fully confident in the new wirecams yet which is probably a part of it. Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo wasn't exactly a thriller but Kongo was able to hand Mitrione his first career loss. Given that this was a heavyweight fight most felt would deliver some action, it was a little disconcerting to see the fighters spend several minutes at a time not throwing strikes. In the end it was Kongo's ability to muscle some takedowns in the third round that took the fight away from Mitrione. Mirko Filipovic joined the retirement parade tonight, seeming to hang up the gloves after a TKO loss to Roy Nelson. Mirko simply spends too much time circling and not throwing strikes. He landed on Nelson several times, most notably in the second round when he had Roy hurt and pinned against the fence unloading with strikes. But once he couldn't get the finish he went back to being overly cautious and appeared to quit on the fight. Nelson just finished the fight off at that point to get a big win, but one that is hard to appropriately gauge given Mirko's recent performances. Hatsu Hioki was given a split decision win over George Roop in a rather uninspiring UFC debut. I scored the fight for Roop as did Fight Metric as I thought he won rounds one and three. Even the round Hioki clearly won was not exactly much in terms of damage or anything beyond positional dominance. It's simply not the kind of fight that is going to get a fighter the vast majority of UFC fans have heard of a title shot, unless it's on a show in Japan and done to try to sell the event to the locals. I feel like I'm being too negative, so let's talk about Donald Cerrone. I may not care for the guy's personality, but he is a straight killer in the cage. His performance since coming to the UFC is so far beyond what he showed in the WEC that it's actually stunning. The way he laid waste to Dennis Siver tonight was very impressive and the kind of showing that proved that he's "in the mix" for a title shot. The "old Brandon Vera" is back. And by that, I mean the Brandon Vera who we've seen the most. There simply is no reason that Vera shouldn't have run through Eliot Marshall, but instead he was hurt multiple times and almost finished twice in the third round. That he escaped with a win instead of a draw is a statement on the flawed state of MMA judging more than anything. Good on Marshall for coming in and fighting like a guy who actually wanted to win and not just be an opponent. The night belongs to Diaz and Cerrone as they were far and away the highlights of an otherwise disappointing card. We're heading into a big November for the UFC though Photo of the Night: via Ben Fowlkes Twitter The two main event fighters, both showing the marks of their battle. Bloody Elbow Fight of the Night Via Zuffa LLC via Getty Images I can't change from Diaz vs. Penn. It was the one fight that was truly good start to finish on the card and that we'll still be talking about weeks from now.

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, time, penn

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Filed under: UFC, NewsLAS VEGAS -- BJ Penn walked into the octagon with emotion in his eyes, and walked away leaving some of his fans with tears in theirs. The longtime MMA legend, just 32 years old, dropped a unanimous decision in a spirited scrap with Nick Diaz, and then shocked the sold-out crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center with the surprising announcement that he had just fought for the last time. Penn won the first round on all three judges scorecards before Diaz seized momentum in the second with his unrelenting pace and punishing body shots. Penn appeared to be on wobbly legs for the second half of the round and Diaz went for the finish, but Penn's chin and heart kept him on his feet. Overall in the round, Diaz landed 115 strikes, according to Compustrike. Though Penn survived the assault, he had little left to combat Diaz's attack. The Stockton, California native was unrelenting in attacking the Hawaiian, frequently switching stances and landing at a high rate. Though he couldn't finish him, the outcome was obvious even before cage announcer Bruce Buffer read off the judges' scores, which were 29-28, 29-27, 29-28. By the end, Penn's face was bloodied and battered. "That's probably the last time you're ever going to see me," Penn said afterward. "I can't keep doing this." Penn didn't attend the post-fight press conference, with his injuries requiring a trip to the hospital. Diaz, known for his high-pressure pace, out-landed Penn 239 to 76, according to Compustrike. "In the 10 years we've seen BJ perform, we've never seen him busted up like that," UFC president Dana White said. "Even on bottom getting smashed by [Matt] Hughes and Georges St-Pierre. He doesn't cut, he doesn't bleed, he doesn't swell up. It's like he's got leather skin. He got busted up tonight. Nick Diaz is the real deal." If it is the end for Penn, he leaves as one of the most respected mixed martial artists in history, with a career that spanned a decade and bridged eras from the dark days of the sport to the current boom. He arrived on the scene as "the Prodigy" with a first-round knockout over Joey Gilbert at UFC 31, and became one of only two fighters in UFC history to win championships in multiple divisions, joining Randy Couture. Penn is held in the highest regard by fighters for his willingness to fight at any weight class, and despite being just 5-foot-9 and around 180 pounds at his natural weight, he fought from lightweight all the way up to heavyweight. Penn's signature win may be his UFC 46 welterweight championship victory over Matt Hughes, who had been considered an unbeatable champion after five successful title defense over a two-year span. But after that win, he left the UFC in a contract dispute, only returning two years later. By then, the promotion had begun to gain momentum with The Ultimate Fighter's success, and Penn's return soon jump-started the lightweight division when he captured the belt in 2008. He defended it three times before losing to Frankie Edgar in April 2010. Penn would win only one more time in his career, knocking out old rival Hughes in just 21 seconds last November. In his last five fights, he was 1-3-1, though the draw came against Jon Fitch, who was considered by most to be the No. 2 welterweight in the world, and two of the losses came to current champ Edgar. Of course, given his snap decision and relatively young age, many believe Penn will find his way back to the cage one more time. Given the beating he took, the UFC will likely give him some time to spend with his family before checking his future status. "BJ's a warrior, man" White said. "Like I said, what happened to him tonight, it's never happened to him in his entire career. What he's thinking tonight, he might not think eight weeks from now. Who knows? It might be or it might not be. That's up to him." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, time, penn

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

The Hawaiian Nation will have their collective focus squarely set on Las Vegas tonight, as proud islander BJ Penn prepares to take to the Octagon to face former Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz in the main event at UFC 137. Penn and Diaz, who share a mutual respect for one another, are both hunting for a title-shot and should deliver a highly entertaining headliner when things unfold on PPV starting at 9:00 PM EST. Also set for the show, among the many intriguing match-ups, powerful Frenchman Cheick Kongo clashes with TUF 10 alumnus Matt Mitrione, while famed striker Mirko Filipovic fights for perhaps the last time in his career with Buddha-bellied Roy Nelson standing in his way of retiring on a high note. Fighters.com will be tuned from the time the Facebook bouts start at 6:15 EST to the curtain’s close at midnight, ready to deliver live results back to readers. Want to know how your favorite fighter fared? Check out the outcomes below: Francis Carmont vs. Chris Camozzi Dustin Jacoby vs. Clifford Starks Brandon Vera vs. Eliot Marshall Daniel Downes vs. Ramsey Nijem Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone Bart Palaszewski vs. Tyson Griffin Mirko Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson Jeff Curran vs. Scott Jorgensen Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz Tweet

Posted in: time, vs, las vegas, note fighterscom, curtain ’s

Read the full article at Fighters.com

There's no questioning the fact that UFC 137, which goes down tonight (Oct. 29, 2011) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been decimated by injuries, bad luck and insubordination. But while Georges St. Pierre's knee injury will surely hit hard once the receipts are counted up for gate and pay-per-view buy totals, his abrupt removal from the fight card created an opening for a couple fighters who are still trying for their shot at the big time. Enter Scott Jorgensen and Jeff Curran. Jorgensen is the former WEC bantamweight title challenger who came over to the UFC as a part of the merger in January of this year. Having just lost in his title opportunity against Dominick Cruz, "Young Guns" was going to have to start from the back of the line upon his debut inside the Octagon. So that's what he did. He viciously knocked out Ken Stone at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 Finale on June 4 and emphatically declared to the world that he was "back." But to UFC fans, what that really meant was he is here. And now it's his time to shine. Jeff Curran knows all too well what its like to get a shot in the big leagues and blow it. Of course, his first go-round in the UFC was back in 2004, when fighting inside a cage still had yet to be accepted by the masses. Still, he blew his lone chance inside the Octagon by dropping a unanimous decision to future welterweight champion Matt Serra at UFC 46. Now, seven years and 25 fights later, he's back. Curran, who goes by the name "Big Frog," is fighting more than just Jorgensen or for respect; he's fighting to break away from his reputation as a regional warrior, a skilled combatant who simply can't cut it with the big boys. You see, the UFC isn't the only major promotion Curran has failed out of. No, he had a 6-fight run with the WEC and was abruptly released after losing four consecutive fights. This is a tough business, the fight game, and while perseverance and heart are admirable qualities, they certainly won't save you when it's time to face the music. This is a results driven business and if you can't win when it's time to shine then it's time to move on so someone else can have their shot under the bright lights. That's what makes this fight so special -- and so crucial -- for both Curran and Jorgensen, the former, obviously, much more than the latter. This is one more shot to bring it home, one more chance to dance where they'll make you a hero if you come through in the clutch. This is that moment and it may never come again. Tonight we see who makes it count.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, shot, curran

Read the full article at MMA Mania

LAS VEGAS - Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will be facing Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for a second time when the pair meets at December's UFC 140 event. And this time, Mir wants Nogueira at 100 percent. After Mir dispatched of "Minotauro" in December 2008, post-fight discussion centered around a severe case of staph that left Nogueira far from his best in the second-round TKO. Mir doesn't want to hear that talk a second time around.

Posted in: ufc, time, nogueira, mir, las vegas

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

In a little over two weeks, the ever so modest UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez, will defend his title for the first time since taking the belt from Brock Lesnar a little over a year ago on Oct. 23, 2010, at UFC 121 in Anaheim, California. In the process, he will try to extend his undefeated streak to 10. Velasquez will return to the place where he won his championship and will have the added pressure of performing in front of his friends and family in his home state. Not only that, he'll be shaking off some ring rust after a year-long layoff due to a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. Standing in his way is the dangerous Brazilian striker with arguably the best hands in the heavyweight division, Junior dos Santos. Oh and by the way, Velasquez will also have the pressure of being the first UFC champion to headline a major UFC event on FOX, the same network that carries MLB's World Series and the NFL's Super Bowl. The often quiet heavyweight opens up in a candid interview with Fighters Only Magazine and says he doesn't know if he'll ever be a superstar in the sport. Velasquez openly admits, like the majority of athletes, that he prefers to be training instead of doing interviews. With Cain being of Mexican descent, his has double the media responsibilities of most fighters, as he has to do both English and Spanish interviews. However, Cain knows its part of the territory and thanks his parents for instilling in him the attitude of just doing your job to the best of your ability without complaining: "I just know that it is part of the job and it's something that I have to do. I'd rather train and fight rather than doing and other kind of stuff, but I know that doing the media tours and all that is a big part of the sport. Watching my parents go to work every day and not complain, even while they were working crappy jobs, I think I have taken that from them and put it into everything I do." The always respectful and humble Cain was quick to dismiss any notions that he considers himself a superstar, but he did take the time to critique and compliment his fellow heavyweight colleagues: "Whether or not I'll ever be a superstar, I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess." Velasquez has truly been instrumental in ushering in a new era of heavyweights in MMA. With other divisions stars ruling the headlines and pound-for-pound lists for the last couple years, Cain has his work cut out for him if he plans to match the championship runs of UFC title holders such as Anderson Silva (middleweight) and Georges St. Pierre (welterweight). He definitely has talent and time on his side but as he admits, he has to take it one fight at a time. His long journey begins on November 12 in Anaheim, California, in the monumental debut of the UFC on FOX against the very game and dangerous, Junior dos Santos. Here he comes.

Posted in: ufc, time, heavyweight, velasquez, anaheim california

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFC, NewsLAS VEGAS -- The outcome on Saturday might be irrelevant. To Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, his UFC 137 fight against Roy Nelson might be his last either way. The 37-year-old Cro Cop has entertained the possibility of retirement after each of his most recent losses, but this marks the first time he's talked about it even before a match took place. With the realization that time is running short on his career, the Croatian striker voiced his strongest hint that he may be taking the long walk to the octagon for the final time. "I wish you could see the new Cro Cop, 15 years younger," he said. "I wish it's possible, but unfortunately I'm 37 and this could easily be my last fight in the UFC. It has nothing to do with the result, if I win or lose. Especially if I lose, but even if I win it could be my last fight in the UFC. And I'll really give my best and hope this will be an attractive fight. I cannot afford anymore, especially in this fight, that it's declared as the most boring fight of the evening like the fight with Frank Mir. I think me and Roy will perform a good fight and the fans will be satisfied and excited." More Coverage: Watch UFC 137 Live Online | UFC 137 Fight Card | UFC 137 Results Cro Cop, who most recently fought and lost in March, said that he underwent a rigorous six-month training camp to prepare himself, but acknowledged that at some point, every fighter must ask himself if he can continue on, and answer honestly. He also voiced regret over his UFC difficulties. Outside of the promotion, Cro Cop has a sterling record of 23-4-2 with one no contest. But in nine fights for the organization, he's gone just 4-5, a record that clearly didn't sit well with him. "I will never be able to forgive myself," he said. "I just blew it up. When I came to UFC, I was treated like a king. Even today I was treated like a king. And I just didn't make it. The reasons are not important." With his past behind him though, Cro Cop said he is prepared for the fight, and is freed by the thought that he has little to lose. Even if he falls in defeat and retires, he has something to look forward to: more time with his two sons. "I'm relaxed, there's no pressure on me," he said. "I will do best to beat Roy, who I respect a lot. I don't want to underestimate him. But if you ask me, this is the most important fight in my career. This will be the most important fight in my career and that's why I trained so hard for Saturday evening. I'm just looking forward to it." After an early career in kickboxing, Cro Cop transitioned into martial arts in the early 2000s. Within two years of the switch, he was already considered among the best heavyweights in the world. His August 2005 PRIDE match with Fedor Emelianenko was one of the most anticipated non-UFC title matches in history, and although Emelianenko ultimately emerged victorious, Cro Cop remained considered one of the best heavyweights in the sport for years before finally signing with the UFC. His last win came at UFC 115, when he defeated Pat Barry with a third-round rear naked choke submission. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, cop, cro

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

LAS VEGAS -- It was only two years ago that Matt Mitrione was a green rookie on The Ultimate Fighter. During that season, he was picked 13th out of 16 fighters, yet despite being the newest to the game, he's now on the verge of being the most high profile of the bunch. At Saturday's UFC 137, Mitrione will make a big leap in opponent level, facing the veteran Cheick Kongo. Mitrione has always been prized for his promise and athleticism, but given his late start in MMA (he was already over 30 when he started his pro career), there have always been questions if he can pull everything together in time to make himself a factor in the UFC's heavyweight division. With a win over Kongo, he will have accomplished that, even though it's not something he's not focused on. "I haven't really thought too much about it because I'm not paid to think about it," he said. "I'm paid to go out and try to put on the best performance I can. And if I do well and go out and beast him, that's a conversation to have. And if I go out there and get my ass kicked, then that's a conversation not to be had. But I don't really have to worry about either one of those until the press conference afterwards." Describing Kongo as "the upper-end measuring stick," Mitrione acknowledged that this fight will provide information on just where he stands in his career. The 33-year-old has been brought along in a measured process until now, winning all five of his fights, with four coming by way of KO or TKO. It's been a strong run in his second pro sport. After playing collegiate football at Purdue Mitrione made it to the NFL, spending time with the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings. But after being cut in week six of the 2005 season, he transitioned from athletics to corporate America, where he designed and sold benefits packages for corporations. While he made a good living, it didn't quite scratch his competitive itch, and the sports door opened back up when his friend, Washington Nationals' baseball player Jayson Werth decided to produce an MMA event and asked Mitrione to take part in it. Mitrione, who had begun training ended up getting hurt and didn't fight, but by that time, he had developed friendships with Chris Lytle and Jake O'Brien, and he stuck with MMA. Six months later, he was on TUF. Wednesday's fighter workouts took place at the TUF gym, providing Mitirone with some flashbacks from his early days. "I was kind of struggling day by day," Mitrione said of his time on the show. "I was d------ around too much. I kind of lost a lot of my wide-angle focus. I got tunnel vision pretty well on just fighting Scott Junk and making things happen that way. It's nice I'm on a little bit of winning streak. It's nice to come in here and have a little bit of something under my belt. But yeah, I was here, it sucked, but it was the best worst thing of my life." Mitrione said that the 20-something version of himself would not have been able to handle this rise, saying "I probably would have been a flash in the pan, if I was even a flash." "It's something that I'm mature enough to be able to handle this career now," he said. "When I was younger, I was a dumbass. I was drunk and partied way too hard so I probably would have f----- it up somehow." Mitrione has shored up his training, flying in grappling coach Neil Melanson to work with him, spending hours on the road to improve his wrestling with coach Ryan Root, and even traveling to Florida to train with his former TUF coach Rashad Evans. So Mitrione is embracing his TUF roots in order to achieve his future goals. He knows full well about Kongo. The French fighter is dangerous, with powerful, accurate strikes, and Mitrione is aware that his usual aggression could play into Kongo's hands. Yet he believes that everything has led him to this moment. His early immaturity, his time on TUF, his late-blooming MMA career, it has all led him to the brink of breaking into contender status. "I see it as the right opponent at the right time," he said. "It's definitely a step up from the caliber of competition I've faced already. I'm excited for it. It's something I've wanted." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, kongo, mitrione, tuf, im

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Days before the big stage get-it-on that will reveal if he can handle “the crème de la crème” of heavyweights, the talking machine that is Matt Mitrione is as chill and conversational as ever. It’s late Sunday night and the Indianapolis-based father of three is winding down after spending much of the day celebrating the birthday of his six-year-old son, Jacob (the highlight being a family trip to the chaotic kiddie paradise that is Chucky Cheese). The unbeaten UFC heavyweight (5-0) loves kids, but expressed no plans to rival Evander Holyfield, Antonio Cromartie or Shawn Kemp – notoriously fertile athletes that have fathered large nests. “We’re going to cap it at three kids,” Mitrione assured. For the uninitiated, one of Mitrione’s gifts to the world is his hyper-candor. The former NFL defensive lineman (New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings) seems willing and able to tackle any topic. You could throw him on CNN, for serious query, and he’d probably be compelling. Then you could throw him on the Howard Stern Show, under an outrageous and unpredictable line of questioning, and he’d likely prove even more entertaining. So, over the course of a 45-minute talk, The Ultimate Fighter alum indulges my curiosity and we spend quite a bit of time talking about things that have nothing to do with the super-ripped 6-foot-4 Frenchman that promised to knock him out this Saturday night in the UFC 137 co-main event. I ask: “Which current NFL players do you think have the temperament and physical skills to be elite fighters?” (Note: Deep down, fervent Baltimore Ravens fan that I am, I was hoping the name Ray Lewis would arise on Mitrione’s list). Alas, the man who proudly calls himself “Meathead” promptly disappointed me. “I think Jeremy Shockey would be a fantastic fighter,” Mitrione said of the two-time Super Bowl-winning tight end, who possesses a well-documented mean streak on the field and was a teammate of Mitrione’s when both played for the 2002 New York Giants. “And I think James Harrison, (All-Pro) linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, would also be phenomenal. The reason he would be excellent is … obviously he’s highly aggressive, highly athletic and highly coordinated, but he was also cut five times as an undrafted free agent and he stuck with it. So that shows resiliency, that his ego was in check. He had that mentality, ‘I know I’m better than this guy and I’m going to prove it, whatever stresses it puts me and my family through, this is something I have to accomplish.’ That kind of resiliency is the mark of a champion, an undying competitor. The relentlessness that I see in him is why I think he would be great. Not just an also-ran – he would be great.” There is a vicarious quality to Mitrione’s assessment of James Harrison. He once walked in the ferocious, hard-hitting linebacker’s shoes. Harken back to mid- October 2006, Week Six of the NFL season. Mitrione got called into a coach’s office and was immediately rocked with a haymaker he didn’t see coming; “We have to cut you.” Failure to perform his duties. No severance pay. No more checks coming in.The final pro stats for Mitrione, who had been undrafted, were not grand enough to inspire braggadocio. Plagued by foot injuries, Mitrione had played just two seasons, recording just four career tackles along the way. But, like most competitors, he thought he could beat the odds and be the exception. He flirted with the idea of a comeback and waited for a callback that never came. James Harrison’s NFL story featured triumph. Mitrione’s featured fizzle.“My son was born a week after I was cut,” Mitrione said. “I was 27. I thought, ‘I can’t rely on other people for a paycheck. I need to be responsible and stop chasing The Dream.’ So I went and worked for Corporate America for two years, designing and selling corporate employee benefit packages. I covered the entire state of Wisconsin, minus Milwaukee and Madison. I drove like 3,500 to 4,000 miles a month. I wore a suit and tie. And I was miserable.” By his own admission, Mitrione underachieved as a football player. This may seem odd given that he was All-State and honorable mention All-American in high school, and second-team All Big Ten at Purdue University with a keen knack for tackling the opposition behind the line of scrimmage for losses. The scouting report on him read like this: Pros: Intelligent. Athletic. Versatile. High motor.Cons: Way too much of a partier. Too smart for his own good. Undersized.Reflecting on his football career, he says, “I could have been much, much better. I was always a drinker and I partied pretty hard.” He started fighting MMA in 2009 after discussions with a buddy, former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth (now with the Washington Nationals), a fan of the sport and small show promoter. Thus began the professional rebirth of Matt Mitrione, and a determination to not party away his immense talent as he did on the gridiron. Highly regarded for his natural fight instincts and for being a virtual sponge of techniques, Mitrione also packs one-punch knockout power, making him a threat to win any fight, at any time, against any foe.“I bring leather just about as hard as anybody in the UFC,” he said. But against Kongo (26-6-2), the experience factor looms large. Kongo has the second-longest tenure in the UFC among heavyweights and will be making his 15th Octagon appearance Saturday night. Only Frank Mir, a UFC vet since 2001, has more fights among heavyweights. Mitrione, meanwhile, has just two years at the pro level and five pro fights. “Skillwise it’s a big step up,” Mitrione said. “But is it that much of a step up? I don’t know. We’ll find out on Saturday if I get my a-- kicked.” In Mitrione’s estimation, Kongo’s single greatest attribute makes him the equivalent of a human hornet’s nest. “He is most dangerous when he is in danger,” Mitrione said, mindful of Kongo’s miraculous comeback knockout win over Pat Barry in June. “That’s the one thing you have to be sharp about. If he (Kongo) gets knocked down he stays active. But I think that I’ve shown in the vast experience of my five fights that if I knock somebody down, I’m patient.” To beat Kongo, Mitrione said, he cannot afford to be “lazy on my feet. I’ve got to keep my feet moving.”I ask Mitrione how he sees himself. Does he foremost see himself as a football player who took up MMA or an MMA guy who used to play football? “I’m in that transition period now,” he said. “Maybe six months ago I was still a football player that was learning how to fight. I feel that now I’m much more of an MMA guy. I know more about my body, diet, cardio, grappling and setups. So I’m becoming an MMA fighter. But I think I’ll always be an athlete that can do this, that or the other. And I don’t know how to classify that.” Yet MMA has taught the 33-year-old Mitrione that athleticism can only take a man so far in the fight game. In fact, in many cases, he believes that being an elite athlete could be an obstacle. “Just because you’re a phenomenal athlete doesn’t mean you’re really coordinated -- and you have to be really coordinated to be a good fighter, from what I’ve seen,” Mitrione said. “It sounds silly, but some people can make incredible plays on the field but they can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. It’s strange to see but it’s true. So that’s not necessarily true that because a guy is a great athlete that he’ll be a great fighter. There’s a lot of times that you can be a great athlete … most of the time they are much more athletic and stronger than the average MMA athlete, even top-tier UFC fighters. “But a lot of times the best fighters are grinders and wrestlers because they’re just more mentally tough than a lot of football players are, and their egos are much more in check. Most of them (athletes who become the best fighters) weren’t allowed to whine or be babied in college, so they were required to be much more accountable than a lot of football and basketball players are. So I think that would be the downfall of a lot of football and basketball players that were trying to be fighters; they’ve been babied so much and their egos have been catered to so often. Whereas a wrestler gets told all the time by coaches, ‘You suck.’ Or they just get the s--- beat of them until they get something right. Now, if a great athlete could keep his ego in check and understand that sooner or later they’re going to get their a—kicked in front of five million people, then I think they would be fine.”

Posted in: time, fighter, mitrione, athlete, football

Read the full article at UFC

This is my second blog for Fighters.com where I’m keeping fans updated on the road to November 19 when I fight Rick Story in San Jose at UFC 139. Like each entry, I’ll tell a little bit about how my preparation for the bout is going and share whatever else is on my mind. Training camp is going well. I was out for a couple of days with the flu though it’s better to get a little sick now than get it right before the fight. I have been training my butt off lately and now I’m really starting to get in great shape! I’m doing kickboxing with Ray Sefo in the mornings three days a week and I’m starting to feel sharp. I haven’t been very lucky with the decisions in my last fights so this time I’m not looking to go the distance. Knockout or submission, either way I’m coming in to finish the fight because I’m tired of judges giving me the short end of the stick. We have other guys in the gym preparing for fights as well. Jay Hieron and Tyson Griffin are fighting this weekend. Brad Tavares was fighting too but unfortunately he got injured. It sucks to get hurt that close to a fight and having to pull out, but it is part of the game when you train hard. He will heal up and get a new one lined up soon no doubt. Tyson is fighting at UFC 137 this weekend and he is looking great! I’m gonna go see that fight live at Mandalay Bay. As I’m sure you might understand it is always more fun to go to the fights when my friends and training partners fighting. His opponent, Bart Palaszewski, is very tough, but I believe Tyson is the better fighter and he should be able to get the win. There have been a lot of change ups to that fight card. It’s definitely too bad Georges St. Pierre got injured because I was looking forward to his fight! Now BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz is main event and I think that should also make for a great fight. I’m rooting for BJ here but I’m worried Diaz might take it. Penn’s cardio has always looked better at 155 in my opinion and Diaz has a good size advantage, plus always comes in great shape with a relentless pace. Still, I’m hoping BJ pulls it off. He can definitely do it! Jay is fighting Ben Askren in Bellator for the welterweight title. This one I’m really looking forward to! Ben is undefeated in MMA and a phenomenal Olympic level wrestler. So far the fights I’ve seen him in, he’s been able to make it a wrestling match and dominate. He is also a bad ass in Disc Golf! I played disc golf with him and Alan Belcher when I was in Oklahoma to corner Jay for his semifinal match of Bellator’s Season 4 tournament. It was fun but it is gonna be a long time before I can make a career out of that so I think I’ll stick with fighting. Jay is one of my main training partners at the gym and we work with each other all the time. Jay’s a great wrestler and I think he is really the worst possible opponent for Askren. His takedown defense is incredible and he is fast and accurate with his punches. Askren will have a very hard time to get him down or keep him there, and on the feet Jay should be able to pick his shots and hurt him. Jay has been looking really sharp in training and I look forward to watching him take the belt home on Saturday. Now I just gotta figure out how to watch both fights when they are going on at the same time. I wish Bellator was on Fridays! That’s it for now. Until the next blog you can keep up with me on Facebook and Twitter (@MartinKampmann). PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: fight, time, i ’m, training, jay

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Filed under: UFC, NewsBy his own admission, Bart Palaszewski took the road less traveled to the UFC. When the WEC merged into its big Zuffa brother last fall, most of its mainstays ported over to work for the new boss, same as the old boss - but with a lot more notoriety. And Palaszewski was no exception. The fact it has taken him nearly a year for his long-awaited first fight in the promotion makes him stand out, though. Along the way, he lost 10 pounds and a big chunk of his hearing, but he promises he'll be wearing a big grin Saturday. "I'm just going to put a big smile on my face," Palaszewski told host Ariel Helwani on "The MMA Hour" on Monday. "I've been waiting for this for a long time. I took the road less traveled - 50 fights to get to the UFC " but I wouldn't change anything. I want to put on a helluva show and prove to (UFC president) Dana (White) and everyone in the UFC that I'm worthy." Palaszewski (34-14, 4-3 WEC) was scheduled to meet Cody McKenzie at UFC 130 in May. But an injury chased McKenzie from the fight, and soon after Palaszewski also had to pull out of the fight. That was to be his first fight in six months, after a tough split decision loss to Kamal Shalorus at the WEC's final event in December. The Poland-born Palaszewski, who trains at Jeff Curran's gym north of Chicago and was a mainstay on the Midwest fight circuit before becoming a star in the IFL, self-diagnosed himself with a concussion. But that wasn't the case. "I thought I had a concussion, so we pulled out (of UFC 130) with a concussion," Palaszewski said. "But I had MRIs done and CT scans and they couldn't find anything. So they sent me to an ear, nose and throat specialist, and I had a bad inner ear infection that attacked the nerve that controls your balance." Turns out it was the mother of all ear infections, and after the virus went to work on the nerve in Palaszewski's left ear he was left with 30 percent hearing loss - for the rest of his life. Though Palaszewski joked that means he doesn't hear as much of his wife's complaining, he acknowledged "it wasn't too fun the first few weeks." But there was an upside to pulling out of his May fight, and that was a chance to heal up and make the decision to drop from lightweight to featherweight, the division he'll make his UFC debut in at UFC 137 on Saturday in Las Vegas against Tyson Griffin. Rather than having to make a tough cut to 145, Palaszewski said he was able to make a smart cut and scale back his training and fighting schedule for the first time in, well, ever. "Sometimes you sit down and think 'ring rust, ring rust.,'" Palaszewski said. "But at the upper echelon, you can't be fighting every three months. That's insane. So this was the beginning of me slowing down a little bit. Between IFL and WEC, we kept a pretty busy schedule. I was fighting almost every month, so I never could make the (145) cut (before now)." Palaszewski doesn't get a walk-through for his first UFC fight, but Griffin (15-5, 8-5 UFC) is the kind of win that could put him on the map with a larger audience. The former lightweight stalwart, had just two losses - to former and current UFC champs Sean Sherk and Frankie Edgar - before a recent three-fight slump. He broke out of that skid in June with a majority decision win over Manny Gamburyan in his UFC featherweight debut. Palaszewski said he believes Griffin's drop to featherweight has made him more dangerous, and he knows Griffin's wrestling base is something he'll have to watch for. But he seems up for the challenge. "There's a couple things we've changed and added to my game that are going to give him a hard time and go from there," Palaszewski said. "Since I fought Kamal, I've been working on wrestling. He took me down a couple times, but I stuffed him a couple times and I was super happy with that. All through this year, up until the McKenzie fight, I was working my wrestling a lot." But takedown defense, ring rust, weight cuts and even how much less of his wife he can hear now will go out the window, he hopes, for a few seconds when Bruce Buffer announces his name. "I'm stoked. I should be probably be nervous, because it's big time," Palaszewski said. "I'm one of the lucky four fighters on Spike that night, and it should be more pressure on me because of that. But I'm just turning it into positive energy. I just want to get on the scale, make weight, get some good food in me and put on a good show the following night." Palaszewski and Griffin fight on the Spike TV-broadcast preliminary card of UFC 137 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The UFC 137 main card features a main event welterweight contenders bout between former lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn and former Strikeforce 170-pound champ Nick Diaz. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, im, palaszewski

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Dana White UFC 137 Video Blog - Behind the Scenes (via UFC) UFC 136 was a big night for hardcore fans. It was full of fantastic, gutsy performances. Dana White's latest blog is interesting because instead of adorning us with shots of Dana in his ferrari, or Dana at Pinkberry, we get an honest look at the UFC behind the scenes. This time starring the people we tune in to watch. The result is at times, a little heartbreaking. Watching Kenny Florian's blank stare brings home the emphasis of his failures. Here's a guy who's been here for the 3rd time, itching to prove the critics wrong against an absolute killer in Jose Aldo, and now he's back to square one. Florian has, for the most part, earned his title shots. For dedicated fighters like Florian, fighting is a job, and the only reward is 12lbs of gold. In that moment, that failure is his identity. Same with Gray Maynard. When he walks away from his post fight checkup, Edgar approaches him as if to congratulate him. Gray dismisses him. It's selfish sure, but what accolades does Gray think he deserves? He lost. With Edgar hurt in the first, just as in their 2nd fight, Maynard failed to capitalize. Except this time he lost definitively: unconscious and face first on the canvas. "What praise do I deserve, or care about if I fought for the title and didn't win?", Gray is probably thinking. The only time he ever appears consolidated is when him and his teammates briefly embrace.  Melvin Guillard's reaction to defeat is a little more dramatic. Throwing a backstage chair around, burying his head in his own tears, one hopes he uses his loss to finally make peace with the fact that a "little jiu jitsu" goes a long way in this sport. I really hope the UFC produces more content like this. These videos cut to the heart of what sports are really about.           

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

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

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

Read the full article at MMA Mania

After a few weeks of speculation surrounding his future based on having come up short again in another title-fight, this time to featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 136, Kenny Florian has revealed his next move and it won’t be one towards retirement. According to the 35-year old, he intends to fight again at 155 pounds where he’s experienced the bulk of his success and take it one match-up at a time from there. “I didn’t get in this to be second-best, of course. But at the same time, not everybody can be a champion,” Florian explained in an interview with The Boston Herald. “I’m just going to go back to 155, work my way up, take it one fight at a time and see where it puts me.” Florian Undecided About Future in the Ring After Loss to Aldo “I think there (are) exciting fights out there for me, there (are) still challenges out there for me, there (are) still things I’d like to try to improve on, and that’s the main thing. I don’t necessarily have the title in my eyes, but I do have my own personal goals as far as the technical level that I want to get to,” Florian continued. “I don’t like making any limits on how many fights or anything like that,” “Ken-Flo” concluded. “I’m still going to take it one fight at a time. I know I’ve still got several good fights in me. I could fight for the next three years. I could fight maybe another couple of fights. I don’t know. I’m going to take it how I feel in training, how I feel fight after fight and I’m just going to take it like that.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: fight, time, ’t, florian, ’m

Read the full article at Fighters.com

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

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

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Bellator 55 took place last night (October 22, 2011) from the Cocopah Resort & Casino in Yuma, Arizona. The upstart promotion once again had the night to themselves but instead of delivering the typical highlight, the night was filled with close decisions, upsets and a bit of controversy. Look no further than the main event of the evening, a semifinal matchup in the Bellator bantamweight tournament pitting Olympic bronze medal wrestler Alexis Vila against two-time world champion Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and WEC veteran Marcus Galvao. Vila, the smaller man with a significantly shorter reach, had issues finding his range early in the fight, and Galvao was equally concerned with the Cuban defector's power as both men engaged very little in a tentative first round that could have been scored either way. Things began to open up at the midway point of the fight as both men began throwing punches and kicks more aggressively. Galvao found a home for his leg kicks while Vila tried worked hard to get inside and land his punches. The 40 year old American Top Team product also shot in repeatedly for takedowns but was stuffed time and time again by the Brazilian, Galvao. In the final round, Galvao turned it up, pushing the pace, landing his kicks and really opening up with his punches as well as Vila began to tire out a bit, no longer bouncing around with frenetic energy like he did early in the bout.  With how close the first two rounds were and how decisive the last was, many felt Galvao had done enough to win the fight and were not surprised when the first judge's scorecard was read 30-27 in his favor, but then the next two were announced 29-28 Vila to give the former Olympian the victory and a place in the tournament finals. This was the second time Marcos Galvao had lost a controversial decision in Yuma, Arizona, having previously been on the receiving end of an undeserved decision loss to Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren earlier this year. Apparently at the post-fight press conference, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney awarded Galvao his win bonus this time around and guaranteed him admission into the next Bellator bantamweight tournament. The rest of the main card showcased some entertaining back-and-forth battles including one match that made Bellator history. In the other bantamweight semifinal bout, season three tournament finalist Ed West took on top-ranked Brazilian prospect Eduardo Dantas. This bout was decided by range. West looked to land his kicks from the outside while Dantas tried to explode forward and get inside with his punches. Dantas dropped West in the first round with a lunging hook combination but West would bounce back, surviving the pouncing ground and pound, getting to his feet and then staggering the Brazilian with an uppercut of his own later in the frame.  This bout was incredibly hotly contested but it was Dantas who landed the more damaging blows in the first two rounds while West tried to pick him apart from a distance. The problem for West was he couldn't keep Dantas on the outside and he repeatedly allowed the Brazilian to close the distance. The pace of this bout was very fast and both men tired a bit in the third round. When it was all said and done, Dantas was awarded a split decision victory, much to the dismay of West, who had a stunned look on his face. In "superfight" action, Bellator light heavyweight champion Christian M'Pumbu took on massive MMA veteran Travis Wiuff in a non-title affair. Wiuff was at least 30 pounds heavier than M'Pumbu, as the champ does not cut weight to make 205 pounds and it cost him. Wiuff took M'Pumbu down in rounds one and two and the champion could not get to his feet either time, being forced to remain on his back and eat occasional punches from above for nearly the full duration. In round three, M'Pumbu hurt Wiuff on multiple occasions with punching combinations but could not force a stoppage and Wiuff recovered by taking him down and riding out the remainder of the bout to earn a unanimous decision victory. It was the first time a Bellator champion has lost a non-time bout. Expect to see the veteran Wiuff in the next light heavyweight tournament. In the opening bout of the evening, top Brazilian lightweight prospect Ricardo Tirloni took on tough American jiu-jitsu blackbelt Steve Gable. Tirloni controlled the bout with his knees as Gable repeatedly tried to clinch and take the fight to the ground but was unsuccessful every time, even getting reversed and taken down himself during some of Tirloni's sprawls.  Eventually, Tirloni wore Gable down and overwhelmed him with punches on the ground. When Gable turned away from the strikes, the Brazilian pounced with a slick rear naked choke that forced a near-instant tap from the collegiate wrestler.  For complete Bellator 55 results and detailed round-by-round commentary of all the televised fights click here. So what did you think Maniacs? Who did you felt won each close split decision in the bantamweight tournament semifinals last night? Does Christian M'Pumbu losing a non-title bout to Wiuff devalue the Bellator title? Sound off!

Posted in: bellator, time, bout, round, galvao

Read the full article at MMA Mania

It might go down as one of the shortest retirements in the history of the sport. One month ago, after losing a decision to late replacement Dakota Cochrane at a Titan Fighting Championships event, Jamie Varner took to his Twitter to tell fans that he'd had enough. "I gave fighting another shot I need 2 thank u guys 4 ur support! But I just don't have it anymore. Love u all but ull never c me fight again," Varner wrote. A short time later, that message was removed. Shortly after that, Varner was back in the gym, preparing to have another go at it tonight at an XFC event on HDNet. Maybe it just goes to show that you should never say never, even on Twitter. "I think, honestly, I just made an emotional decision and an emotional remark," Varner told MMA Fighting this week. "I feel like I didn't perform very well in that last fight. The guy just overpowered me. He wasn't very good. I was much better than the guy, but I just got controlled. I didn't like that feeling, and I just thought maybe it was time for me to hang it up." Of course, the former WEC lightweight champ didn't hold that opinion for very long. Once he started to think about, Varner decided that maybe his passion for the sport hadn't evaporated after all. Maybe he'd just been hit with a few bad breaks, one right after another. For starters, he said, his original opponent was pulled from the lineup just a few days before the bout. Then the replacement, Dakota Cochrane, couldn't make the lightweight limit, so Varner had to fight at welterweight despite the fact that he'd already completed the bulk of his weight cut to get down to 155 pounds. After getting overpowered by a bigger opponent, Varner said, frustration briefly got the better of him. "Then I took a week off, came home to talk to my trainers, and they were like, 'You shouldn't have even taken that fight.' It wasn't in my weight class and too many factors played into that. Maybe I was a little overtrained, too. Who knows. But I prepared for one guy, got a completely different guy, and then it wasn't even in my weight class. I'm a lightweight. I have no business fighting a welterweight." But it wasn't just a change of heart that got Varner back in the cage so fast. Before the loss to Cochrane, he'd already signed to fight Nate Jolly on tonight's XFC event, so retiring would mean backing out of his contract, which he wasn't prepared to do, he said. "XFC has been doing a lot of marketing, been doing a lot of social networking promoting this fight. The show must go on. Whether I have a good day or a bad day, the show must go on. I made a commitment, and I'm a man of my word." If that sounds like a man who's feeling a little worn down, that's not too far off. Two fights in the span of a month will take a toll on anyone, especially when one of those fights is a surprise move up in weight that you never planned on making. But for Varner, the retracted retirement proclamation was also at least partially driven by a general sense of fight fatigue. "I've been doing this sport for ten years," Varner explained. "I started training when I was 17, had my first fight when I was a senior in high school. I've been at it a long time. I started wrestling when I was 14, started boxing when I was 11. That's a long time -- 13 or 16 years -- of competition and cuts and all that." At 27 years old, an age when most people are still working on getting established in a career, Varner is feeling the effects of his. Once the fight with Jolly is in the books, win or lose, he plans to take some time away and re-evaluate things. Maybe he'll take a couple pro boxing matches, he said, or do some grappling tournaments just to get the competitive juices flowing again. Not only has his recent run of fights had him feeling like he's been "non-stop dieting," it's also left him "a little burnt out," he said. But against Jolly he sees a good opportunity to get the taste of that last defeat out of his mouth, so at least he can take some time off with a win under his belt. "I know this guy is a very, very beatable guy. I'm bigger, I'm faster, I'm better in every position. I'm not too worried about what he brings to the table. If I go in there and perform to even half what I'm capable of, I should walk away with the W." Whether he decides to stick around in the sport or just keep on walking afterwards, we'll have to wait and see.  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, time, guy, varner, im

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Fans only moderately familiar with Mirko Filipovic may view the PRIDE icon as a cold-blooded kickboxing machine given the no-nonsense look he wears on his face from beginning to end on fight night. That being said, outside of the ring “Cro Cop” is actually known for having an incredible sense of humor and being somewhat of a prankster. Comparably, fellow UFC heavyweight Pat Barry has never been accused of taking life too seriously and might be mistakenly seen by some as only having an arsenal of devastating kicks at his disposal in common with Filipovic. Barry: “Sometimes You’re Just Gonna Get Hit.” Once opponents in the Octagon, Barry and Filipovic have since developed a friendship based on their kindred spirits including some time training together as “Cro Cop” prepares for his bout at UFC 137 against Ultimate Fighter 10 winner Roy Nelson, a match-up possibly marking the final fight of the 37-year old’s storied career. The two stand-up specialists recently gave MMA fans a peek into some of the time they’ve spent together. However, rather than the video focusing on time hitting pads, Barry and Filipovic work on hitting high-notes as they sing along to “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas and the Papas. Check it out below and try not to smile at least once.. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: time, barry, mirko filipovic, filipovic, octagon barry

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, NewsOn the one hand, UFC light heavyweight Brandon Vera owes Thiago Silva, the man who beat him at UFC 125 in January, a debt of gratitude. That's because had Silva not tested positive for steroids following the fight, Vera knows he would be looking for work outside the UFC. "Stuff happens in weird ways," Vera said on Monday's episode of The MMA Hour. "For sure this was a blessing in disguise. So whether it came from up top or karma was just like, 'Look, man, he's been through enough. Let's give him one. Let's see what he does with it.' Either way, I'm running with it." On the other hand, Vera has no problem expressing how he really feels about Silva, who celebrated in the cage en route to beating "The Truth" via unanimous decision on Jan. 1. "I think he was just celebrating, but now that I know that he was a juice monkey, for sure, I think he's a piece of sh**." Following the fight, the UFC released Vera, who had just dropped to 0-3 in his last three fights. But after news broke that Silva had been suspended for a year by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for steroids and providing a fake urine sample, the organization gave Vera his job back. He'll get another shot to realize his UFC dreams next weekend when he meets Eliot Marshall at UFC 137. "I was still bewildered the whole time wondering why I looked so bad," Vera said of his fight against Silva. "But then when the test came back, I understood why, man. "The whole fight I just kept asking myself, 'What the hell is going on? Why is this?' You know, I train with Phil Davis, 'Hapa' Travis Browne, the Nogueira brothers and Junior dos Santos. I train with some big dudes, man. Nobody has ever been able to hold me. The whole time during the fight, while we're on the ground, I'm just thinking to myself, 'What is going? Why is it like this?' And it just wore on me the whole time. On the feet, I was happy as hell. I was smiling the whole damn time. He's so slow, but then as soon as we hit the deck, it just felt like I was a little child." Vera says he hasn't talked to Silva after the fight, and he has no intention of reaching out to him any time soon. "No interest at all," he said. "Not till I smack him in his face again." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, silva, vera

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

"I've watched it maybe 100 times and I know for myself that I never tapped" Over at MMA Nation, Team Bisping's Akira Corassani blogs about his highly controversial fight from last night's episode of The Ultimate Fighter. (Screengrab via MMAMania)

Posted in: time, nation, ive, fighter screengrab, nights episode

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Filed under: UFCOne look at Jason "Mayhem" Miller and you can tell he was probably never the prom type. Just picturing him doing something as normal as pinning a corsage on a date or squeezing into a rented tux seems wrong, like imagining a dog eating with a knife and fork. That's why it shouldn't surprise many fight fans to learn that while his high school classmates were attending the senior prom in April of 1998, a 17-year-old Mayhem was fighting a man named Al "Superman" Dill for $300 cash in Virginia Beach, Va. His girlfriend at the time? She was in the audience watching, Miller says. And she didn't even mind missing the prom since, as he puts it, "We were weirdo kids. We weren't going to the prom, anyway." For Miller, this night had been years in the making. He'd wanted to be a fighter ever since he knew it was a real thing people did without going to jail. Maybe he'd seen too many Van Damme movies as a kid, he admits, or maybe he just enjoyed unarmed combat a little too much. So much, in fact, that it got him kicked out of his first high school. "I was kind of just an idiot kid," he says. "If somebody was trying to mess with me I would step up and fight them, and with very little provocation. Like, okay, let's go." After Miller was expelled for fighting, his family had to move 40 miles to a new school district just so he could finish high school, something he now realizes he might owe his family an apology for. At the time though, it might have been the best thing for him. He discovered high school wrestling, which only stoked his desire to learn other martial arts. "I would go to karate schools and try to fight the guys. Looking back I see how stupid I was. But I really thought that all the karate people, the goal was to be a fighter, to be able to fight people. And I didn't care so much if that was their goal, because my goal was to test my skills against theirs. I didn't get that nobody wanted to do that; they just wanted to have a karate school and make some money." It turned out that local karate instructors did not want to fight some gangly, wild-eyed teenager who came in off the streets, asking them to "put on the little bootie things and kick me." The people in the judo classes inside a local gymnastics academy were slightly more accommodating, but only to a point and only for a little while. "The problem was, at the judo school all I wanted to do spar. I kept breaking all the dorks noses and stuff. They were trying to do this traditional martial arts stuff, and I was trying to tear everyone's heads off. I thought, we have to treat this like a fight, because that's what it is. It's a fight." Even though Miller was paying his membership dues, eventually the instructor decided it was better for business to lose one crazy student rather than a bunch of normal ones. "He pulled me aside and said, 'Jason, I know you want to be an ultimate fighter, so there's a gym right down the street, like a block away. Go there.' I was like, what? Why didn't you tell me this before?!" Miller went that very night, now that he was no longer welcome at judo. The gym was closed, but as he cupped his hands around his face and peered through the glass he saw walls covered in pictures of Frank Shamrock and Royce Gracie, cutouts from magazines and early MMA promotional materials. Right away he knew he'd found a home. "I started going there every day, and I would not leave," he says. "The summer before that, I spent all my time on skateboarding, something I was terrible at. Then the next summer I spent learning how to fight, which I was pretty good at. It was a crazy time in my life." The gym, Miller says, turned out to be "a tax write-off for some veterinarian," but it had what he needed, which was mostly a matter of attitude and a little skill here and there. He got boxing lessons at the hands of a man known only as "Boo-Boo," though the sparring sessions were so punishing he had to wear a chest protector just to survive them. There was another man who had learned what submissions he could from the 'Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Action' VHS tapes. A "fat dude who was in the Army" stopped by from time to time. A real dream team of trainers and sparring partners, in other words. Miller soaked up everything he could, but he knew that in order to take it to the next level he needed a real fight against a real opponent. This is how he ended up in the ring with "Superman" Dill on prom night. "He was a grown man, and I was a little boy. I was 17 years old," he says, though that wasn't what worried him the most. Dill not only showed up wearing a gi, which right there suggested some level of jiu-jitsu sophistication that was unknown to Miller, but he also had a colored belt around his waist. "To me, it seemed like he was almost magical. I think he had a blue belt or a purple belt, and I was like, oh no. I was a little concerned. There was no blue belts or purple belts in my neighborhood. Nobody knew that stuff. It wasn't until months later when I went to a Gracie school and was tapping out blue belts and purple belts that I realized, oh wait, that doesn't actually matter that much." Once the fight got started, the gi and the belt soon became the least of his concerns. Miller might have been a skinny kid with "a blonde afro," but Dill had put a little more time and thought into his appearance that night. "I realized when I threw a punch at his head that he had a Superman logo painted on the back of his head. At first I thought he was bleeding, but then I realized I had paint all over me. It was just like, what the hell? Paint?! You come in here with paint on you?" The fight went the full eight minutes, during which time Miller mostly relied on his high school wrestling skills, taking Dill down, punching him every now and then, but mostly "holding on for dear life." When it was over, he raised his own hand, was pronounced the winner, and enjoyed a few brief moments of joy and relief. Later, while relaxing in his free hotel room with the girlfriend who seemed not at all impressed with the idea of professional fighting in general, Miller finally had a chance to reflect on what had happened. "It was the same thing as today when I win a fight. I just thought about all the things I could have done better. I thought it was boring, I didn't do any of my moves. I was nervous and I played it safe. It didn't feel right. I told myself I'd never win a boring fight again. I'd take risks and try stuff, whatever happened." The difference between Miller and most 17-year-olds was, even then, he knew this was the start of something. The sport may have been in its nascent stages in the U.S., but he knew without a doubt that he had a future in it. "I knew that there was a long career in this for me, and I also knew that mixed martial arts was going to be a huge sport eventually. My dad was telling me I was an idiot, and at the time he made a lot of sense. If you're not in the sport, you can't see how things are taking shape. He told me to go to computer school. I told him, 'Kiss my [expletive], I'm going to be a fighter.' And he said, 'Well, you're an idiot. Get out of my house.'" Miller did, eventually, though not by choice at first. He eventually worked his way to California, where he lived in his van in the gym parking lot and began the long process of becoming the fighter he is today. The girlfriend who skipped out on the prom to watch his professional debut? She lives in San Francisco now, he says, and is still not particularly impressed with anything he's accomplished. "She always thought fighting was just this stupid thing I was doing. She just loved me for my Justin Timberlake curls. She didn't care what I was doing." Check out past installments of My First Fight, including Yves Edwards and Matt Lindland, plus many more. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, time, belt, miller, school

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: UFCCarlos Condit had just finished doing about an hour of phone interviews to hype his title fight against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137 when he heard the bad news. St-Pierre was out with a knee injury, the bout was postponed, and the welterweight tilt between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz would now take the main event spot on October 29. "It was a surprise," Condit told MMA Fighting on Tuesday afternoon. "...This has probably been the longest training camp of my career. Everything's been going well, and then I get the call that [St-Pierre] is hurt. It took the wind out of my sails to say the least." Instead of getting his long-awaited shot at the UFC welterweight title at the end of the month, Condit is now off the UFC 137 card altogether. He'll wait until the champ is healthy and the fight can be rescheduled, he said, since St-Pierre isn't expected to be sidelined too long. With a relatively short time to wait, Condit said, taking another fight in the interim "just doesn't make any sense." "From the sound of it, Georges, his recovery time isn't going to be six months or anything like that," said Condit. "From what I heard, they're looking at more like six weeks. To take another fight just doesn't make sense." The setback is obviously disappointing for Condit, who was pulled out of a bout with Penn and slotted into the title fight after Diaz's press conference no-shows got him yanked from the main event, but the challenger said he's doing his best to maintain a positive outlook. "I'll just have more time to work on things," he said. "This is what I do for a living. This is my job, is to get up every day and go train. Not much has changed." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, time, title fight, condit, stpierre

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: UFC, NewsUFC president Dana White has already said he'd be crazy not to sign middleweight champion Anderson Silva against Chael Sonnen in a rematch of their August 2010 classic, but that's apparently not enough to pacify Sonnen. The contender ratcheted up his campaign for another chance at Silva on Tuesday's edition of the nationally syndicated Jim Rome Show, admitting he was trying to pick a fight with what he believes to be an unwilling participant. "[Silva] tells Dana he wants the biggest fight," Sonnen said. "Well this is the biggest fight he can have and I've never heard my name come out of his mouth once." Sonnen discussed his UFC 136 post-fight challenge, in which he told Silva that if he lost, he would leave the promotion, saying that he was still willing to answer to the stipulation, but that "like any offer, it'll expire sometime." At the time of the offer, Silva was in the crowd but simply smiled before pretending to cower in fear. Since then, Silva's manager Ed Soares told a Brazilian news program that while Sonnen is a great fighter, he had his chance, lost and should "go back to the end of the line." Rome asked Sonnen how he would have responded if he were on the receiving end of the offer. "I would have come over the guardrail, walked up the steps, gone into the octagon, taken the microphone out of his hands and shoved it straight down his throat," he said. Sonnen reiterated the claim that he was the rightful winner of their UFC 117 fight, during which he dominated the first four-and-a-half rounds before losing via tapout. Rome challenged him on that, reminding him that he tapped out due to submission. Sonnen didn't necessarily agree. "Who are you going to believe? Me or your lying eyes," he said. "I'm here to tell you under any other scoring system in the world, I won that fight. I hit him 300 times, he hit me 11 times. Look, if the rolls had been reversed and he hit me 30 unanswered times, they would have pulled him off me, declared him the winner and sent him on his way. I not only hit him 30 unanswered times, I did it at 10 different points of the fight." As Rome playfully pressed the point, Sonnen acknowledged the fight's final outcome but said he was the man to unseat Silva. Past that, he said that if Silva is angered by some of the things he has said -- including a recent comment that many believe crossed the line by referencing Silva's wife -- this is his chance to shut him up. "As far as the line, I don't care," he said. "People say it's not personal. Well, it is personal. But he has a problem and what does he do? He calls Dana and tattles about it. Guess what? Let's get into the octagon, the people's forum and I'll answer for everything I've ever said." Sonnen went on to call Silva "a paper champion, overpaid and overrated," before adding some new material to his Silva diatribe. After saying he would slap Silva in the face the next time he saw him, he added this gem: "I was going to dump a Coke on him one time. He was right next to me, and if I thought he was worth the buck-fifty I spent on the Coke, I would've done it." Rome, who is known to generate headline-grabbing interviews from his subjects, apparently left the conversation in awe of Sonnen's fight-selling skills, calling him one of the five best guests he's had on the show, and describing any future Sonnen interviews as "appointment listening." With Sonnen getting national mainstream press, it's even more likely that Sonnen-Silva II is in our near future. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, time, silva, sonnen, rome

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: Fighting, MMA Fighting ExclusiveLas Vegas can be the saddest place in the world. Some say it's a city based on hope, but the flipside is that it's a city built on losing. Lost slot machine pulls and broken dreams erected those castles we call hotels. Every time I fly into McCarran Airport, I look at the faces arriving with me, smiling and happy. And then I look at those waiting to leave, exhausted and beaten. It's all so efficiently run, old losers out, new money in. It's a city of luck, and few have it. I think about that when I cover sports. Luck is the intangible that athletes alternately crave and fear, because they never know if it's going to work for or against them. For IndyCar racer Dan Wheldon on Sunday, luck was not on his side. I don't know nearly enough about auto racing to say whether Wheldon could have done anything to prevent his involvement in the crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but I doubt it. And certainly there was nothing he could have done to prevent his car crashing the way it did, cockpit first into the wall. Wheldon's death predictably led to a flurry of questions asking what could have been done differently. That's understandable in the sense that no one wants this sort of thing to happen again, so it's worth a closer examination of safeguards. But it also undercuts the absolute and tragic truth that sports are risky, and people die participating in them all too often. I also think about that when I cover MMA. Our sport is undeniably violent. It's not violent in any different way than football or ice hockey, but because it doesn't try to hide what it is, because it is directly violent, as opposed to creating man-made objectives like touchdowns and goals to disguise the danger, it is slightly less palatable to those who prefer their hard truths hidden. We put safety measures in place for sports like auto racing, football, hockey and MMA in an attempt to limit injury and ward off death, but the fact of the matter is, we can never guarantee it. As long as humans have walked the earth, we've attempted to go higher, longer, faster. We've pushed limits. We've walked the edge of what's possible, knowing that only the result will determine when we've gone too far. Sports is at its best, a celebration of surpassing previously assumed limitations, and at worst, a cautionary tale about dreaming bigger than possibilities. Not just team sports, but things like mountain climbing, skiing and horse racing are all guilty of the same. UFC president Dana White likes to say that fighting is in our DNA, and he's partly right, because survival is the basest human instinct, and what is survival if not a fight? But beyond that, our DNA is programmed to test borders. It's why we've shot manned rockets off to the moon and explored the depths of the sea. Fighting is simply a personal test of limits with the hope of learning some greater truth about life and ourselves. Even when you fail, there is nobility in the effort. On November 12, the UFC will introduce their brand of the sport to a network television audience for the first time. Understandably, there is a lot of excitement about the possibilities of expanding the fan base and growing MMA. We tend to only see the positives that such a move holds. But as always, we must know that danger lurks around every corner. As much as we like to tout the UFC's safety record -- and it is a strong one -- there's been plenty of times we've had to hold our breath until a fighter got up from a bad knockout and walked off on his own power. There is always a price to be paid for participation in physical sports. Maybe it is something simple, like a broken bone or muscle tear, but unfortunately, there are always worse possible outcomes. Recently, the hot-button issue has been concussions, a problem which has already quietly reared its head in a sport like ours. Former UFC fighter Jeff Joslin retired in his early 30s after experiencing a series of concussions. Chuck Liddell was essentially forced into retirement after being knocked unconscious in three straight fights. But we tend to sweep that kind of thing under the rug in favor of more glamorous subjects. Next week I will head back to Las Vegas again for UFC 137. Two of the featured fighters on the card are Georges St-Pierre, who is often criticized for a style that is said to be risk-averse, and Nick Diaz, a fighter who is aggressive while sometimes bordering on reckless. The interesting thing is that with either their actions or thoughts, they say the same thing. St-Pierre's style makes it clear he understands the danger inherent in a fight and chooses a tactical route. And despite Diaz's action-oriented style, he has repeatedly said he does not enjoy fighting. Fans and media often ask our favorite athletes to throw caution to the wind. But when you live in the world that they do, it is hard to lose sight of what we often forget: that there is danger in every moment. There have already been two deaths -- Sam Vazquez and Michael Kirkham -- in the sport stemming from sanctioned competition. Think about that next time you're quick to criticize a fighter for employing an actual strategy. These men accept ultimate risk every time they step into the athletic arena. Wheldon knew it when he strapped into his seatbelt, and GSP knows it when the cage door is locked behind him. The athletes participate in search of the perfect performance, and we watch because it is riveting to see men test the limits of what's possible. At least our sport is generally honest in its possibilities. There are real people with real lives behind the pretty punches and powerful kicks. When they land, lives can be changed forever. Fortunately that is rare, but the stark truth is this: even with all the safety measures in place, sometimes the only thing that saves us from the worst possible outcome is a little bit of luck. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, sport, thing, weve

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: MMA Media Watch, UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, NewsThe UFC's head man, as always, has plenty on his plate. He recently completed an exhausting series of four events in four weeks, the first such stretch in UFC history. It won't take long to duplicate. Another four-week, four-event stretch begins on October 29. In between, he's flying around the world for press conferences, meeting with fighters, managers and agents, and putting out the everyday fires that come along with trying to accomplish so much in so little time. When you ask Dana White about any of this stuff, it seems almost mundane for him. He shows the same passion for his product, but after a decade in the trenches, there is a sense of routine to it all. After years as a micro-manager -- White is the first to admit he hates giving up control -- he has built a staff that he trusts, leaving him more time to focus on big picture issues. And that's a good thing, because the scope of what's in front of him is a dizzying expanse, the one world White has yet to conquer. If you were to say he is obsessed by his new primetime network platform, he might not disagree. "The only thing I care about right now is this first FOX fight on November 12," White told MMA Fighting in an exclusive interview. "We've been on cable television with Spike since 2005, and that was huge for us, but this is a whole other game. A whole other level. This is the time when everything changes." While 2005 is widely regarded as the first mainstream television breakthrough for the UFC, there was actually an opportunity before that. In 2002, White thought he was ready. Two years into Zuffa's ownership of the UFC, the promotion had just booked two events when Fox Sports Net agreed to air one fight in June during a series of summer specials. There was only one problem. The first event White booked was in early May, and the results would be known far in advance of the airing. And the second event was in July, too late. So White booked a third event in June, solely for the opportunity to air on Fox Sports. The event became known as UFC 37.5, and it marked the first time in company history promoting three events in three months. The show took place on a Saturday afternoon at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and the plan was for Fox to air one full fight on Tuesday, three days later. While the main event pitted Chuck Liddell against Vitor Belfort, the UFC still planned to air the show on pay-per-view at a later date and could not give that fight away for free. So instead, UFC and Fox Sports Net decided on featuring Robbie Lawler vs. Steve Berger. The ensuing broadcast would be a huge success for the UFC, which saw its biggest audience ever. Mainstream legitimacy seemed around the corner. And then? Nothing. At the time, it was a monumental letdown for White and the Fertitta ownership group, who thought they were about to begin a fruitful relationship. "It was like, f---, we should've got that deal then," he said. "It should've happened. But it wasn't time. It didn't happen because it wasn't time. We weren't ready for that. We're ready now. Now we're ready, all our ducks are in a row. We're the best and what we do, and now we're going to go out there and f------ nail this in the next two years. But this next year is real important." For White and UFC senior VP of production and operations Craig Borsari, that has meant constant contact with FOX executives. It's meant regular, daily phone calls, and frequent flier miles to Los Angeles. White said either he or Borsari -- sometimes both -- has traveled to L.A. at least once a week every week since signing the new deal in August. "Thank God it's not New York," White said. If that seems like a lot of work for one, one-hour show (the Nov. 12 FOX TV offering will feature only one fight: a heavyweight championship match pitting Cain Velasquez against Junior dos Santos), White said it's extremely significant because the first show will be lay the groundwork for the entire seven-year relationship to follow. The Nov. 12 show is not officially part of the announced deal, which goes into effect on January 1. It's actually a bonus event worked out between the companies, and White feels it necessary to make that first network impression an indelible one. "They're not like any other network to deal with," White said. "They don't operate like any other networks do. They're so badass, it's really crazy. They do everything top-notch, first-class. They're innovative, they take risks. Being with these guys -- and I'm not complaining -- I just don't know how the f--- we didn't do this sooner. It's crazy. "FOX revolutionized football, NASCAR and all these other sports," he continued. "[FOX Sports chairman and CEO] David Hill has literally revolutionized how sports is filmed and broadcast. They have a lot of ideas for us, too, and I'm open to them." White is so focused on UFC on FOX 1 that many questions relating to surrounding issues can not yet be answered. Where will the rest of the card be broadcast? White doesn't know. Will subsequent network shows also be just one hour? That's still to be determined. What kind of viewership numbers are expected? Though FOX sold out its advertising allotment, no one offers a guess for that, either. Recently, White seemed to tip his hand on the last question. While discussing Spike counter-programming UFC on FOX 1 with a special "UFC Unleashed" featuring Velasquez and dos Santos, he told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani, "I hope I pull 10 million on FOX and 2 million on Spike. Believe me, I'll be a happy camper that next day. But in a subsequent interview with MMA Fighting, White said that number was just off the top of his head. "I have no idea what the possibilities are on a Saturday night for free TV," he said. "FOX hasn't given us any expectations or any number that they expect. I'm going to be happy no matter what. The way I look at this first FOX fight, we're introducing the sport to everybody. I don't know what that number's going to be, but whatever it is, we're going to build off that. When we did our last Fight Night in New Orleans, 1.8 million people tuned in on Spike. How many people are going to tune in on FOX? I don't know the answer, and neither do they. This thing is an experiment." For both sides, it's an expensive experiment. FOX will be paying a reported $700 million over seven years, with rights fees starting lower than the average $100 million at the beginning and escalating each year. Meanwhile, the UFC is expected to lose money on the first show, with broadcast fees not likely to make up for the revenue that would have come from a pay-per-view offering. In the long run, though, the UFC has the cash coffers to withstand a loss-leader on such a high-profile platform. The upside is without question. FOX's multi-channel deal with the UFC will eventually put the promotion not only on FOX, but also on FX, which finished in the top five for cable ratings in the most recent week. In addition, UFC will become staple programming on FUEL, with the possibility of event pre- and post-shows, live undercards and foreign versions of The Ultimate Fighter. For the last few years, even as pay-per-view business exploded and the sport surpassed boxing and professional wrestling in revenue, White has always contended that the UFC and mixed martial arts had yet to hit mainstream. To get there, he's always said he needed network TV. The time is fast arriving. It's going to be a challenge for all of Zuffa, and it will certainly take its personal toll on White. The next year, he says, is going to "beat the living s--- out of me." The travel, the expanded schedule, the stress, it's all just going to continue to increase. But after waiting 10 years for this opportunity, there's no hesitation about what's to come. In the words of octagon announcer Bruce Buffer, it's time. "Next year, 2012, is going to be the biggest year for mixed martial arts," he said. "It's the one that's going to change everything. I know what I need to do. We're going to reach people who would have never watched us in a million years. We're going to kick it off and get a lot of buzz and a lot of hype, and we're going to grow off of it. We have a great partner. We're ready. Now we're going to take it to a whole other level." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, fox, event, year

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

News broke last week that the UFC was planning to move the its PPVs back to a 7pm/10pm start time starting with December 30th’s UFC 141. In April at UFC 129, the UFC moved the start times up to 6pm/9pm to accommodate the east coast viewers. In Jason’s perspective yesterday, he asked the question, “It would be interesting to know if the breakdown in PPV buys this year led the UFC to conclude that the 6pm start time did not influence PPV buys“. I wondered the same thing, so I though I’d take a closer look at the numbers and try comparing buyrate averages leading up to the April 30th change to the subsequent events that followed. So here I compared the buyrate averages from the 7 events prior to the change to the 7 events that followed. UFC 121 to 128 covered the period between November 23 2010 and March 19 2011. The estimated average number of buys over this stretch was approximately 576,000. In comparison, UFC 129 to 135, which covered a time period between April 30 2011 through to September 24 2011 had an estimated 414,000 buys. That’s a decrease of 28% after the start time was moved up to 6pm/9pm at the end April. It’s hard to say for certain if this is the primary reason for the drop. There was a rash of injuries and health issues in the spring which effected main events and many argue that an over saturation of the product is causing consumer fatigue. But the move by the UFC signals they feel strongly that the change is having enough of an impact on their product that they are willing to revert back to the original start time less then a year after making the change.

Posted in: ufc, time, event, buyrate averages, change

Read the full article at MMA Payout

You’ll never forget your first Nick Diaz interview, or your second, or third, and you get the picture. For pure stream of consciousness insights from a pure fighter, Diaz never disappoints. And as he’s gone from Stockton, California to the UFC, to PRIDE, to Elite XC and Strikeforce and back again to the UFC, he has never wavered in who he is and has never subscribed to the professional athlete’s handbook of clichés.That could get you in trouble at times, but Diaz has never shown any desire to follow a particular path in his professional career. Yeah, he wants to make money just like the next guy, but he’s been willing to shoot himself in the foot, if only to prove that what really matters at the end of the day is your performance. And whether you stand for or against mixed martial arts’ version of antihero, you will agree that he always performs when the lights hit him in the Octagon.“Every time you watch Nick Diaz, you’re about to see a fight and you can’t guarantee that with all these matches,” said Diaz’ friend and longtime training partner Gilbert Melendez, the current Strikeforce lightweight champion. “A lot of people treat this as a sparring session or they could be a little boring, but when you see Nick Diaz, he’s there to fight and you’re gonna see a full-on exciting fight. The guy comes at you to fight; not to win on the scorecards and not to win the points, but to come out and finish the fight. He’ll test your heart, he’ll test your chin, and he’ll test everything about you. If you try to stall him out, he’ll talk you into a fight. He’ll tell you ‘stop being a sissy, fight me.’ I think the other thing about Nick Diaz is that he’s very bold and blunt, and he’s consistent. A lot of people get frustrated with a lot of the things he says, but most people wish they had the guts to be as honest as he is.”Honesty is a dirty word to most professional athletes, and at times you can understand why. You’ve got teammates and coaching staffs to worry about, image issues to protect, and endorsement deals to keep intact. In an individual sport like MMA, there is a bit more in the way of “real talk,” but no one has taken it to the level of Diaz. Yet the best part of this aspect of his personality is that this is who he is. He’s not playing a character for the cameras. The first time I spoke to him was in 2005, shortly before his fight with then-unbeaten Ultimate Fighter winner Diego Sanchez at the TUF2 finale in Las Vegas. At the time, Diaz was 4-1 in the UFC, with finishes of Jeremy Jackson, Robbie Lawler, Drew Fickett, and Koji Oishi sandwiching a lone split decision loss to Karo Parisyan. Diaz, looking to close in on a shot at Matt Hughes’ welterweight title, didn’t think a victory over the upstart Sanchez would move him any closer to that goal, but with it being a nationally televised bout on Spike TV, he took the fight. Then again, he took every fight because that’s what he did. And despite the athletic gifts that were made evident over the years, he never saw himself as being like his peers when it came to natural talent. He was a fighter, not an athlete.“My best way to say it is that most good athletes are just that – good athletes,” he explained back in 2005.  “They were brought up being athletes; they had somebody pushing them, encouraging them, taking them to practice – whether they were playing football, doing swimming, boxing or wrestling.  That takes a lot of money and positive encouragement.  That’s stuff people like me don’t get.  It doesn’t work like that.”“All the athleticism that I have, it’s because of me,” Diaz continued.  “I didn’t even have a dad around.  I didn’t have a dad to put me in some wrestling camp, and I didn’t have aunts and uncles coming around to help me out.  My mom, she’s been working at Lyon’s restaurant in Lodi for like 25 years.  She took me to swimming practice when I was younger. For some reason she stuck me in swimming, and I’d be trying to run off and cut practice, and she’d drag me back to practice just so I did something.”  Eventually, Diaz would find jiu-jitsu, and then mixed martial arts. He turned pro in August of 2001 with a first round submission of Mike Wick, and two years later he was in the UFC. By late-2005, Sanchez was the only obstacle standing between him and the next level in the organization, and with so much on the line, Diaz’ usual intensity ramped up ten-fold. Backstage at the Hard Rock that night, with only a black curtain separating the two camps, Diaz and Sanchez began jawing at each other, with the fight almost kicking off before fans even got a glimpse of the two combatants. Consider that in 2005, many veterans of the sport believed that anyone coming off the new Spike TV reality show weren’t “real” fighters, so to Diaz, Sanchez represented everything he was fighting against.“It wasn’t so easy, especially starting out,” Diaz admitted back then.  “I fought all hard guys and I didn’t have ten people coaching, training, and feeding me.  I had to start out learning how to eat right, all by myself with nobody telling me how or by reading any books.  I learned just by training so hard and feeling like garbage when you do the wrong thing.”  “This is me and this is what I do,” he continued.  “I don’t have any fallback plans like the rest of these people.  If Diego Sanchez starts doing real bad at this, and he goes ahead and quits, he’s gonna have something else he’s doing.  He’ll go back to school or do something.  Let me tell you, I ain’t going back to school.”When the dust settled, Sanchez won the fight against Diaz that night via unanimous decision. But in a year of memorable battles (including the first bout between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar and the rematch between Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg), Sanchez-Diaz earned its place among the best of 2005. As I wrote in a year-end piece on the best fights of that 12 month period, “After (Rashad) Evans - (Brad) Imes and (Joe) Stevenson - (Luke) Cummo, Diego Sanchez and Nick Diaz had a pair of tough acts to follow, but they delivered with a connoisseur’s treat – a battle of bad blood and jiu-jitsu that saw Sanchez prove that he belongs among the contenders at 170 pounds, while Diaz showed MMA fans that you don’t need to be on top to have an effective ground attack. And though the judges’ scores of 30-27 would make observers think this match was a blowout, it was anything but that.”Diaz stumbled after the loss, losing consecutive bouts to Joe Riggs and Sean Sherk before a win outside the Octagon against Ray Steinbeiss put him back on track to finish out his UFC stint with wins over Josh Neer and Gleison Tibau. So as 2007 dawned, the scouting report on Diaz was that he was talented, but flawed; good, but not good enough to win at the next level. Yet the world would get to know a new Nick Diaz over the ensuing four years, one who kept true to himself outside of competition, but who went to the woodshed and elevated his game inside of it.The first revelation was his win over Takanori Gomi in a 2007 PRIDE battle in Las Vegas. The result was later overturned to a no contest when Diaz tested positive for marijuana after the fight, but anyone who saw the fight knew who the winner was and whose stock rose significantly, and it wasn’t Gomi.After an EliteXC win over Mike Aina and a cut-induced TKO loss to KJ Noons, Diaz went on a tear that hasn’t subsided yet. He’s won 10 in a row, earned the Strikeforce welterweight title, and has defeated Noons, Paul Daley, Frank Shamrock, Scott Smith, “Mach” Sakurai, and Evangelista Santos along the way. Nine of those 10 wins were finished before the final bell, and with his busy striking attack, Cesar Gracie black belt level submission game, and undeniable toughness, Diaz went from solid B-level fighter to one of the best in the game. As Melendez points out, his friend’s improvement may be pegged to a long adjustment to the intricacies of the professional fight game.“Obviously his boxing game has just become phenomenal,” explains Melendez. “He used to know how to throw a lot of strikes, but now he knows how to slip punches better, and he’s so much better tactically. He knows how to block in the pocket, he can fight outside the pocket, he can make you feel anxiety and he can come at you, and his jiu-jitsu game has just evolved even more. He stays on top of his game the whole time and I think the main thing about him now is that he fights his fight. Before, he would fight to try to play the game with the scorecards or try to figure it out because these fights have time limits. He’s the type of the guy that if it was a fight to the death, Nick or (brother) Nate Diaz would win every time, but it’s not to the death, it’s to the scorecards, so I think he had a lot of time to adjust to winning a fight in 15 minutes, and now he’s adjusted. He’s putting people away in one round because he knows how to take them to that place they don’t want to go. And he’s willing to go there.”What Diaz hasn’t been willing to do is change, and when he lost a lucrative and perhaps life-altering title shot against UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137 later this month after no-showing press conferences in Toronto and Las Vegas, he hurt himself on the business front yet again. By the same token, his stance may have earned him even more fans as the rebel who is willing to take a proverbial bullet to stick to his guns.“Sometimes it can get a negative reaction, but in the long run, just being consistent and real a hundred percent, at the end of the day if you can keep that track record, there’s no better compliment you can get from someone than saying ‘hey man, this guy’s for real.’ And that’s what Nick is,” said Melendez. “At times it might give him a little bump in the road, like this time with the miscommunication and everything, but for me, as a friend, I think that if he continues to keep it real one hundred percent, it will be a positive in the future.”Diaz would lose in a lot of ways, financially and otherwise, when he was dropped from the St-Pierre fight, but he also found a way to land on his feet when he was put into the UFC 137 main event slot against former two division world champion BJ Penn. Why, you may ask, after all the UFC’s plans for a GSP-Diaz bout went up in smoke? Well, it may have to do with the fact that for whatever quirks Diaz has in terms of showing up to media events on time, or at all, or his lack of accessibility at times (well, most of the time), once you do catch him, he’s not at all what you would expect from the reputation he’s had all these years. Is he like most of his peers? No. But he doesn’t hide from who he is either. Nick Diaz is true to himself, and if he simply wants to let his fighting speak for itself, so be it, because you can’t help but appreciate the fact that, for him, this isn’t a sport, and from the first time I spoke to him nearly six years ago, he made that clear. This is war.“I just think in my head that the guy that I’m fighting had it easy,” said Diaz in 2005.  “They haven’t been where I’ve been and they’re not as crazy as I am and that’s the way it is.  You’re just not.  I know you’re not.  I know it.  That’s the way I think.  I know you’re not trying to get up out of this hell hole.  You’re just trying to be the best that you can be.    I’m gonna come out of my hell hole and I’m gonna beat you.”

Posted in: fight, diaz, time, ’t, sanchez

Read the full article at UFC

submitted by tbolts48 [link] [comment]

Posted in: time, joe, tbolt, joe rogan, rogan

Read the full article at Reddit

Is Anderson Silva the greatest MMA fighter of all time? Any knowledgeable fan of the sport can understand an argument for the affirmative. Silva's dominance in the past five years has been unmatched. He's taken on every challenger, including some in other weight classes, and disposed of them with ease. In fact, he's been so dominant in some of his performances that he's been labeled "boring." News broke just yesterday that Silva's career may be entering its twilight period. His manager, Ed Soares, made it clear to SporTV "The Spider" has just four fights left before the end. "Let's see what the big boss is going to do. My opinion is that he (Sonnen) had his chance and tapped, he should go back to the end of the line. The same thing is true with Vitor Belfort. They're great fighters, but they had their chance. Sonnen would make a big fight, as would Dan Henderson and Georges St-Pierre, but we should recognize that Anderson only has around 4 fights left in his career." With precious few fights remaining before he calls it quits, then, who's left to challenge him? His impending retirement means there are some match-ups that absolutely must be made in the very near future. We'll give you the four most important bouts to solidify Silva's title as "The Greatest Of All Time" after the jump. Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen 2 This rematch must happen. After Sonnen's outburst at UFC 136, there is no side stepping it. Silva may have been able to pass by Sonnen's borderline lunacy prior, but now, he has to squash it. Sonnen handled Anderson for 21 minutes of their first 23 minute bout. Chael hit him with punches, took him down at will, and controlled him on the mat ... until the last minute, of course. But the damage to Silva's aura of "invincibility" was done. For the first time, we saw holes in the champs armor. Silva and camp have said that Sonnen's outburst will not control when they accept the fight, and rightfully so. The champ should decide when he wants the rematch, but there should not be a question of 'if'. If Silva does not accept this fight, rumors from Silva-haters everywhere will ring loud and clear. "HE DUCKED HIM!!" "HE WAS SCARED!" "HE KNEW HE WOULD LOSE!" In order to go down as the all-time great, you have to silence your critics. You beat Chael for a second time, you're well on your way. Anderson Silva vs Georges St Pierre It's a match that MMA fans have been salivating over for quite some time now. If there's a case to be made for someone being as dominant as Anderson Silva in the past couple of years, that case is usually made for GSP. He has defended his belt 7 times and done so in as equally impressive manner as Anderson. Assuming Silva can get past Sonnen, it's time he step up to Sonnen 2.0. GSP does everything that Sonnen does, he just does it better with less size and twice the athleticism. And we already know that Sonnen had a game plan for success. St. Pierre would be able to land more explosive takedowns, a quicker jab, and have that little extra added bonus known as "submission defense." In my opinion, "Rush" represents one of the biggest challenges that Silva could possibly face. A wrestler with great top control and good defense. If Silva makes it through Sonnen, a match-up with "GSP" should be in his very near future. Anderson Silva vs Jon Jones Assuming he handles both St. Pierre and Sonnen, we should first, stop for a round of applause. Then promptly get back to picking him apart. In my completely hypothetical tournament, Silva would have already disposed of two outstanding MMA wrestlers. We have to change our course of action. How about one of the most dynamic strikers in the sport? Oh, and by the way, he'll be heavier and taller than you. Maybe this will work. The two would have to meet at some sort of catchweight, but Jones would still clearly have a distinct height and reach advantage. Jones could still wrestle his way out of a bad spot if needed, but it would serve him well to keep his range and light Silva up from distance. Jones represents a unique challenge with his unorthodox striking, but would it be successful against Silva's head movement? We might as well try, because I am running out of ideas. Anderson Silva vs Middleweight Challenger 'X' If Silva puts a stern beating on Sonnen, St. Pierre, and Jones, we simply give up. That's right, just hang it up. I'm sure someone out there will want him to face Cain Velasquez (or whoever the heavyweight titleholder is at that time) but we have to draw the line somewhere. It's time to let Silva bask in the glory of being the best ever. That's why we give him a final send off in his home territory. During the amount of time it would take Silva to face these three challengers, I'm sure that a new and exciting middleweight challenger will rise from the ashes. A challenger that many fans will be excited to see challenge for the belt. We'll break down his new and exciting strategy and his ten keys to victory. That's when Anderson steps back in and crushes all of our hypothesis for the final time. He defends his belt once again and walks away with a legendary winning streak, the likes of which may never be seen again. An induction into the UFC Hall of Fame will undoubtedly follow the bout. So there it is. My final four dream fights for "The Spider." It's unlikely that his final stretch will materialize this way, but we can always hope, right? Maybe you see it a little differently. Let me know in the comments section below who you want in Anderson's "final four" and the order you want them to happen. Whether it plays out this way or not, watching the career of Anderson Silva has been an amazing spectacle for all of us who have been lucky enough to watch it.

Posted in: fight, time, silva, sonnen, anderson

Read the full article at MMA Mania

For those who are wondering, no, we never got an explanation from Michael Bisping for his absence from the weigh-in on this past week’s episode. It was very weird. As a fighter you want to believe in your corner, you need to know your corner will be there for you at all times. It’s a trust issue for fighters. So when the guy who is supposed to be in your corner is not there at the weigh-ins, it’s kind of like, “WTF?” You have to be able to have faith in what your corner tells you. If they say throw “hook-cross-hook” or you need to go for a Triangle Choke, you have to know it’s there. If they say something, you should go for it, because they may see something you don’t, but that all comes with trust. As far as the confrontation between Stephen Bass and Bisping, personally, I thought Bass’ cardio was extremely lacking to begin with. You could even see it in his fight to get into the house where he was tired, then just happened to slap a Triangle on a guy. In my opinion he was a little bit lazy. Bisping was simply trying to make sure he was ready for the fight. Dodson had told us the match-up so we wanted to prepare him, to get him ready for it. The entire time Bisping wanted to make sure he knew that being on the ground with Dennis Bermudez was a bad idea…that he had to be able to get up…and the bottom line is that Bass didn’t follow the gameplan. It’s simple. And if you don’t follow the plan you have nobody to be mad at but yourself. The strategy was to get up and strike with him but instead he chose to lie on his back and get pounded trying to go for a Triangle. You can’t be upset with Bisping for working you too hard if you don’t follow the gameplan. Bass told me he was trying to go for a Flying Triangle when he jumped but he only got like four inches off the ground. I remember thinking, “Oh…wow…really?” And the whole time afterwards he was fishing for compliments. The best thing I could tell him was, “Yeah, man, you landed three jabs that were off the chain.” I didn’t know what else to say. I mean he did hit Dennis flush three times, and it caught me off-guard to where I thought he might be able to pull out the win, but then he didn’t attempt to stand back up and my mind went to, “Why isn’t he trying to get up?” It was weird because not only did Bisping and Tiki Ghosn tell him to get to his feet but the whole Blue Team was saying, “GET…THE…F*CK…UP!” I counted three times in the fight where Bermudez gave him enough space to stand up but he just never did. He was waiting on that Triangle Choke. When Bass told me he wanted to confront Bisping I told him he should wait until afternoon practice because he didn’t want to risk messing up the vibe in the morning and then have it drag on throughout the whole day. Initially he agreed and said he’d wait. However, secretly I knew a few of our coaches weren’t going to be at the afternoon practice so I wanted to get in as much as I could with them early, then not show up to the later session, because I knew when he told Bisping what he told me it was going to be ugly. Basically, I didn’t want to be around when sh*t went down. I know it’s messed up but that was my intention. So, I open the door to the gym in the AM, and I walk in on Bisping cussing out so he didn’t wait anyways. Bass pulled Bisping away from the cameras, and I don’t know exactly what he said but the next thing I heard was Bisping yelling all sorts of profanity. All I know is he told me he was too tired to pull off the Flying Triangle because Bisping wore him out three days prior. Make of that what you will. Obviously the size difference in the other fight was very influential in the outcome, especially in the second round when Dustin Pague found his range with those knees. Louis Gaudinot just couldn’t put it on him. He was scrapping, doing everything he could. And I’ll tell you this – if Louis would have hit him with that spinning heel-kick it would have been game over! Louis has a lot of heart and you better believe when Dana White finally adds the flyweight division he’s going to be a top contender. Being 0-4 as a team was disheartening but let’s just say that after awhile Team Mayhem will run out of options and some of their fighters will be thrown to the wolves. They had their higher picks go against our lower picks for the most part and now it’s time for the reverse to happen. Things are going to get a little uglier for the other team, especially when it comes to some of the matchmaking. That’s it for this week. As always, Roll Tide! Shout outs to Louis a.k.a. “Jersey Green” who did his thing, the best he could, and is a future flyweight champion hands down, as well as to my guard unit, the 117th in Birmingham, Alabama! Thanks for reading again. I’ll be back next week with some more insight on what went down. In the meantime check me out on Twitter (@brim205). Tweet

Posted in: time, ’t, bisping, triangle, bass

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Welcome to this edition of MMAterial Facts, where we feature articles from around the MMA community. *** This week’s MMAterial Facts: - Report: UFC Show Not Likely for Vancouver in 2012 (MMA Fighting) “The reason? The shows certainly weren’t financial failures. 2010′s UFC 115 did a $4.2 million gate, while UFC 131, held this past June, drew a $2.8 million gate. Instead, the problem is regulatory stalling. Both of the UFC’s events were held during a two-year test period held by the city after overturning a previous ban on MMA. That test period will end in the coming months and apparently, the prospects of sanctioned MMA will go with it.” - Unite HERE letter to Anheuser Busch about UFC & gay slurs (Fight Opinion) “Remarkably, we have yet to find evidence that any of the UFC athletes identified in this letter have been disciplined by the UFC or its owners for this contemptible behavior. By contrast, other professional sports organizations have taken a hard stance against anti-gay conduct and have held athletes accountable through suspensions and/or fines when athletes have used homophobic epithets.” - Vinny Magalhaes responds to rumors of him training Fedor Emelienenko (MMA Mania) “That happened before too. My manager tried to negotiate with them and at first they agreed to come, blah, blah, blah but then when it was time for me to go, they said, “A lot of guys will train with Fedor for free just because he’s such a legend,” but I was like, “I can’t go three weeks, not working. I have to pay bills. My son was 2-3 months old at the time. I couldn’t train there for free,” so I ended up not going. So this time, it’s gonna be the same way. If they’re not gonna pay for me to be there, then I’m not going. It’s not like I’m all about money, but if I’m not going to be working at Xtreme Couture, I’m not going to be holding my classes, I’m going to be leaving my family and my wife doesn’t work so I want to support my family. I have to be compensated.” - Scott Coker Believes Zuffa and Showtime Want To Extend Strikeforce Contract (MMA Convert) “Dana White hinted a couple weeks back that Strikeforce’s fate would be known soon. At the time, Lorenzo Fertitta was meeting with Showtime execs in New York to figure out whether or not Showtime wanted to extend Strikeforce’s contract. It sounded like it would be settled by now, however Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker revealed today that both sides are still talking and actually want to make a deal.” - Alright, so Joe Son may have killed his cellmate… (MiddleEasy) “The LA Times is now reporting (from a press release issued by The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) that Joe Son is suspected of murdering his 50-year-old cellmate, who was found dead inside the Wasco State Prison Reception Center in Kern County on Monday night. The victim was a convicted sex offender that received two years in prison for failing to register as a sexual offender. “ - Is Chael Vegas Bound? (NBC Sports MMA) “Chael Sonnen has paid his dues, has done his thing,” White said recently. “Floyd Mayweather fights in Nevada. This guy’s got 50 lawyers defending him right now and all that crazy stuff, and he’s fighting in Nevada. Don’t even get me going on that one.” - The Argument For Banning Weight Cutting in MMA (Cage Potato) “It’s kind of scary to say this but that fight almost killed me, making that weight. I had a really, really, really bad time and I still made the weight, but I’ll never ever be able to do that again,” Davis explained, revealing that the dehydration left him without his voice at weigh-ins and unable to urinate or have a bowel movement for the better part of a week.” - Anderson Silva’s retirement closer than fans may think (Five Ounces of Pain) “Ed Soares has done a lot of the speaking for UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva. That trend continued recently when Soares disclosed that “The Spider” has only a few fights left in his stellar career before he rides off into the sunset.” - Roland Delorme’s TUF Blog (5thRound) “Me and Stephen Bass had gotten into a heated argument about three or four days before his fight, so I didn’t feel bad about watching him lay on his back and get pumped like a hooker trying to pay the rent.” - Ed Soares: Anderson Silva only has 4 fights left, why waste one on Sonnen rematch? (LowKick) “Let’s see what the big boss is going to do. My opinion is that he had his chance and tapped, he should go back to the end of the line. The same thing is true with Vitor Belfort. They’re great fighters, but they had their chance. Sonnen would make a big fight, as would Dan Henderson and Georges St-Pierre, but we should recognize that Anderson only has around 4 fights left in his career.” - WWE Superstar Vladimir Kozlov trains MMA (TheFightNerd) “Training at Zealous Nation MMA with head coach Oleg Savitsky, Vladimir Kozlov comes through to his old friend’s gym to keep his Sambo skills up to par by hitting some mitts and practicing some submissions. Is a transition into the world of MMA in the future for Kozlov? Sounds like it, as both he and Savitsky voice their interest in competing in the sport! “ - Interview with Jorge Masvidal on his upcoming fight with Gilbert Melendez (BleacherReport.com/MMA) “But, with such a meaningful rematch approaching that will change the look of the division for the foreseeable future, I find myself reflecting on previous rematches that had a similar effect. Fights that represented a fork in the road and created a new era.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, anderson

Read the full article at MMA Payout

RVCA brings us an in-depth look at BJ Penn’s training camp for his fight against Nick Diaz at UFC 137 Hot Potato Gallery: Model/Grappler Monique Minton (Guys, you’ll definitely want to click this one) | Cage Potato Potato Nation, say hello to Monique Ricardo, AKA Monique Minton, a fitness model and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu enthusiast.  Minton started competing in figure competitions back in 2007, and has since added grappling tournaments to her routine after getting turned on to BJJ a couple of years ago. Vinny Magalhaes turned down opportunity to train Fedor Emelianenko because M-1 wouldn’t pay him | MMA Mania “That happened before too. My manager tried to negotiate with them and at first they agreed to come, blah, blah, blah but then when it was time for me to go, they said, “A lot of guys will train with Fedor for free just because he’s such a legend,” but I was like, “I can’t go three weeks, not working. I have to pay bills. My son was 2-3 months old at the time. I couldn’t train there for free,” so I ended up not going. So this time, it’s gonna be the same way. If they’re not gonna pay for me to be there, then I’m not going. It’s not like I’m all about money, but if I’m not going to be working at Xtreme Couture, I’m not going to be holding my classes, I’m going to be leaving my family and my wife doesn’t work so I want to support my family. I have to be compensated.” Mirko Cro Cop: Chael Sonnen has an IQ of child’s shoe size | LowKick “You can tell by his face that the man is slow, that he is stupid and has the IQ of a child’s shoe size. You can tell this by his face, the way he communicates and let’s not get into his calling out of people like ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira, Fedor’s accomplishments or Wanderlei Silva’s, me, so on. People whose heights he will never reach. Is he crazy? Obviously he is, but I’m not mad at him. It’s just as I can’t get mad at my eight month old son Filip. That man holds a PhD in idiocy. I’m only sorry that he is missing like 30 pounds because I would beat his ass so bad he would multiply three times. In anger I would beat him up so bad that I would split him apart. I would clone him into three specimens. One day I’m hoping to see him summering in Croatia, so I can iron his ass, so steam can shoot out his pompous ass. That’s what he needs to know.” Back to basics: takeaways from UFC shifting PPV start times back to 10 PM EST | Fight Opinion When you announce that you’re going to be running 34 shows a year starting in 2012, that’s too many damn shows. People respond by cherry-picking the shows they only care about. Ask WWE how well that non-stop schedule has worked out for declining PPV buys. Watch J Lau’s friends freak the eff out when he submits Melvin Guillard | MiddleEasy I wonder how many brown-ish plaid couches get broken from sudden spastic fight celebration freak outs. If there was a stastic on this I would assume brown-ish plaid couches probably lead the pack, with emerald green crushed velvet dual recliner couches coming in a very close second. It seems like everyone knows someone who has a brown-ish color plaid couch in their basement with little knubs all over the cushions from the daily friction of jean covered glutes sitting upon them. You can even see one of these all too familiar couches in this home video of Joe Lauzon’s friends freaking out when he gets the submission win over Melvin Guillard in Houston at UFC 136. I bet there’s a random frito or two stuck underneath those couch cushions after this genuine celebratory freak out. Check it out. Payout Analysis: The Strikeforce Death Knell? | MMA Payout In the midst of losing their top talent, the rough estimation is that Strikeforce has seen TV ratings dip 5%, attendance drop 32%, live gate profits down 11% and an increase of 26% in fighters payroll since Zuffa took control in March 201 Ariel Helwani’s official MMA rankings | NBC Sports Ariel Helwani’s October rankings by weight and pound-for-pound. MMA Top 10 Featherweights: Is Mendes the Man to Challenge Aldo? | MMA Fighting Jose Aldo is continuing to run roughshod over the rest of the featherweight division, improving his professional MMA record to 20-1 with a unanimous decision victory over Kenny Florian at UFC 136. So does anyone at 145 have a chance against Aldo? MMA Exclusive: Jorge Masvidal “I’m Gonna Smash Gilbert Melendez” | Bleacher Report Most of the time when I enter a fight, I’m not looking to stop a guy, but rather win a solid decision, but in this fight, I’m going for the stoppage. I’m going to put the pressure on him and make him break. I don’t want to leave it in the judges hands, especially with all the f*cked up decisions these days. This is my title shot and I have to take full advantage. I don’t know if I’ll ever get another one. Who knows what’s gonna happen in life? Upset Alert: Why Lyoto Machida Will Beat Jon Jones | Five Ounces of Pain At this point in his (still young) career it seems crazy to pick against the UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones. He has achieved a level of dominance at 205 pounds that has not been seen since the heydays of former company poster boys Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, and you could make a good argument that Jones has fought better competition than either man. The craziest part of all this is that Jones is only 24 years old and has probably not even achieved the pinnacle of what he can do as an athlete in combat sports. Even with all that being said, I think Lyoto Machida will beat Jones on December 10 in Toronto. Roland Delorme’s TUF Blog: Bass Laid on His Back and Was Pumped Like a Hooker Trying to Pay the Rent | 5thRound “Me and Stephen Bass had gotten into a heated argument about three or four days before his fight, so I didn’t feel bad about watching him lay on his back and get pumped like a hooker trying to pay the rent.” Anderson Silva doesn’t want to sign autographs, he just wants to dance! 
| TheFightNerd It looks like that case of Bieber Fever that Anderson Silva recently contracted in Brazil has worsened, as the UFC Middleweight champion was caught dancing during an autograph session at this past weekend’s UFC Fan Expo in Houston. Silva danced the night away with fans, and if you wanted to get an autograph you better be able to bust a move with the Brazilian fighter!

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, couch

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Earlier this week I shared the word that M-1 was planning to bring grappling champion Vinny Magalhaes in to help train Fedor Emelianenko for his bout with Jeff Monson. MMA Mania's Brian Hemminger recently sat down with Magalhaes and the subject came up. Vinny made it very clear that he has no intention of helping out unless the Russian's team pays him for his time. From the interview: Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): There's a report that came out today and I've read rumors about this in the past as well that there's the possibility of you helping train Fedor for his fight with Jeff Monson. Is that something that you're planning on doing after your title defense? Are there plans in the works? Vinny Magalhaes: I've been asked this question a couple times today, nothing actually came up to me yet, I've just heard rumors like the head of M-1 he talked about bringing me to Holland to train with Fedor. That happened before too. My manager tried to negotiate with them and at first they agreed to come, blah, blah, blah but then when it was time for me to go, they said, "A lot of guys will train with Fedor for free just because he's such a legend," but I was like, "I can't go three weeks, not working. I have to pay bills. My son was 2-3 months old at the time. I couldn't train there for free," so I ended up not going. So this time, it's gonna be the same way. If they're not gonna pay for me to be there, then I'm not going. It's not like I'm all about money, but if I'm not going to be working at Xtreme Couture, I'm not going to be holding my classes, I'm going to be leaving my family and my wife doesn't work so I want to support my family. I have to be compensated. You know, hopefully we can negotiate how that's gonna work. If they decide not to pay me, then I won't go. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Yeah, that makes a ton of sense. Who would want to put everything on hold to go offer your services for free when you have those responsibilities? Vinny Magalhaes: Yeah, that's the thing. They say to train with him would help me and everybody out. It's not like I don't have a good training camp in Vegas. It's not like I'm doing something with Fedor because I need to. It's not for me, it's to help somebody out. Of course, I feel like he's a legend and a lot of people basically train with him but like, I'm gonna be just coming out of a fight so it's not like I'm going to need to be training. It's not for me, it's for him. I'll definitely need to be paid or I'm not going. Good for Vinny. There's no reason to offer valuable services for free simply because Fedor is a legend. If they want his help, they can pay for it. Make sure you go read the full interview at MMA Mania.

Posted in: time, vinny, magalhae, fedor, train

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Welcome, Maniacs, to the weekly series where we help you catch up on some of the original reporting done by other sites in the vast MMA landscape. Like Frank Mir and Roy Nelson pictured above, we can all "get along." Teaming up with MMA sites like MiddleEasy, Cage Potato, Fight Opinion and Five Ounces of Pain, we'll provide an opportunity for all MMA fans to read some fresh and original voices in the sport. This week, Bleacher Report catches up with Strikeforce lightweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal, Fight Opinion shares thoughts on UFC start time experiment and MMA Fighting's Ben Fowlkes gets Rich Franklin to open up about his first fight. The full list of links is after the jump. - B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn - Road to UFC 137 (video) (LowKick) Multi-time UFC Champion BJ "The Prodigy" Penn takes us behind the scenes of his preparations for UFC 137 bout with the Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz. Penn will look to cement his status as #1 contender for the UFC Welterweight title, which will be defended at UFC 137 by George St. Pierre against Prodigy's original opponent - Carlos Condit. - What's Next?: UFC 136 edition (NBC Sports MMA) Another week, another UFC event in the books. That means it's time to once again play fantasy matchmaker and predict who's next for UFC 136's big winners and losers. - Exclusive: Identity of Joe Son's alleged murder victim revealed (Cage Potato) The Kern County Sheriff's Office Coroner today released the name of the deceased and the details surrounding the death of Joe Son's cellmate in Wasco State Prison this week. - Grappling with Issues - 10/12/11 (Five Ounces of Pain) Was Frankie Edgar‘s win over Gray Maynard at UFC 136 the best performance by a UFC champion so far this year? Do Chael Sonnen‘s antics rub you the wrong way? Will Rashad Evans get his elusive title-shot in 2012? What's next for Kenny Florian? - My First Fight: Rich Franklin (MMA Fighting) By the time most fight fans so much as heard his name, Rich Franklin was already somebody. He had a successful UFC debut with a first-round TKO of Evan Tanner, then went on to shine at the very first Ultimate Fighter Finale, where he knocked out Ken Shamrock on Spike TV before claiming the UFC middleweight title in his next fight. - Jon Jones won't train with GSP, Machida will prepare with Anderson Silva (5thRound) One of the most important aspects of a fighter's camp is who they are able to recruit as training partners. While UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones has access to a stable of studs over at Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts, Jones will stand clear of the team's biggest welterweight stars. - Former K-1 fighter Hong Man Choi booked for assaulting a woman in Korea (MiddleEasy) Former K-1 and DREAM fighter Hong Man Choi (Choi Hong-Man in Korea) has apparently found himself in some legal trouble this week after a report came out that he purportedly assaulted her in his bar on October 8th while arguing over a bill. - WWE Superstar Vladimir Kozlov trains MMA - Video (TheFightNerd) Training at Zealous Nation MMA with head coach Oleg Savitsky, Vladimir Kozlov comes through to his old friend's gym to keep his Sambo skills up to par by hitting some mitts and practicing some submissions. Is a transition into the world of MMA in the future for Kozlov? Sounds like it, as both he and Savitsky voice their interest in competing in the sport! - Takeaways from UFC shifting PPV start times back to 10 PM (Fight Opinion) There seems to be mass panic right now about the low rating the UFC 136 prelims on Spike drew for ratings last weekend, given the two fights on the card that hardcores were interested in. It's just proof that what excites the hardcores and the announcing team isn't always what draws. (Ask Bellator all about that phenomena.) - Payout analysis: The Strikeforce death knell? (MMA Payout) Zuffa created a subsidiary called Forza LLC to control Strikeforce who was taken over from Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment in March of this year. Since then, there's been much debate as too whether Zuffa/Forza will continue to operate the promotion or just kill it off. - Interview with Jorge Masvidal on his upcoming fight with Gilbert Melendez (BleacherReport.com/MMA) "Most of the time when I enter a fight, I'm not looking to stop a guy, but rather win a solid decision, but in this fight, I'm going for the stoppage. I'm going to put the pressure on him and make him break. I don't want to leave it in the judges hands, especially with all the f*cked up decisions these days. This is my title shot and I have to take full advantage. I don't know if I'll ever get another one. Who knows what's gonna happen in life?"

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, week

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFCIt's time again to sort through the old Twitter mailbag, pausing every so often to separate out hate mail and letters to Santa, then dig right in to all those thoughtful questions of yours. In this edition, we examine rankings, Hall of Fame status, and what the weight classes of the future could look like. And don't worry, we also find time to talk TRT and suggestions for getting your significant other to watch MMA with you. If you want to ask your own question or just look at cell phone pictures of my dog, find me on Twitter @BenFowlkesMMA. @mma_fan1 twitter mailbag: who do you think poses more of a threat to Jones, Machida or Evans? They're two very different threats, obviously, but I think Evans has the potential to be more problematic. Machida's style, while it can be confusing and frustrating for a lot of fighters, doesn't seem like it will be quite as effective against a guy with Jones' reach and quickness. Evans' wrestling ability gives him a better chance to nullify Jones' length, plus he's sparred with the guy and knows at least a little something about what it's like to mix it up with him. Then again, Evans has been known to get a little too emotionally jacked up in fights, and it's hard to imagine any fight being more emotional for either of them than a final Jones-Evans showdown. Mostly though, I think that fight has to happen so we can stop talking about it (and so the UFC can stop shoving Evans in the cage after every fight Jones wins). The Machida bout feels more like a placeholder than a legitimate title fight to me, but that also has something to do with the fact that Machida is 1-2 in his last three fights. Call me crazy, but don't most guys have to do a little better than that to get a title shot? I guess not if they have the sense to wait around and let the other fighters hurt themselves. Another brilliant tactical move by that elusive Machida. @TheMayoGuard how far away is nate diaz from a lightweight shot considering all the guys that are top 5 he beat or wrecked I realize rankings are a funny thing, and your top five might not be the same as mine, but I really can't name too many top lightweights who have been beaten and/or wrecked by Diaz. He submitted Guillard a couple years ago, sure. And yes, Takanori Gomi did seem thoroughly wrecked after his loss to Diaz at UFC 135. Then again, Guillard wasn't top five when Diaz beat him and neither was Gomi. Other top lightweights like Gray Maynard and Clay Guida both own narrow decision victories over Diaz, so I'm not sure where that puts him. If the 155-pound division wasn't so stacked, two or three wins would probably be enough to earn him a shot. But with the way it's looking now, he's going to have to stack up the victories and wait his turn. @keenanpress Time yet for a cruiserweight division in the UFC, especially if you tack on the strikeforce heavyweights? You know what the best argument against adding a cruiserweight division is? Well, probably the proliferation of the lighter weight classes, which already strain the average fan's ability to keep them all straight. But you know what the second best argument against the cruiserweight division is? Cain Velasquez. The current UFC heavyweight champ falls in the 240-pound range, and he doesn't seem to have too much trouble against the big boys. If you established a cruiserweight class at 230 or 235 pounds, Velasquez could easily cut down and fight there too, and what would be the point of that? As for the Strikeforce heavies, I say bring them on. The UFC could certainly use guys like Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett right about now, and it wouldn't need to create a new weight class just to make room for them. @dannyrube If GSP beats Condit & Nick Diaz beats Penn, does Dana White take the risk of making GSP/Diaz again? If so, does it headline? This is exactly the thought process White should have gone through back when he decided on how he was going to shuffle things around in the first place. And who knows? Maybe he did. Maybe he realized right away that he was putting himself in a position to quite possibly end up with the exact same fight he'd started with, but he figured that by then maybe Diaz would have learned his lesson about the importance of press conferences. But yes, if GSP and Diaz both win, then the UFC pretty much has to match them up again. It's still the fight that fans want to see at welterweight, and it will only gain momentum if they both win and look good at UFC 137. That's the good news. The bad news is, what happens if GSP and Penn both win? Then White will really wish he'd thought it through a little more carefully. @MaxWdeVries if Chael does beat Silva, what is left for him to say? Probably something along the lines of how he's the best there is, best there was, and best there ever will be. And this time people might actually believe it. @jclamarca Since the series is 1-1-1, is it a bit premature to say Maynard/Edgar is over? What about a 4th fight 'rubber' match? Have you lost your mind? They finally settled that issue, allowing the UFC's most talent-rich division to move on for the first time in nearly a year, and you want to see it again?! Why...that's just...gah! Where are my pills? @BigNate870 what will become of MMA if TRT isn't prohibited? Not much. Just testosterone being wildly and flagrantly abused as a performance-enhancing substance among fighters. Oh, I'm sorry. You wanted to know what will happen, not what is already happening due to hazy athletic commission standards and a hands-off approach by the UFC. As it stands right now, there are an awful lot of 20 and early 30-something professional fighters out there who bizarrely have low testosterone levels. So they go get a doctor's note, take it to the relevant athletic commission (many of whom hide behind medical privacy laws when asked about it), and then they've got the green light to artificially increase their levels of a powerful hormone. Sure, they have to stay within a certain range (or at least test within it), but that's not so difficult if you know what you're doing. And maybe it means they fight with something close to normal levels in their system, but it also means they got a little artificial help throughout their training camp. Is that fair? Personally, I think you ought to fight with the hormone levels you have and not the hormone levels you want. I don't care if your levels are low because you abused steroids or if it's just a consequence of aging. If we don't allow steroids, even for fighters who are getting older and weaker, why do we allow testosterone for anyone who can produce a doctor's note? Maybe because no one -- not athletic commissions and not the UFC -- wants to be the first to put their foot down. @AiricReed Is there anybody tougher to get more then one word answers from then Grey Maynard in MMA? Yes. KevinMarshall How does the sharp increase in UFC events impact journalists (esp freelancers)? More events means more coverage. Are media outlets prepared to invest more time, space and money into it? It's a double-edged sword. As long as there are events almost every weekend, there's no shortage of things to write about. When there's a lull, well, then you have to do stuff like mailbag columns just to create content. I'm more curious how it impacts the ability of fans to follow the sport. I get paid to either attend these events live or else stay home on a Saturday night and work from my couch. Either way, I've got nothing to complain about. But the average fan might not want to invest all that money and prime social time (more on that here). If the UFC isn't happy with trends in pay-per-view sales, it might want to look at its own frantic calendar. Every market has a saturation point, and the UFC may have found it. @jmhawkins You wrote last week that you watched UFC 125 with your wife. How'd you do it? I can't even get my wife to watch Sexyama fight. Maybe the problem is your approach. Instead of trying to convince her to watch some people she doesn't care about bash one another's faces in, try instead to get her to watch something like The Smashing Machine -- the 2002 documentary about Mark Kerr. It's a well made film, but more importantly it's a film about the personal side of this sport, which can be hard to appreciate for some people if all they see at first is blood and mohawks. Kerr's story of struggling with addiction in an unforgiving world worked to get my wife hooked on the sport. Then again, she's been known to watch almost any documentary, so maybe that helped. @JulianPaz7 Do u think everybody is sleeping on Jorge Masvidal, I mean this should be a great fight between him n gil. People are absolutely sleeping on Masvidal, just like they slept on him against K.J. Noons. When he brings his best stuff, he's a nightmare for just about anybody. And you're right, it will be a tough fight. But, even fully awake and with my eyes wide open to Masvidal's ability, I still give the slight edge to Gilbert Melendez. He just can't approach it like it's his last day of work before getting promoted to the UFC. @SlyBoston Ben Saunder's guard looked unstoppable Sat. Do you see a time where a deadly guard like that will nullify the elite wrestler? First of all, it's a pet peeve of mine when people refer to various aspects of a fighter's game as 'deadly.' Maybe it's because, due to the nature of fighting, it actually could be deadly. I realize that's not the way it's intended, which somehow seems worse to me. It's not quite figurative, and yet not meant literally. And yeah, I realize I'm overthinking this. But if you're ever watching fights with me and you notice me cringing when Mike Goldberg refers to someone as a "lethal striker," at least you'll know why. But back to your question. The use of the guard in MMA has changed tremendously over the last fifteen years or so, and I don't see why that won't continue, albeit at a slower pace. For a while it was a great offensive weapon, then the magic began to wear off as submission defense improved across the board. No matter how good your guard is though, it's dangerous to rely on it too much. Judges still see the fighter on top as the fighter who's winning, even if you're trying every submission and sweep you can think of from your back. All an elite wrestler has to do is score one takedown after another, stay out of trouble as time ticks down, and let his opponent on bottom take all the risks. It's a good way to win decisions, even if it's fatal for his popularity. Ah, see? Now you've got me doing it. @TheHarrison101 The Flyweights are rumored to be on the way. With the 135/145 divisions still developing, could they be lost in the shuffle? Not if the UFC debuts the 125-pound division with a Grand Prix tournament to determine its first champion. Who wouldn't love to see that? It'd be like that tournament at the end of The Karate Kid, only the fighters are half the size and sporting slightly fewer '80s haircuts. @michaelbond89 will Kenny Florian be in the UFC hall of fame one day for his long lasting impact to help the sport grow?? Maybe the better question is, how much does it matter whether the UFC puts him in its Hall of Fame? As of right now, those decisions are made by the UFC and the UFC alone. Florian's been a real company man over the years, so maybe he gets in based more on that than on his fighting ability. Or maybe he does something to upset the UFC brass and he never even gets close, whether he deserves such an honor or not. See what I'm getting at? MMA needs its own independent Hall of Fame, where induction is a more transparent process. The UFC can still have its own version and it can still put whoever it wants in there, but the sport as a whole needs to have a way of honoring the greats that isn't dependent on company politics. As long as being disliked by Dana White is enough to keep a fighter out, no matter what the fans and his peers think of him, it will never be a true Hall of Fame that's really worth caring about. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, time, fighter

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

One, two, three strikes you're out? Usually after three losses in a row, a veteran fighter pretty much knows his time is up. Or is it? Not much has been heard or seen from Fedor Emelianenko since his knockout loss to Dan Henderson back on July 30, followed by his unceremonious exit from the Zuffa-controlled Strikeforce. That defeat marked three in a row, which includes previous losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva, from a man who racked up 32 straight wins (without a true loss) and dominated the heavyweight division in the now-defunct PRIDE FC. The once seemingly unbeatable "Emperor" had mulled over retirement since his release from all his duties and obligations to Zuffa, however, Fedor fans rejoiced when it was announced that he would take on grizzled UFC veteran Jeff Monson at an M-1 Global event in Moscow on November 20. In his latest interview, the not-so-loquacious Russian talks about how he felt he could have won his last couple of fights. "In the three bouts I lost, I felt like I could've won. But the win somehow eluded me. I felt I could do it. I had chances, but God's will was different. Regarding his match against Jeff Monson, Fedor had this to say: "Victory. That's what will be at stake for me in this match. And I will fight for it." Jeff Monson also chimed in on his thoughts about facing a fading legend: "Fedor is a legend. I said a long time ago that he's the best heavyweight of all time. To have the privilege to fight him is an honor. But I'm gonna train hard and I only take fights and expect to win. But it's gonna be a very difficult challenge." Of course, no Fedor sighting would be complete without his mouthpiece and manager Vadim Finkelstein sharing his two cents: "Fedor will have a great training camp in the Netherlands with both strong wrestlers and stand-up fighters there. I'm going to invite Vinnie Magalhaesh. He's just won the world submission wrestling championships, and beat no less than Fabricio Werdum in the finals. So he can be considered the world's best wrestler at the moment." Fedor, who has often been criticized for his reluctance to fight in the UFC and test his skills against the very best, will try to end his losing streak against "The Snowman," who is also coming off a loss. This may very well be the final stand to resurrect a career that was once hailed as legendary and one of the greatest of all time. If Fedor should lose for a fourth straight time, it could very well be the last time we ever see him compete in MMA and mark the end of a great career. What do you think? Does Fedor still have a chance to make it back to the big leagues and prove that he is not washed up, or did "Hendo" knock Fedor's career into obscurity once and for all? Discuss.

Posted in: fight, time, loss, jeff monson, fedor

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Despite the loss of a scheduled main event between nine time UFC veteran Din Thomas (25-8) and George Sheppard (10-6) Fight Time 7 trucked along from War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The promoter of the Sunshine State MMA organization announced to the crowd on hand that Thomas was injured in a car crash on his way to the arena. A bout between heavyweight prospect Walt Harris (6-2) and local gamer Cedric James (0-6) became the new defacto main event for Fight Time 7.In what quickly turned into a wild brawl Harris out struck James. Harris dropped James with a punch and pounced on his opponent just 20 seconds into the bout. The referee called the knockout in favor of Harris at the 22 second mark of round one. A former college basketball player the 6'4 Harris is a heavyweight prospect who has already headlined several regional cards throughout the Southern United Sates. The 27 year old Harris is a stand-up fighter who has worked to improve on the grappling aspect of his game throughout his pro and amateur MMA career. In defeat Harris has managed to impress versus current Strikeforce fighter Lorenz Larkin and young heavyweight prospect Chris Barnett. A smaller heavyweight in the 230 pound range Harris has all the physical tools to eventually get his crack at the major leagues of MMA, who are always in desperate need of heavyweight depth. Harris is currently the number 15 ranked heavyweight prospect in MMA according to ULTMMA.com. Fight Time 7 The Return resultsFort Lauderdale, FLLucas Pimenta Borges def. Doug Rossi by TKO (Punches) 0:48 R1Patrick Williams def. Phil Gebauer by Submission Rear Naked Choke 4:17 R2John Rivera def. Jimmy Alexander by KO (Head Kick and Punches) 0:34 R1Damion Williams def. Julian Flor by Submission Forearm Choke 0:57 R1Roy Bradshaw def. Matt McCook by Submission Guillotine Choke 1:17 R2Walt Harris def. Cedric James by KO (Punches) 0:22 R1

Posted in: time, heavyweight, prospect, punch, harri

Read the full article at UltMMA

Boxing trainer Naazim Richardson has been in the corner of some for the biggest fights in the past few years. Through his work with men like Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins, he has established himself as an important player in boxing today. Now, he's working with Badr Hari. Former K-1 fighter Hari announced his retirement from kickboxing last month in order to pursue a boxing career with an accompanying move to the United States to train full time. Long time fans of Hari met the news with some skepticism - he's flirted with the idea of boxing for some time with no results. But now, in an interview with Fight Hype, Richardson takes time out of his training for the upcoming Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson fight to confirm that he has met with Hari, and that The Golden Boy is indeed serious about becoming a boxer. Badr Hari is a good dude and so is his trainer Mike [Passenier]. You know, Badr Hari won me over, man. As soon as we met, he told me he wouldn't let me down and that he would make me proud. But that's not what won me over. What won me over is he said, "I don't want to be top 10. I want to be the f***ing best." He has the right mentality to do this s*** right here. Richardson doesn't end there. He has a tremendous amount of praise for Hari, including the highest compliment you can give a fighter in today's boxing world: a comparison to Manny Pacquiao. Bouie Fisher used to always tell me in the gym, "Watch that door and eventually the right kid is going to walk through it." I asked him what he meant by that and he said, "One day, a kid is going to walk through that door and do whatever you tell him to do and be able to adjust to anything that you want him to adjust to." I remember when me and Freddie Roach was working together and Freddie told me when Manny Pacquiao walked through the door at Wild Card Gym, he said to himself, "That's who I built this gym for."... Badr Hari could be that type of kid. High praise indeed. Finally, Richardson makes it clear that Hari has one target in mind: the Klitschkos. If [the Klitschkos] want to stick around, we either gotta let them see Badr fight and say, "Hey man, it's time for us to move on," or do what Mike [Tyson] did to Larry [Holmes] and show them it's time for them to move on. This kind of praise from Richardson is interesting to see, as is the very idea of Hari working with him full time. I see the veteran trainer as a good fit for Badr, as he shares some stylistic similarities to Badr's long-time kickboxing trainer Mike Passenier, and is the kind of truly dedicated boxing trainer that can help Badr make this a full-time transition. While Hari obviously has a lot to prove and many questions to answer in the world of boxing, this has me even more interested in seeing just how this all turns out.

Posted in: time, boxing, hari, badr, richardson

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

If you liked the new 9pm ET/6pm PT pay-per-view start time the UFC went to this year, then I’ve got some bad news for you. The UFC has decided to revert back to their original 10pm ET/7pm PT start time beginning in December at UFC 141. The UFC confirmed F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer initial report last night, claiming they decided to make the switch based on “careful consideration and feedback from fans.” It’s worth noting that the UFC’s pay-per-view numbers are down 25% from last year based on industry estimates, but it’s unclear if that was the real catalyst for the change. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, being an east coaster, I think this sucks. It was nice to actually have a life at least for a couple hours on Saturday nights with the pay-per-views ending before midnight, but I guess the west coast didn’t particularly like watching the events, especially the prelims, at the same time all the senior citizens were out eating their early bird dinners. It’s a classic case of you can’t please everyone. Image via ESPN.com

Posted in: ufc, time, pm, pt, bird dinners

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC is returning to Toronto for UFC 140, headlined by Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida, less than eight months after making its debut in the market in April for the record-breaking UFC 129 event. However, this time around, the organization will be setting up shop at the Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, not the cavernous Rogers Centre. "We felt that this was the right move our second time back here," UFC president Dana White said at a press conference in Toronto on Wednesday. UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields set UFC and North American MMA records with a 55,724 attendance and a $12.075 million gate ($11.5 million Canadian). White was asked on Wednesday whether the UFC would consider holding another mega-show at Rogers Centre, and considering how successful the first one was, it's no surprise his answer was yes. "We'll do another massive fight here when we have the right fight," White said. "Vegas has always been known as the fight capital of the world, well in our sport, Toronto is becoming well known for that. So, yes, we'll do another major fight (in Toronto) and do it like we did last time." The UFC president has often called Canada "the Mecca of MMA," and despite the promotion's packed schedule, this marks the second year in a row that the UFC will visit the Great White North three times in a calendar year. And plans are already in place to hold an event in Montreal, site of four previous UFC events, in the first quarter of 2012. "This is without a doubt the strongest market on the planet," White said. UFC 140 tickets go on sale to the public on Saturday, Oct. 15, and the arena is expected to be configured for approximately 20,000 fans. Ticket prices will range between $700 and $85. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, toronto, fight capital

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

The UFC is moving its pay-per-view start time back to the traditional 10 p.m. ET start time.

Posted in: ufc, time, return, ufc returns, ppv timeslot

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

Filed under: UFC, NewsBeginning with UFC 141 on Dec. 30, UFC pay-per-views will once again kick off at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The news was first reported by F4WOnline.com, and later confirmed by UFC officials to MMAFighting.com. UFC pay-per-view start times were moved up to 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT in April for UFC 129 after years of starting at 10 p.m. ET to accommodate Eastern time zone viewers and media. No official reason was given for the most recent switch, although USA Today reports that the UFC said the decision was made after "careful consideration and feedback from our fans." The UFC does not publicize it's pay-per-view buys, so there is no way of knowing whether the earlier start time affected PPV sales since April. UFC 141, headlined by Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem, will mark the UFC's last event of 2011. The card will air live on pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, ufc officials, official reason, ppv sales

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on DstryrSG, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] We are in the month of October and here in the U.S. it's almost time to celebrate Halloween. Like most holidays that we have created, it involves copious amount of drinking and showering each other with gifts. In this case it's candy, and no, the holiday is not just for kids. Last year I insisted on not purchasing any candy for the brats on my street, so in protest I ate an entire bag of Reeses cups in one sitting. I also followed that up with a pumpkin beer in celebration of not having to answer the door. Now some of you may think I don't have the holiday spirit, similar to the way Scrooge was so Bah-humbug about Christmas. Well that isn't necessarily true. I appreciate the holiday for what it is - a time to watch mostly horrible scary movies and dress up like an idiot. Or you could do my usual lazy route and dress up like a "martial artist" and stare at the half naked ladies at the bar. Anyway, regardless how you "celebrate" the upcoming holiday it is definitely a great time of year to stay in and rent a movie. For example one of my all time favorites was on the other night - "Leprechaun: In the Hood." For those of you who haven't indulged in this fine piece of classical artistic expression here is the basic synopsis provided by Wikipedia. Read More and Watch the Video...

Posted in: time, holiday, time favorites, year i, holiday spirit

Read the full article at Middle Easy

The UFC will return to a 10pm ET start time for its pay-per-view events beginning with December’s UFC 141 event, the promotion confirmed to USA Today on Tuesday after an initial report from f4wonline.com. UFC 141, a rare Friday PPV taking place on Dec. 30 to avoid New Year’s Eve, is headlined by former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s return to the Octagon against former Strikeforce title-holder Alistair Overeem. The move to a 9pm ET start time beginning with UFC 129 in April allowed events to end by midnight for East Coast viewers instead of 1am, but meant the broadcasts began at 6pm on the West Coast. With pay-per-view buys lower than expected after nine months of 2011 amid a busier schedule of events, the UFC is apparently returning to its old start time in hopes of recapturing some viewers. For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com. Pictured: Brock Lesnar

Posted in: ufc, time, pm, event, ufc news

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

The UFC’s experiment with an earlier start time is over.Earlier this year, the show commencement times were brought forward one hour. Where they...

Posted in: ufc, time, hour, year, over.earlier

Read the full article at Fighters Only

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The pay-per-view (PPV) start time experiment for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will officially end with UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" on Dec. 30, 2011, exactly eight months to the day that the promotion fiddled with its winning formula for UFC 129 on April 30, 2011. Dave Meltzer of f4wonline.com (subscription required) reports that the PPV start times will revert back to 10 p.m. ET, indicating that the current 9 p.m. ET slot isn't having the expected impact on fight night sales. In fact, the switch back would seem to indicate that earlier start time had the opposite effect, hurting PPV sales rather than helping them. For fans on the west coast, this is most likely good news -- settling in around supper time and simultaneously coordinating a viewing party was most likely far from ideal. However, those of us on the opposite side of the nation likely enjoyed having all the action wrapped up around midnight as opposed to 1 a.m. Can't please everyone. UFC has yet to confirm and/or deny the report, but expect word one way or the other to surface soon. With its box office behemoth, Lesnar, returning to the Octagon to take on the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Overeem, the promotion will want to ensure that there is zero confusion. Stay tuned.

Posted in: ufc, ppv, time, overeem, promotion fiddled

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Over at F4WOnline, Dave Meltzer is reporting that the UFC will be changing the start time of pay-per-view broadcasts back to 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. This will be starting with UFC 141 this December. The UFC had long used 10 p.m. ET as the start time for PPVs but changed earlier this year. For east coasters like me it was nice to have the evening wrapped up no later than midnight, many times even earlier. But it is understandable that the one hour cut was harder on audiences on the west coast and necessitated a change back. PPV numbers are down this year so making sure that the start times have maximum appeal to as many people as possible. It's not a "sky is falling" situation, but it's one where you need to make all the corrections big and small to straighten everything out. This has yet to be confirmed by the UFC but it seems to be correct. We will continue to monitor the situation and bring word once it is made official.

Posted in: ufc, ppv, time, west coast, &nbsp change

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Dave Metzler at F4Wonline.com is reporting that the UFC is returning its PPVs back to the 7pm/10pm start time starting with December 30th’s UFC 141. The UFC moved up the start time starting with UFC 129 in Toronto to accommodate its east coast viewers. As we noted when the announcement to move the PPVs up one hour, it would hurt west coast viewership. Considering the fact that prelim fights on Facebook would start mid-afternoon for west coast viewers, most west coasters would still be out and about. The theory was that the 6pm move made sense from the perspective that the UFC wanted as many east coast viewers to see the PPVs. Now, it appears that the UFC’s experiment is over. Payout Perspective: The sagging PPV buys are the likely reason why the UFC is moving back the start times. It would be interesting to know if the breakdown in PPV buys this year led the UFC to conclude that the 6pm start time did not influence PPV buys. Certainly, the UFC is hoping for a big spike in buys for 141 considering its PPV bell cow, Brock Lesnar, is on the card.

Posted in: ufc, ppv, time, coast, coast viewers

Read the full article at MMA Payout

“I’d like to thank Jose Aldo for giving me the opportunity to compete for the featherweight title last Saturday. I gave the fight my all, but Jose won that night. I would also like to thank the UFC, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta for their continued support… Everyone is asking what is next for me. The only response I can give right now is that I’m going to take some time. I want to rest, spend some time with my family and friends, and then evaluate all of my options. I’ll speak with (UFC President) Dana (White), and my manager, Glenn Robinson, and we will figure out my next move. When I make that decision, my fans will be the first to know. One way or another, you haven’t seen the last of Ken-Flo!” — Kenny Florian declaring in an official statement that he’s going to take some time off before deciding his future Man, you got to feel for Kenny Florian. He’s such a good guy and he’s come so close so many times to winning a championship, but just can’t get over that final hump. I imagine that finding the motivation to continue such a demanding career when you know the chance of realizing your dream has shrunk immensely would be very difficult. I’m sure Kenny’s wrestling with those very emotions as we speak. Whether he decides to forge ahead or utilize his talents outside the cage, he should hold his head high knowing he has had a hell of a run that thousands of struggling fighters will only dream of. Champion or not, he will always be one of the sport’s true success stories. Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

Posted in: time, florian, kenny, jose aldo, kenny florian

Read the full article at MMA Convert

It didn’t take long for questions to surface surrounding Kenny Florian’s future after the Massachusetts native came up short this past weekend for the third time in three tries at winning a UFC championship. Outpointed and outclassed by featherweight king Jose Aldo, the MMA community wondered if he would continue to cut down to 145 pounds, return to the lightweight division, or possibly even hang up his gloves for good to focus on work as an analyst/commentator. Two days later and the 35-year old Florian remained uncertain himself as he made clear through a statement from his management. “First, I’d like to thank Jose Aldo for giving me the opportunity to compete for the featherweight title last Saturday. I gave the fight my all, but Jose won that night,” Florian stated. “I would also like to thank the UFC, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta for their continued support. I am passionate about Mixed Martial Arts, and I love being involved in this sport. It is incredible to see how much MMA has grown and that, today, there are millions of people who enjoy the UFC as much as I do.” “Second, everyone is asking what is next for me,” Florian continued. “The only response I can give right now is that I’m going to take some time. I want to rest, spend some time with my family and friends, and then evaluate all of my options.” Aldo and Florian Talk Title-Fight at Post-Event Presser Florian ended the message by saying he would discuss his “next move” with his manager as well as White but assured his followers that he’ll keep them as informed as possible. “When I make that decision, my fans will be the first to know. One way or another, you haven’t seen the last of Ken-Flo!” The 14-6 Florian has graced the Octagon seventeen times in his career including impressive performances against Roger Huerta, Joe Stevenson, Takanori Gomi, Joe Lauzon, and Clay Guida. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, time, florian, jose aldo, aldo

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Kenny Florian plans to take “some time” away from the Octagon to consider his options after dropping a unanimous decision to UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo this past Saturday at UFC 136. “First, I’d like to thank Jose Aldo for giving me the opportunity to compete for the featherweight title last Saturday. I gave the fight my all, but Jose won that night,” Florian said in a statement. “Second, everyone is asking what is next for me. The only response I can give right now is that I’m going to take some time. I want to rest, spend some time with my family and friends, and then evaluate all of my options. One way or another, you haven’t seen the last of Ken-Flo!” Florian previously came up short in bids at the UFC lightweight title against Sean Sherk and BJ Penn and is now 0-3 in UFC title bouts following his loss to Aldo. Check out MMAFrenzy.com’s complete UFC 136 coverage by clicking here.

Posted in: ufc, time, jose, florian, jose aldo

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

After a UFC 136 loss and an unsuccessful third bid at a UFC title, Kenny Florian isn't sure what's next. In a statement released today, the 35-year-old said he's taking some time away from the sport, though he's not sure if that could lead to a retirement. Florian, who suffered a unanimous-decision loss to featherweight champ Jose Aldo at this past weekend's pay-per-view event in Houston, said that decision will come at a later time.

Posted in: ufc, time, loss, ufc title, unanimous-decision loss

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

Ben Saunders continued his post-UFC surge Saturday, running his Bellator record to 3-0 with a third-round submission win that puts him in the promotion's 170-pound tourney finals. What stuck out was how Saunders (12-3-2) picked up the victory: keylock submission. It was the 28-year-old's first non-strikes submission win since August 2008: a streak of eight fights. While opponent Luis Ramos has a BJJ black belt, half of his 50 wins came via T/KO. Instead of engaging in a bloody 15-minute slugfest, Saunders changed up his game and it worked. Evolution of a mixed martial artist? Great game planning? Right opponent, right time, right place? Lesser competition? Whatever it is, Saunders is taking full advantage of his Bellator opportunity and finds himself one win away from a shot at either current champ Ben Askren or his October 29th challenger Jay Hieron."Killa" stuff, indeed. Lima BombsTo get that title shot, Saunders will have to get through another Brazilian in Douglas Lima, who punched his ticket to the finals with a second round KO of Chris Lozano.Lima (20-4) will take an eight-fight win streak into the Saunders fight, expected for November 12 at Bellator 57. During his run, Lima has three submission wins and two by T/KO, fueling a career 85% finish percentage. Lima didn't take any major damage and battered a tough Lozano Saturday, opening up a nasty cut under his left eye. The end came with Lima connecting on a straight right hand that had crumpled up Lozano, knocking him out before he hit the canvas. Both Lima and Saunders men should enter the finals relatively healthy and will have five weeks of preparation time if the November 12 date holds. Of Triangles And Arm CollectorsThanks to a few quick fights, viewers were treated to six bouts Saturday, giving two fighters an opportunity to introduce themselves to a national audience with impressive undercard performances. Of note was young David Rickels who pushed his record to 8-0 with a second round submission win over a bloody Levi Avera -- his third consecutive victory by triangle choke and fifth overall.He has yet to compete in a Bellator tournament, but it will be hard to deny the Kansas native a slot in 2012. What's great is how they've brought younger unknown talents like this along: slowly against comparable competition. This is the second time the 22-year-old welterweight has seen air time and if he keeps winning like this, it won't be the last. Then there was Giva Santana, a man with a reputation of being a bit obsessed with armbars as 12 of his 16 wins had come via that form of submission going into his Bellator debut. Make that 13 of 17 as he made Darryl Cobb tap via first round armbar, a fitting way to introduce himself to a national audience. The 185-pounder has now won six in a row and made his case to be one of the eight included in next year's 185-pound tournament.Bellator and MTV2 deserve a tip of the cap for smartly using their full two hours to getting Rickels and Santana some airtime with great performances. Quick HitsRonnie Mann rebounded from a loss to Pat Curran with a quick submission win over Kenny Foster…The promotion announced that heavyweight Mike Hayes is appealing a 60-day medical suspension that would eliminate him from the tourney semifinals. In a reserve bout, Thiago Santos submitted Josh Burns and will get the slot if Hayes cannot fight…Nine of the event's 10 fights ended in a finish. The Week AheadSaturday's Bellator 54 won't have Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler but Bantamweight Champion Zach Makovsky returns in a non-title bout against Ryan Roberts. Since winning the gold a year ago, Makovsky (13-2) has only competed once in another non-title defense.Bryan Baker vs. Vitor Vianna and Alexander Shlemenko vs. Brian Rogers compete in the middleweight semifinals as Rene Nazare vs. Jacob Kirwan round out the main card. The undercard features Daniel Gracie (5-3-1) looking for his first Bellator victory. SBN coverage of Bellator 53

Posted in: bellator, time, submission, lima, saunder

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

While we, as a fight fan collective, recover from the Octagon hangover that UFC 136: "Edgar vs. Maynard III" gave us last night (Oct. 8), I'll spend just a little time reminiscing of a simpler time. A time before Chael Sonnen was issuing "Loser Leaves Town" challenges to Anderson Silva and a Anthony Pettis/Jeremy Stephens fight turned into a grappling contest. Oh right, that time was yesterday afternoon. The second day of the UFC Fan Expo started off fast and fierce as soon as doors opened at 10 am local time. As a token of the fight promotion's gratitude, Bruce Buffer was there to welcome all the mixed martial arts (MMA) fans that shrugged off the cobwebs from the previous evening's partying and woke up early. The first day of the Expo I was able to snap photos as I walked around the George R. Brown Convention Center but yesterday was more business. I sat down and chatted with Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez and future UFC Hall of Famer Vitor Belfort.  You can read what Melendez had to say here and Belfort's thoughts here. Don't worry, Maniacs, I was still able to get a few pictures of the talent that the UFC lined up for the Expo. Bud Light Lime bounce house. You know, for the kids. Anthony Johnson hanging out at the Hayabusa booth. After the photo, he shoved my face to the ground and then delivered a nasty head kick before we were separated. I still maintain it was a quick stoppage, though. This was the line to step inside the Octagon and get a picture taken. Well, it's PART of the line. The full line was about three times longer than what's in the photo. Nate Diaz in what appears to be some time of time warp. He was signing autographs for fans and I could have sworn I got a photo of him smiling but when I pulled it up on my camera, it was blank... Oh, "Meathead." Never change! They had some very cool old school UFC memorabilia in a truck set up outside as part of the Octagon Nation Tour. I can't lie, I got goosebumps when I saw freakin' Royce Gracie's gi. All in all, going to the Fan Expo is quite a treat if you fancy yourself an MMA supporter. It's got everything you could ever want: grappling competitions, MMA merchandise galore, and some very sexy ladies. Oh, and the fighters are cool too. And for any of you that happen to be autograph seekers, find out which hotel the UFC has taken over and hang out. You will run into everyone from Bruce Buffer to Urijah Faber to Rashad Evans. Well, this is Sergio signing off. Hope you enjoyed the weekend! Ta ta, Maniacs!

Posted in: ufc, time, fan, convention center, expo

Read the full article at MMA Mania

"I came to much quicker this time around but I was like, 'man.' We bounced back last time and I don't think it was as bad as the last first round so I figured I could close the gap a little sooner. ... I'm high energy, I'm fast paced. I'm probably smaller than Gray, I'm smaller than a lot of 155-pound fighters out there but I know I just gotta keep moving and keep working to my strengths. I think it was on a transition. I caught him with a nice right and I seem him stumble and it was like, I smell blood, man, let's take him out." -- Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar describes (via UFC.com) his shocking comeback victory over Gray Maynard in the main event of UFC 136 last night (Oct. 8, 2011) in Houston, Texas. The New Jersey native finally found "the answer" to taking care of his own personal "Bully;" just knock his ass clean out. That's exactly what he did -- but it didn't come before a great deal of adversity. Just like their fight on Jan. 1 at UFC 125, Maynard came storming out of the gates to beat up Edgar all throughout the opening frame, nearly finishing him in a scene that was so eerily reminiscent of their first bout, it sent a collective chill through the spines of every fan in the Toyota Center. But, just like last time, Edgar would not allow himself to be beaten and this time he finished the job. It was an amazing fight to cap off an amazing trilogy between two incredible fighters. Agreed?

Posted in: time, edgar, toyota center, opening frame, comeback victory

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFCHOUSTON -- Usually, the last of a trilogy ends up as a letdown. Whether it is a movie franchise that has gone on too long or fighters that compete past their prime, it doesn't often require three cracks at something to make it memorable. But the final fight of the Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard trilogy was so riveting it blew past any expectations. Again, Maynard had Edgar in a world of trouble early, and again Edgar refused to be put away, surviving on guts for an entire round. And then, summoning the unreal courage of a scripted action hero, he came back and vanquished the man that had been the thorn in his side, blasting Maynard into a fourth-round TKO finish at UFC 136. It was an epic finish to a fight series that saw each man win one time as well as fight to a draw. "Think about all the fights we've seen in the last 10 years," UFC president Dana White said. "How many fights you have seen where you see where a guy goes out gets hurt that bad in the first round? I tell you, that's movie s---. That stuff doesn't really happen in real life. There's two guys I've seen do it: Arturo Gatti and Frankie edgar. That's it. What he did last time and this time ... he's an amazing human being, an amazing athlete, and he has a heart the size of his room." How Rocky-like was his performance? In the post-fight press conference, a Brazilian reporter raised his hand to ask a question, played the Rocky theme from his phone and asked Edgar for his comment. He needed every bit of that fighting spirit to retain his gold. Maynard tattooed Edgar early in the first, dropping him several times. It began much like their last fight in that regard. But in their January bout, Maynard went all in for the kill, didn't get it, and fought through exhaustion the rest of the way as they went to a draw. This time, Maynard stalked Edgar around the cage and picked his shots more judiciously. The result was the same: Edgar in trouble but finding a way to escape. Even though Maynard out-struck Edgar 36-11 in round one, the champ lived to fight another round. Afterward, a dejected Maynard said he didn't regret his approach. "I did hit him with a knee, a right, a hook," he said. "What else? If there was a bat there I probably would have hit him with that, too. I couldn't find one." For Edgar, it was sheer basic instinct keeping him alive, much as it did the first time around. "Sometimes you get hit like that, you're in survival mode," he said. "I don't think you have a plan. I got fight in me. That's what it is. You're going to hit me and rock me, I'm going to keep coming no matter what. The big thing for me is I keep listening to my corner. They helped me make the adjustments i needed to make so I could come back and win this fight." The big adjustment he made was in his movement. Maynard caught him with several uppercuts early, and Edgar made a concerted effort to adjust his positioning to keep him from being lined up down the middle. That immediately paid dividends as his footwork and activity immediately started taking over the fight. According to Compustrike, Edgar out-struck Maynard 20-5 in the second round and 22-11 in the third. But it was the fourth when Edgar ended the trilogy in style. Though never known as a huge puncher, Edgar blasted Maynard with an uppercut which clearly wobbled him. Edgar went for broke, firing off right hands as Maynard fell to the mat. A couple more shots on the grounded challenger, and it was over. Edgar went wild in the cage after scoring his first finish since tapping out Matt Veach in December 2009. Maynard said later that it was the first time he'd ever been rocked like that, including in training. "It's a weight lifted off my shoulder," he said. "After every fight, you think about it for so long. It's a weight lifted off my shoulder that much more when I've been thinking about him for the last 10 months, and he also had the previous win over me." For Edgar, those previous results no longer matter. Gray Maynard had nine rounds to win the belt from him. He rocked him multiple times. He had Edgar down and out. And he couldn't finish. It was amazing to witness, even if you were the guy on the other side of history. "He's just a tough kid," Maynard said, shaking his head. "I know don't know if he has a button that puts him out." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, time, round, edgar, maynard

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Rather than keeping cool in the air conditioning over the summer, Gray Maynard found himself consumed by a fire sparked months earlier after his title-fight against Frank Edgar at UFC 125 was named a draw by ringside judges. Now, nine months later, Maynard will finally have a chance to unleash the flames he’s internalized since coming up a hair short. Earlier this week, Maynard spoke candidly about how the outcome has affected him and why he’s supremely motivated to prove he’s the better fighter between the two later tonight in the main event at UFC 136. “At that time, I felt like I wanted to do it again,” the Xtreme Couture original explained of the draw in a conversation with the UFC’s website. “Over and over….if I had to sign a contract that I had to go up against this guy 100 times to prove to everyone that I (could) beat this guy 100 times then I would have done that. I still feel that way. I want to fight him. I’m not tired of fighting him. I want to fight him. I want to prove to everyone that I can beat him.” “For me, I’m not trying to hold onto the fact that I beat him before,” Maynard continued. “I forget about that stuff. You can ask me who I beat and I will tell you to check for yourself because I don’t remember. But if you ask me who beat me – I’ll tell you when, the date, the time, who it was, his background – I’ll tell you everything about it. I just hate to lose. I hate draws. I hate everything but a win.” Maynard Going into UFC 136 Angry The 32-year old also made it clear he knows he was handed a gift in the form of an immediate rematch though not one he feels he didn’t necessarily deserve. “I feel like I’ve earned this. I didn’t try to back door it. I didn’t drop to my knees. I didn’t think this marketing plan will have me at 300,000 Twitter followers and that’s going to get me a title shot. I just asked for the best guys every fight until I had the opportunity. I felt like I won that. The judges say it was a draw – ok. But this dude hasn’t beaten me and he’s the champ. I don’t understand how I don’t get another shot at that. I don’t understand how it’s a question. Thank God they did. I think it was Dana who called and said it was mine and I think I told him I loved him and cried a little bit because that was awesome. He could have chose whoever he wanted to because that’s his job…he chose me and I appreciate that more than anything – it’s unreal.” If people wonder why Maynard is so passionate about the chance to eliminate the doubt surrounding the situation it has to do with the level of personal investment he’s put into being a great fighter. “I just want people to know that I really do put everything I have into this sport – into my dreams,” Maynard revealed. “Whether it is cash, time, I put it ahead of a lot of things – of everything. It isn’t a game to me; it’s my life and it’s who I am. You only have a couple times to achieve your dreams and I want to make the most of it. I feel that I’m the guy who can beat him. I feel like I’m the guy who can beat everyone. I’m not trying to say I’m the best or anything, but I put a plan and camp together and I feel like I have the edge in that aspect. I believe in myself.” At 10-0-1, and with a previous win over Edgar, it’s hard to question Maynard’s self-assurance. Then again, whether or not the same will ring true tomorrow morning remains to be seen. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, time, guy, “ i, maynard

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Today at the UFC 136 Fan Expo, current Strikeforce Lightweight Champion spoke with media and of course, the question of whether or not mixed martial arts (MMA) fans would see "El Nino" inside the Octagon sooner rather than later came up. Melendez treated the question and answer session much like he does his fights. He went full speed ahead and didn't hold anything back. He stated that he always feels like he has to prove himself in the sport. While teammates Jake Shields and Nick Diaz are being brought over from the Strikeforce cage to the Octagon, no official word on Melendez's exodus from the San Jose-based promotion has been made. Dana White has said he wants "El Nino" to fight under the UFC banner but as of right now, he has a date with Jorge Masvidal on December 17 to defend his Strikeforce belt. "A lot of other fighters and the media respect me but the common fans, they think that I haven't made it to the big leagues," Melendez said. "I've been working my butt off, putting on really good shows and exciting fights and not getting the recognition I think I deserve has been frustrating." "But nobody here is bitter," the Strikeforce champ added with a smile. More with Melendez including how he felt after his rematch with Tatsuya Kawajiri after the jump! Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson, and Nick Diaz. All three men once wore Strikeforce gold but now have "UFC" on their four-ounce gloves. So why not Melendez? The lightweight has run through every lightweight put in front of him the past two years. He said that since the Strikeforce buy-out, he feels he's gotten more of a PR push. "My name is getting out there but that's inevitable, I'm going to be number one. One way or another, I'm gonna be number one," he added. But despite the recent talk of having "El Nino" drop his Strikeforce obligations to become the latest big name to sign with the UFC, nothing is concrete. "The boss Dana White is saying stuff like, 'We're going to yank him over' and you want to get excited but you have to come back to reality and remember what's been inked and what hasn't. My fight with Masvidal is inked. Until I'm told different, that's where my focus is," Melendez told reporters. The fight with Masvidal has been pretty much official since the American Top Team product defeated K.J Noons back in June on the Strikeforce: "Overeem vs. Werdum" card in Dallas. Unofficially, though, Melendez has been wanting to step inside the cage with Masvidal for some time now. "He has talked trash on me in the past so I knew I was going to fight this guy eventually," the champion explained. "I thought he was going to beat K.J. [Noons] so I was visualizing a fight with Masvidal even before that." Dana White has already made it clear that he wants Melendez inside the Octagon. As the number three 155-pounder in the world according to SBNation, it would only make sense that he plies his wares in the promotion that holds most of the top talent.  When asked if he would accept an immediate title shot in the UFC, Melendez said, "I don't think a warm-up fight is necessary. I'm a veteran in this sport, I've been fighting for a long, long time. I'm ready to be number one. I'm ready to take over and start representing the sport. "I'm not a new kid that needs to get his feet wet. Yeah, this is the biggest stage in the world and that can make someone nervous or you can take all those vibes and emotions and people yelling and use it. That's what I do, that's what I've always done." He did just that about as perfectly as possible the last time he fought. He was inside the cage with Tatsuya Kawajiri who he held an oft-debated decision win over from back in 2006. The second time they faced off, "Crusher" ended up getting crushed. He ran through Kawajiri, ending the fight with a series of brutal elbows which had just become legal inside the Strikeforce cage. "That felt really good. I just ready to fight when I stepped inside the cage. Not being dumb but just turning it on as soon as the fight starts. It felt great to throw some elbows. I loved it," he said. Of course, this entire weekend's festivities have been used to help promote tonight's (Oct. 8) event headlined by thelightweight title rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. Putting on his predictions cap, Melendez said he has been visualizing a bout with Frankie more. Why? "Because I think he's going to win," he went on to explain. "I think about a fight with Maynard but I lean towards Frankie. He'll win on the scorecards but Maynard will win the feet. Maynard will hit the big punches and takedowns but Edgar will jump in, land some quick punches, and jump out. That's how I think he'll win."   After nearly a decade in the game, it seems the future is brighter than ever for "El Nino." But despite feeling overlooked at times, Melendez insists there are no hard feelings.   "There's no chip on my shoulder but I don't need a warm-up. I want to come over, of course. Masvidal has earned the shot to face but I've earned 10 times what he has. I've been here longer than Edgar, Maynard, Melvin Guillard, Clay Guida. I've been here longer than all of those guys. I would take an immediate title. I want to fight the top guy."

Posted in: fight, time, strikeforce, masvidal, melendez

Read the full article at MMA Mania

One thing I wanted to bring up in my first post (but forgot) and I touched on in the ensuing comments section is the problem of Small Sample Size. MMA is a sport with fairly high variance. One punch, one kick, one screw up and people like Werdum and Serra make your bets look foolish. Baseball is a sport with fairly low variance over the course of a season. To use an example, Milwaukee slugger Ryan Braun (relevant because the Brewers are in the semi-finals of the playoffs) went up to bat 629 times this year. He recorded 187 hits and 58 walks (he was also hit by the pitch five times and got three sac flys). That .332 average (good enough for 2nd place in his league) is significant. He's been hitting at that clip for 150 games. If we could somehow rewind 2011 and have him hit for another 150 games (same teammates, same health, same opponents), it's safe to say that he won't be more than a standard deviation away from his current numbers. MMA isn't like that. Entire careers might last 40 fights. Let's take this imaginary fighter and say he finished his career 30-10 for the sake of nice round numbers. Perhaps a good five of his losses came to opponents that he would beat say... 8 out of 10 times if they fought that often. A good example of this is Urijah Faber vs. Mike Thomas Brown. Brown is 2-0 against Urijah. If they fought a hundred times, I feel pretty safe in guessing that Faber would win a bunch of those - possibly even a majority. That 2nd fight was very close and Faber broke both hands mid-fight! He couldn't finish a choke near the end because he couldn't grip his own hands properly. However, he only got two shots at it, and Brown came up the winner both times. Is that an accurate representation or just variance? Due to the sample size, we'll never know. Perhaps the cleanest explanation of SSS is the very simple coin flip. Let's say you had 10,000 dollars in life savings and I had some untold millions. I told you I will flip a coin with you - your entire life savings on one side against 11,000 dollars on my side. One flip; you win and you suddenly have $21,000, you lose and you have nothing. You probably don't do that, because gambling like that isn't very smart, especially with so much to lose. If I broke it up into four flips - $2,500 vs $2,625 each time, you still might not do it because even with flipping a coin four times, you will always get a run of four heads or tails. It's more attractive, but still not that great. Now if I took this even further and made it a bunch of $10 vs $11 flips (that would be a thousand in all), you'd be an absolute moron not to take it - you have 50/50 odds of increasing your money by 10% each time. Even if you go through a run of losing five, ten or even twenty times in a row, you'll still be up in the long run because you can afford to wait out those streaks until you counteract it with win streaks of your own. Darren Elkins (+115) vs Zhang Tiequan (-145)Wrestler against Asian fighter... easy pick, right? Well, the interesting thing is, Zhang has a ton of grappling in his background. He's a BJJ brown belt and 10 of his 14 wins are by a variety of submissions: guillotine, kimura, neck crank, triangle, armbar, ankle lock. Elkins only has two losses, but his last one against Charles Oliveira was a slick armbar off of a triangle attempt. This is what makes this fight so close - you have a good submission guy against a wrestler who has shown some weakness to subs. Aside from perhaps a parlay bet on Elkins, I'd stay away from this fight. Too many variables to be comfortable. Aaron Simpson (-400) vs Eric Schafer (+300)Another BJJ vs Wrestler matchup. The problem here is that Schafer has shown that he can be outgrappled and Simpson has never been submitted. Mind you he hasn't really faced a lot of great submission dudes in his career, but other than that, we're still looking at a probable grinding decision. +300 is a pretty high number, however, and might be worth tossing a couple coins as a value bet or perhaps on your upset ticket parlay. Stipe Miocic (-300) vs Joey Beltran (+240)I like betting this fight a lot. A lot a lot. Stipe is a great prospect with some solid wrestleboxing. However Beltran has never been stopped by strikes. Ever. Mitrione couldn't do it. Barry couldn't do it. He's a tough sumavabitch and has gone the distance many times. Miocic is a UFC rookie who's never seen a third round. Bright lights, big stage, unknown quantities with conditioning? This has upset all over it. Very good value to be had here. Anthony Pettis (-325) vs Jeremy Stephens (+250)Pass. Pettis should win this handily and the odds aren't all that spectacular. Stephens has enough power to present that one-shot fight ender that makes people like myself nervous about risking money at those odds. $50 to win $15 is not enough to get me to bet on Pettis and it shouldn't be for you either. Demian Maia (-300) vs Jorge Santiago (+230)This is a little more interesting. Santiago's problems have mostly come at the hands of powerful sluggers that won the chin-check contest. Maia is not one of those fighters. Santiago knows a thing or five about grappling as well - he's won plenty of matches in a variety of tapping ways - but he's probably not as good at that facet as Maia. I wouldn't mind throwing a bone or two on Jorge, probably as a parlay. Nam Phan (-225) vs Leonard Garcia (+175)Bet on Nam if you must. Garcia is not very good and should probably be 0-7-1 in his last 8. The derp that surrounds Garcia judging is tremendous however, and enough to make me not want to go wild on Phan. Melvin Guillard (-500) vs Joe Lauzon (+350)I wouldn't touch this fight with a pole. If I wanted to really gambol and not look for edges, I'd make a parlay out of J-Lau, Jorge and Elkins. It'd be nice to get $150 out of a $5 upset special, but more than likely, you're tossing five bucks away. Brian Stann (+215) vs Chael Sonnen (-275)Chael should take this unless Stann has fixed the wholes in his grappling game. Not very good odds that I'd want to bet on it though. Jose Aldo (-500) vs Kenny Florian (+350)Good value bet on the Great Florini here. I wouldn't parlay anything here other than maybe an Aldo win, but a dime on Kenny wouldn't be the worst thing. Frankie Edgar (-140) vs Gray Maynard (+110)Edgar seems to improve with every fight. Maynard hit him with the washer, the dryer and the kitchen sink and couldn't put him away. Nearly even odds on Frank plus my irrational liking for another guy from Jersey? Yea, I'll toss a few on Edgar for this.

Posted in: fight, time, vs, odd, bet

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

Musings, ramblings, questions, and predictions abound in the final hours before UFC 136 in Houston. Here are just a few of them, for your consideration. I. After the first Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard fight, who'd have guessed we'd want to see two more? Certainly not me. I remember well the feeling of dull obligation when the main event at UFC 125 rolled around. I was at home, watching the pay-per-view with my wife and some friends. After the Leben-Stann fight most of my friends went home (or to the bars that might as well be their homes), and my wife went to bed. If it hadn't been my job to stay up and write, I might have DVR'd the final fight and followed her. Thankfully, I had no choice but to watch it live, and by the end of the first round I was debating waking her up and telling her she just had to see what was happening. I didn't (my wife's a fan, but she doesn't mind waiting until the morning to catch the recorded version), and it was probably the right call for the sake of domestic bliss. Still, that fight served as a reminder that no matter how many events you've seen, you never know for sure what you're going to get. That's a sword that cuts two ways, of course, and with the Edgar-Maynard trilogy we have no way of telling whether the end will be fittingly satisfying or disappointingly mediocre. Maybe the best we can hope for is that finally, after months of waiting, it will really and truly be over. II. In terms of his legacy, Kenny Florian has never had a more important fight. It's not just because there's a title at stake. He's been there before. It's because, if he loses, this will almost certainly be the last UFC title that Florian ever gets a shot at. He's already dropped as low as he can go, and there's no future for him back at lightweight. Either he's going to finally win a title, or he's going to cement his legacy as one of the best UFC fighters to never be a champion -- a sort of MMA Jim Kelly, if you will. It's not the worst thing that could happen. Better to be Kelly than to be Ryan Leaf. It's better still to be a champion, and Florian is looking at his last best hope. III. So...have we all just forgotten about that whole Chael Sonnen testosterone thing? The fact that it was a huge issue after the Anderson Silva fight and a complete non-issue before this fight really makes you wonder, are our attention spans that short, or was it all really just a paperwork and disclosure issue after all? No one seems to be asking Sonnen whether he's been using testosterone in the lead-up to UFC 136, with the exception of a guy named Aaron on our recent live chat, and kudos to him. Aaron asked Sonnen point blank whether he's still using it and whether it's legal for him to do so in Texas, to which Sonnen replied: "I really can't get into it because I don't fully understand it myself. It's one of those things you try to learn as best you go but I'm not the guy who handles that. I'm not a manager. And they don't make it extremely clear. There's not a web site or anything we can go to to find out. ...It would be helpful if the commissions told us more. It makes it tough on a guy to follow a rule when nobody is willing to clarify what the rule is." Now who's elusive? IV. Gray Maynard hasn't finished a fight inside the distance since 2007. Edgar hasn't done it since 2009, and that was against not-so-distinguished competition in Matt Veach (who's now riding a two-fight losing streak in the minor leagues, last time I checked). For the fans who crave finishes and berate champions who don't deliver them, is this a kiss of death? Will they continue to care about and/or pay to see UFC lightweight title contests if it's almost a given that it will end up in the hands of the judges? I don't know, but personally I've never understood the line of reasoning that claims the only good fight is a finished fight. Granted, draws like the one we saw last time leave us feeling cold, but who can say they didn't have a great time watching that fight? Just because no one tapped or got knocked out, that doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't money well spent. V. Joey Beltran has never lost to a fighter making his UFC debut. Okay, so he's only fought two of them so far -- Rolles Gracie and Aaron Rosa -- but he won both. Now he'll try to keep the streak intact against undefeated newcomer Stipe Miocic, who the UFC reportedly has high hopes for. Can Beltran play spoiler again? Oddsmakers don't think so. Most have Miocic as a 3-1 favorite. But then, they've been wrong about Beltran before. VI. We're about to find out a lot about Anthony Pettis' potential. He dazzled us with the Showtime kick in the WEC, then squandered his promised title shot with a loss to Clay Guida in his UFC debut. Now he's relegated to the prelims in a fight against Jeremy Stephens, who is the exact sort of fighter you simply must be able to beat if you want to be a contender at this level. Stephens is a resilient scrapper with knockout power, but he's no world-beater. He's someone who, on paper, Pettis ought to be able to handle. But Stephens never makes it easy on you, and he's never more than one good punch away from ruining your night. If Pettis can't beat him, we'll know that "Showtime" isn't quite ready for primetime. VII. Jorge Santiago doesn't need to panic just yet, but he should be at least a little concerned. His last UFC run ended after two consecutive losses in 2006. Now he's 0-1 in his return, and facing a heavy favorite in Demian Maia. A loss here doesn't necessarily mean he's gone -- Stann and then Maia is a heck of a one-two punch in your first fights back in the UFC -- but it doesn't bode well for his future either. VIII. Melvin Guillard didn't have to take this fight, but why wouldn't he? After five straight wins, he could have probably opted to sit around and wait for either a title shot or at least a clear number one contender bout. But the way the lightweight division is looking right now, on the sidelines is no place to be. By continuing to take fights Guillard not only keeps his skills sharp and his bank account full, he also keeps himself in the conversation about top UFC lightweights. When the UFC does finally get around to promoting a 155-pound title fight that doesn't include both Maynard and Edgar, Guillard's recent triumphs will still be fresh in people's minds. That is, if he is indeed triumphant here. Naturally, nothing's guaranteed, but if you didn't think you could beat Joe Lauzon 99 times out of 100, what would make you think you could be UFC champion? Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, title, doesn

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

submitted by col0rado [link] [comment]

Posted in: time, pt, mfc, spoiler, system

Read the full article at Reddit

Fight Time 7: "The Return of Din Thomas" took place tonight (Oct. 7, 2011) at the War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. There was just one problem: "Dinyero" no-showed for his main event fight against George Sheppard because he was injured in a car accident on his way to the venue, according to the Sun Sentinel.  Thomas, who totaled his car, was reportedly treated and has already been released from Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach. His trainer at American Top Team (ATT), Howard Davis Jr., was saddened by the news, but also a little irked that Thomas was chauffeuring himself to his first fight in more than 18 months: "My thoughts and prayers are with him and his wife and family.He shouldn't have been driving by himself." Thomas hasn't competed since stopping Dustin Pague (technical knockout) at WEF: "Brasco vs. Whitesel" in Jan. 2010. He is currently riding a three-fight win streak, which includes a submission win (triangle choke) over Dustin Pierkin at Headhunter Productions "The Patriot Act" back in Feb. 2009 followed by a technical knockout victory (knee) over Gabe Lemley at "March Badness" just over a month later. His return is now indefinitely on pause until further notice. The rest of the field at Fight Time 7 still managed to make it to the event unharmed and fortunately were able to compete. Fight Time 7 results: Walter Harris (3-1) defeated Cedric James (0-3) in just 22 seconds John "The Musclebot" Rivera (1-1) defeated Jimmy Alexander (3-7) in 34 seconds Patrick "The Animal" Williams (3-1) defeated Phil Gebauer (1-1) via rear naked choke in round two Damion "The Outlaw" Williams (1-1) needed only 57 seconds to defeat Julian Flor (0-1) via choke Rory Bradshaw (7-8) defeated Matt McCook (8-5) Lucas Pimenta (3-0) defeated Doug Rossi (1-4) by technical knockout at the 48-second mark For more Fight Time 7 results be sure to check out SunSentinel.com for comprehensive coverage.

Posted in: fight, time, thoma, car accident, george sheppard

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: NewsVeteran fighter Din Thomas, attempting to return to the cage for the first time in nearly two years, didn't make it to his fight Friday. The UFC vet, scheduled to fight in the main event at Fight Time 7 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was reportedly injured in a car accident on the way to the venue. Fight Time promoter Howard Davis Jr. confirmed the news in a video released on YouTube following the show. Davis, who built the show - "Fight Time 7: The Return of Din Thomas" - around the American Top Team product, gave early specifics on Thomas' condition, but did not give any details on the accident. No other details about the crash were available late Friday. "I just got some information from one of his trainers, and he stated that Din is a little banged up," Davis said in the video. "His ribs might be broken, his arm hurts and his head is a little banged up. (But) they said that he should be OK." Thomas (25-8), a 35-year-old who started his career 12-1 to get a shot in the UFC, has been out of action since a January 2010 win over Dustin Pague in a World Extreme Fighting show in Pittsburgh. That win gave him three straight since being cut by the UFC in 2008. Thomas has had three stints in the UFC. His debut came at UFC 32, a first-round knockout loss to BJ Penn. He followed that with a win over Fabiano Iha at UFC 33, and two wins outside the promotion. At UFC 39, Thomas lost to Caol Uno. But he rebounded at UFC 41 with a majority decision win over future welterweight champion Matt Serra. Thomas then spent more than three years away from the UFC before returning by way of the comeback season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Season 4. After the show, Thomas built a three-fight winning streak against Rich Clementi and current lightweight contenders Clay Guida and Jeremy Stephens in 2007. But consecutive losses to Kenny Florian and Josh Neer ended in his release from the promotion with a 5-4 record over the three stints. In 2010, Thomas was scheduled to fight boxer Ricardo Mayorga in an MMA fight. But a last-minute injunction against Shine Fights and Mayorga, stemming from a cease and desist motion filed by Don King Productions, shut that fight down. Davis, the head boxing coach at American Top Team, also spoke in the video about his close relationship with Thomas. "Din is like a son to me," Davis said. "When I first came to American Top Team eight and a half years ago, there were only five or six fighters at the time. And Din was one of the first fighters I trained. One of the things that really showed me who Din Thomas was, was I always look at someone's character. He is always honest and up front about himself. (He's) a very dignified gentleman, and showed poise as a fighter." Thomas was scheduled to fight M-1 veteran George Sheppard (10-6) in the main event at Fight Time 7. Fight Time, run by Davis and his wife, has been putting on MMA shows in south Florida for a year. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, thoma, din

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

The rubber match to end all rubber matches will take place tomorrow night (October 8, 2011) and the UFC lightweight title will be on the line between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard in the main event of UFC 136 in Houston, Texas. Frankie Edgar, despite his small stature, has risen to the cream of the crop in the UFC lightweight division. He took the title from B.J. Penn and then defended it despite being the sizable underdog both times. His performances against Gray Maynard have improved every time he's fought him and he's hoping to finally come away with the victory this last time out. Gray Maynard knows how important this fight is. With how loaded the UFC lightweight division is right now, he understands that a loss to Edgar will set him far enough back that he may never sniff the title again. He beat Edgar before, came moments away from taking the title at UFC 125 and he believes he can do it tomorrow night. Will Edgar finally have "The Answer" for Maynard? Can "The Bully" beat up Edgar and claim the title he's desired for so long? Who will finally come out on top in this trilogy which has jammed up the UFC lightweight division for nearly a year? Frankie Edgar Record: 13-1-1 overall, 8-1-1 in the UFC Key Wins: B.J. Penn 2x (UFC 113, UFC 118), Sean Sherk (UFC 98), Jim Miller (Reality Fighting 14) Key Losses: Gray Maynard (UFC Fight Night 13) How he got here: Frankie Edgar has been a perennial underdog. He never won a state championship, falling just short twice and did the same thing at Clarion University in Pennsylvania. He made the transition to fighting professionally in late 2005 and in just the sixth fight of his career, he was already making his debut in the UFC. He competed as a lightweight because the UFC didn't have a featherweight division yet and won his first three fights impressively against top competition like Tyson Griffin, Mark Bocek and Spencer Fisher. His momentum was halted by the bigger, stronger Gray Maynard in April 2008, but that loss only fueled him to improve.  Just one year later, Edgar put on the best performance of his career against former lightweight champion Sean Sherk, outstriking his bulkier foe and stuffing the elite wrestler's takedowns. After an impressive stoppage of the then-undefeated Matt Veach, Edgar was handed a title shot because Gray Maynard hadn't defeated Nate Diaz decisively enough. Edgar made the most of his opportunity, utilizing his speed and conditioning to outpoint the plodding B.J. Penn at UFC 113 in Abu Dhabi to shock the world and win the UFC lightweight title. He proved his victory wasn't a fluke by dominating Penn in the rematch at UFC 118, blasting the ex-champ with more powerful strikes, adding kicks and even takedowns to his arsenal. His next defense was against Gray Maynard at UFC 125 earlier this year and after surviving a horrible first round in which he was dropped four times, Edgar bounced back in Rocky-esque fashion to win three of the remaining four rounds and force a draw. He will have to square off with Maynard one last time on Saturday night in the rubber match. How he gets it done: Edgar's key to victory is his speed. He's got terrific footwork and tight, technical boxing. He's fast enough to dive into the pocket, land punches and exit at angles to get out of the way of Maynard's power. He can definitely outpoint Maynard in the striking department if he's on his game. "The Bully" doesn't respect Edgar's kicking game either, so hopefully the champ has been working on his kicks to improve them, add more sting to them. He landed them at will against Maynard the last time but they were pretty ineffective due to lack of technique. He can catch Maynard off guard if his technique has improved. The other factor is his takedowns. Maynard has talked about not respecting Edgar's power in the stand-up so if he wades through some punches looking to land the power shots, Edgar needs to be prepared to change levels and blast him with a takedown. If he can put the former Michigan State wrestler on his back a few times, he'll gain his respect. Gray Maynard Record: 10-0-1 (1 No Contest) overall, 8-0-1 (1 No Contest) in the UFC Key Wins: Frankie Edgar (UFC Fight Night 13), Kenny Florian (UFC 118), Jim Miller (UFC 96) Key Losses: none How he got here: Gray Maynard was a successful wrestler at Michigan State, and chanced upon mixed martial arts when he was asked to be a sparring partner for B.J. Penn. He sought out Randy Couture in Las Vegas and the rest is history. Maynard joined the cast of the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighter after just two pro fights and his inexperience caught up with him when he was submitted by Nate Diaz to eliminate him from the competition. He made his debut in the UFC on the show's finale, knocking himself and Rob Emerson out with a slam to earn a No Contest. He took his frustration out on Joe Veras in his next fight, destroying him in just 9 seconds with a TKO. After the Veras fight, "The Bully" won seven straight decisions in the UFC, scoring notable victories over Dennis Siver, Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller, Nate Diaz and lastly Kenny Florian to become the number one contender for the title. In his rematch with Edgar, he had him on the ropes but couldn't put him away and ended up with a split draw. This final trilogy fight will be his last shot at the title for a long time as the UFC lightweight division is absolutely loaded right now. How he gets it done: Maynard doesn't not have a speed advantage against Edgar but he does have a power advantage and a big strength and size advantage. He has to play to his strengths if he wants to become the champion, and that means looking to hurt Edgar again and physically dominate him when he gets the chance.  Edgar's speed makes him pretty elusive so Maynard needs to be prepared to counter after he exits during his "stick and move" attacks. Edgar usually leaves at an angle so the Xtreme Couture fighter needs to be prepared to explode after him with a counter left hook. If he can connect with that left hook on the chin, it's been proven already that he can hurt Edgar, he just needs to put him away this time.  If Maynard and utilize his footwork to maneuver the champ near the fence, he can cut off escape angles and pin him there to either do damage in the clinch or wear him down with takedown attempts. Edgar will be a lot easier to hit when he's standing still or trapped. Lastly, while he can clip Edgar and hurt him, Maynard needs to be careful not to try to load up for the knockout with every strike. That gasses out his arms and it also makes knocking Edgar out that much more difficult. Like Randy Couture told him in between the second and third round, he shouldn't just be trying to knock Edgar out, he should be trying to beat him up. If he can beat him up, that's how he pulls out the decision. Fight "X-Factor:" The X-Factor for this fight is growth in skill for both fighters. Frankie Edgar was completely outclassed the first time he fought Gray Maynard, but his skill level had caught up to Gray or even perhaps surpassed him by the time of the second fight. Both men have had 10 months to work on improving themselves and changing things up for the trilogy fight. Whoever can bring something new that catches his opponent off guard, whether it's a fresh combination from Maynard, maybe an improved leg kick from Edgar, will be able to help themselves gain that tiny edge they need to propel themselves to victory. Bottom Line: The last fight between Edgar and Maynard was still the best fight of 2011 in my opinion. I'm expecting five rounds of back and forth action between two incredibly evenly matched foes. This will be a war of attrition between Frankie Edgar's speed and technique and Gray Maynard's power, size and strength. The odds are razor thin for a reason and fans shouldn't expect anything less than another thriller. Both of these guys want this trilogy to be over with so they can move on, so be prepared for another incredible match. This has "Fight of the Night" written all over it. Who will come out on top at UFC 136? Tell us your predictions in the comments below! Poll Who will be the UFC lightweight champion once the main event of UFC 136 is all said and done tomorrow night? Frankie Edgar Gray Maynard   5 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, edgar, maynard

Read the full article at MMA Mania

The first time Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo defended his title inside the Octagon, against Mark Hominick at UFC 129, he had a highly publicized brutal battle to make weight. In fact, the promotion recently released a video detailing "Junior's" struggles to cut down to 145-pounds for that fight before quickly pulling it from its YouTube channel to avoid controversy.  Yes, it was that bad for the young king of the featherweight division. This time around, he's set to battle Kenny Florian, who started his career at 185-pounds and is also battling the bulk. "Scarface" recently stated at the UFC 136 open workouts (via MMA Nation) that he doesn't anticipate any issues. "This time is gonna be a lot easier. The last time he hadn't fought for a few months so he was out of the weight cutting loop for a little while so it was a little harder but this time he came in a lot lighter and it's going to be a lot easier." If the picture above, taken just yesterday, is any indication, Aldo is in phenomenal shape and "KenFlo" has one hell of a fight ahead of him. That said, if he struggles at times to make weight, why not just move up to 155-pounds to test the waters there? Hear his answer, and much more, after the jump.

Posted in: time, mma nation, weight, controversy .&nbsp, youtube channel

Read the full article at MMA Mania

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on MMA-Japan, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Not everyone is immune from the insults that spread like wildfire over the internet these days.  Specifically, fighter Rin Nakai, who has had her character slammed by these "keyboard warriors" has stated in her recent blog that she is going to take some time off and remove herself from the harsh attacks.  Nakai went as far as reporting the ongoing incident to the police department.  In what appears to be destroying her on the inside, Nakai is also in search of support to keep her going while she does take the time off.  To top it all off, Nakai has put into question her ability to remain a professional fighter as the financial support is flat out not there. So to recap - Nakai is taking time off to 1.) Get out of the limelight and allow the keyboard warriors to cool off and 2.) due to financial woes, possibly being unable to continue as a pro fighter. Read More...

Posted in: time, fighter, keyboard warriors, nakai, rin nakai

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Filed under: UFCHOUSTON -- The right hand injury sustained by UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has yet to be diagnosed by a specialist, but he expects to undergo an MRI in the coming week to learn the extent of the damage. Cruz told MMA Fighting on Friday that while he couldn't conclusively say what the injury was, he believes it to be similar to one he suffered on his left hand after a successful WEC 53 title defense against Scott Jorgensen at WEC 53 in December 2010. That resulted in a broken hand that required a soft cast for six weeks followed by extensive rehabilitation. Cruz said he hurt his right hand early in the first round of his UFC Live fight with Demetrious Johnson last weekend, but he still won decisively, earning a unanimous nod from the three judges. "My hand was hurting real bad," said Cruz, who currently has the middle and ring fingers of the hand taped. "I don't know exactly when it happened. It's hard to say because when you're fighting, the way I work, you keep going. It's not an option to stop. You go until the fight's over and figure out a way to make it work. That's what happened." Cruz (19-1) has held the bantamweight belt since March 2010, successfully defending it four times, more than anyone else. That place in history was among the many motivating factors for Cruz to continue on in the bout, suggesting that to surrender to injury would be something that would haunt him long after his fighting days are over. "It's a long time, but it's five rounds for the rest of your life," he said. "It's something you'll remember for the rest of your life. Am I going to say, 'Ow, my hand hurt and I'm done? No. It's for the rest of my life. You only get these opportunities a few times in life. You have to tough it out." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, life, injury, hand, cruz

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: UFCWith UFC 136 just a day away, oddsmakers have made their picks and more or less dared you to disagree with them. You going to stand for that? I didn't think so. Let's poke around and see where they might be wrong, this time with a little special help on the parlay from one of my MMA Fighting colleagues. Frankie Edgar (-140) vs. Gray Maynard (+125) At last, a title defense where Edgar is the favorite, however slight. The last time these two met, the champ was a +115 dog. I know, because I went back and looked at my own betting odds picks for UFC 125, which means I am now sufficiently humbled. Let's just say I didn't exactly knock that one out of the park, though I did pick Edgar when many thought he'd simply get held down for five rounds. Now that he's proven not only his mutant healing abilities between rounds, but also his wrestling prowess, I'm not surprised that oddsmakers are giving him the slight edge. Still, the line is so close that you aren't going to profit all that much from taking the underdog flyer on Maynard. For those of you struggling to understand what +110 means, imagine yourself putting down $100 on Maynard and then making $110 if he wins. Also imagine yourself being very, very sad if he doesn't. Then at least you'll understand what you're letting yourself in for if he can't shove Edgar around for five rounds to become the new champ. My pick: Edgar. He's proven he can stay off his back against Maynard. If he can only stay out of the way of those power punches, he'll be in business. Jose Aldo (-450) vs. Kenny Florian (+300) Florian is the kind of guy you want to root for, and by 'you' I mean me. He's a diligent worker, a borderline obsessive student of the game, and a real thinking man's fighter. One thing he's not, at least so far, is championship material. Oddsmakers don't seem to think that will change against Aldo, and I have to admit that I agree. Florian isn't going to stand there and out-strike Aldo. Not without getting his legs turned to hamburger. He'll have to put him down, but can he reliably do that, especially in the early rounds? I'm not so sure, at least not unless Aldo suffers through another brutal weight cut like the one he had before the Hominick fight. Florian's best chance might come in the later rounds, but only if he can make it that long. Even then, he'll probably be so behind on the scorecards that he'll absolutely need to start finishing fights at 145 pounds. Easier said than done against the champ. My pick: Aldo. Honestly, it's not even worth a parlay pick at these odds, but neither is Florian worth the underdog risk. Chael Sonnen (-260) vs. Brian Stann (+200) If you know me, you know I have to have at least one big/somewhat reckless underdog pick per event. If I don't, I go crazy and try to bait strangers at the gas station into giving me 3-1 odds on whether I can jump over a moving car (turns out I can't; lesson learned). This time around, I had to take a hard look at Stann, who needs only to keep from getting out-wrestled in order to have a very good chance in this one. Normally, I wouldn't like his chances to do even that, but Sonnen has been off for a very, very long time. Much of that time was spent trying to convince the California State Athletic Commission that he doesn't mean what he says, except for when he does, and distractions like that are rarely helpful. Cage rust affects different fighters in different ways, but if I had to bet (and it's kind of the purpose of this whole feature) I'd wager that Sonnen will be not quite as sharp as usual, and it'll cost him. My pick: Stann. I wouldn't bet the house, or even the condo, but I will throw some small action on the real American hero this time around. Joe Lauzon (+300) vs. Melvin Guillard (-450) Back when he was an immature, though talented fighter who would beat himself more often than not when given a chance, Guillard was still a scary opponent. Now that he's got his act together, dude is positively terrifying. Lauzon's best chance is to get it to the mat and submit him, but the last time Guillard tapped out was in 2009, when he was foolish enough to shoot a takedown on Nate Diaz and get himself guillotined in the process. He's a much smarter fighter than that now, so Lauzon better have a plan B. Matter of fact, he better have plans C-N, too, because I don't see him shooting a double-leg and putting/keeping Guillard down long enough to submit him. My pick: Guillard. Again, it's not even juicy as a parlay addition, but what are you going to do? Leonard Garcia (+175) vs. Nam Phan (-225) Quick question: do we have different judges for the rematch? If so, then you have to give Phan the edge. If it's the same people who think haymakers, whether they connect or not, are enough to win a fight, then take your chances with Garcia. Garcia's problem isn't just that he likes to brawl -- it's that he doesn't like to do anything else, such as defend his face. He's a great guy -- one of the nicest and most down-to-earth in this business, really -- and when he finds a willing dance partner, his style is fun to watch. It's also predictable, and when opponents can keep from getting sucked into it he runs into problems. My pick: Phan. This one might be more suitable as parlay material, but then you never know what those wacky judges will do. Quick picks: - Mike Massenzio (+125) over Steve Cantwell (-145). Massenzio will try to out-wrestle Cantwell, and Cantwell is susceptible to that. With these odds, Massenzio's worth a small risk. - Anthony Pettis (-285) over Jeremy Stephens (+225). You won't get rich off of it, but this one is money in the bank. The 'For Entertainment Purposes Only' Parlay: Just because he's a wild riverboat gambler with dollar signs in his eyes, and because I respect that sort of self-destructive impluse, I'll let my colleague Matt Erickson call it this time. Take it away, Matt. "A 4-leg parlay of 'dogs on Saturday that pays $473 on a $10 bet: Maynard +125 Stann +200 Santiago +225 Elkins +120 I've already spent my winnings. That's how sure of that mofo I am." You heard the man. And if it doesn't work out, you can let him know about it on Twitter: @MattErickson23 Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, round, chance, aldo, parlay

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

So I’m about 30,000 feet somewhere over the Midwest as I check in with you this week for our look at UFC 136. There’s a noisy two year old that’s been either crying or yelling nonstop for the last ninety minutes in the row ahead of me, and I’m a bit disenchanted at the lack of free WiFi everywhere I’ve been so far. These are the perils of being an American Airlines customer, but then again, at least I get frequent flyer miles. I might be able to get a long awaited keychain soon! (Apparently I lead a very spoiled life) Before I get started, I want to welcome Martin Kampmann to the Fighters.com family. I’m a big fan of Gil Martinez‘ blog here, as well as Pat Healy’s blog “Bam vs. Wild” on our sister-site Five Ounces of Pain, and it’s always nice to hear a bit more in depth about a fighter’s preparation and training for a fight. A belated congratulations as well for the new addition to his family, his son Xander. Now on to business! Let’s take a look at how UFC 136 will break down, starting with prelims today, and ending with the main card tomorrow. It’s live this Saturday from the Toyota Center in Houston Texas. To those of you who attended the Fan Expo, I hope you had a great time. To those who didn’t, there’s always next time! Steve Cantwell vs. Mike Massenzio Poor Cantwell. Things haven’t been the same for him since he came back to fighting after a career threatening illness. Not only has he lost his last 3 straight, but I accidentally spelled his name “Can’twell” to start this off. This is probably his last stand. He hasn’t looked that great the last couple times out, and a loss here will all but end his UFC tenure. Same could go for Massenzio, though his lost was a short notice loss at UFC 131. That night, he was dominated relentlessly by Krzysztof Soszynski and looked nothing like he did his first go around. He’s in a more forgiving position, though a one sided loss to Cantwell should seal his fate too. Both men drop down to middleweight where you’ll probably see an all-out BJJ fest. Both men are desperate for a win at this point, and need to go back to what brought them to the show and made them successful to begin with. Cantwell’s biggest question mark will be how he handled the weight cut. Massenzio naturally fights at 185, so he should have no problem. Cantwell does hold a win over Brian Stann, however, it was a much different time in Stann’s career, and though you’ll hear that be pumped up quite a bit on Saturday, it’s the same as anybody laying claim to a 2007 or 2008 win over Melvin Guillard – same person, but different fight game. Give this one to Massenzio nevertheless, who shouldn’t look so outclassed or outdone at his natural weight. Prediction – Mike Massenzio via Unanimous Decision Aaron Simpson vs. Eric Schafer My initial reaction to seeing “Red” Schafer was back was to question what he’d done since he left the UFC. I thought he’d fought a few fights since then, but didn’t realize he was injured, and was making it back after a quick win a couple months back. Simpson is an aging diamond in the rough in the middleweight division. If he were 10 years younger, you’d probably be talking a title shot sometime, but unfortunately, it probably won’t happen in his career. Schafer returns to the UFC, possibly thanks in part to his affiliation with guys like Pat Barry. That isn’t to say he isn’t deserving. This fight’s going to come down to BJJ vs. Wrestling. Simpson is a guy I enjoy watching time in and time out. He’s relentless, methodical and focused. Schafer’s fighting at middleweight for the first time in his UFC career, and he’ll be a fairly lanky 185 on his 6′4 frame. The dropped weight will likely give him a bit more range and flexibility to try to offer up submissions to Simpson. Simpson, however, is a champion wrestler who will be game to the submissions, and he’s floated through BJJ specialists (Tom Lawlor and Mario Miranda) and come out on the winning side. In fact, his only career losses are to Mark Munoz and Chris Leben, who aren’t doing too bad for themselves nowadays I hear. Give the nod to Simpson, though expect Schafer to stay around and find better success at 185. Prediction – Aaron Simpson via Split Decision Darren Elkins vs. Tie Quan Zhang It’s been a while since we saw Zhang. That night, “The Mongolian Wolf” bested Jason Reinhardt in less than a minute, and then took an extended vacation. Elkins, however, has had an interesting path to Zhang. He won a controversial decision over Michihiro Omigawa in Vancouver that many, including Dana White disagreed with. The win probably saved Elkins’ UFC career, which he looks to continue on against Zhang. Funny thing is, Elkins was a ridiculously accomplished fighter before entering the UFC. He’s just been mired in controversy since he got here. He’s 2-1, though his other wins was the Duane Ludwig freak ankle injury bout. Before arriving, he stopped every one of his opponents coming in, with the exception of current Bellator standout Pat Curran, who took him the distance. Elkins hasn’t really had the chance to prove his capabilities, and what brought him to the UFC, which he’ll probably get against Zhang. Zhang is a quick starter, and a quick finisher. In fact, he doesn’t know what it’s like to win outside the first round. The only fight of his that even left the first was a decision loss to Danny Downes. Elkins is fast, but Zhang is faster. If he’s not careful, he’s going to get caught with a really quick submission. Zhang is a much different fighter than Omigawa. Omigawa is cautious, while Zhang is almost reckless. That fast forward attitude of Zhang’s is capable of attacking from anywhere. Zhang has legitimate knockout power, and if that isn’t enough, he’s got fantastic submission transitions. I’d wager to say Zhang is one of the most complete fighters at 145, and a win for him will put him on notice as one of the top 10, if not top 5 guys at 145 in the UFC, and will score him something either on Fox prelims, or on the main card itself. He’ll probably get the winner of Hominick/Zombie. An Elkins win will probably get him up against a Josh Grispi or the winner of Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan. I give the edge on this one to Zhang. Elkins has been overwhelmed by quick starts before, and Zhang’s going to come out swinging at full speed. Prediction – Tie Quan Zhang via Submission Joey Beltran vs. Stipe Miocic Barry. Maynard. Penn. These are all names Stipe Miocic has knocked off enroute to his UFC Debut. Yes, Paul Barry, Greg Maynard, and William Penn all met Miocic’s fist with their faces and fallen to him. Miocic likes to stand and strike, and I can’t think of a more perfect welcome to the UFC than Beltran. Beltran is one of the UFC’s big blue collar guys in the heavyweight division. He’s the guy who puts the little guy on his shoulder that says “Maybe you should slow it down a bit” in his pocket and goes nuts. Every single one of his fights in the UFC so far have seen him throw, and eat some ridiculous punches and kicks. Anytime anybody goes up against Beltran, they can be assured that if they can stand and bang, they’re possibly in line for a fight bonus. Beltran’s last three fights could have been “Fight of the Night”, though he’s only walked away with 1 bonus. Miocic is a striker. Beltran doesn’t want to do anything but strike. If you like these types of fights, don’t blink and don’t leave the room. There probably won’t be any technique. There probably won’t be any takedowns. Both guys will probably try and knock the smile off each others’ faces, and it’s tough to say whether one will succeed. Miocic’s chin hasn’t really been tested, and you know Beltran’s got a good one capable of taking a lot of punishment. This will probably be fight of the Facebook prelims, and contend for fight of the night. As is Beltran’s folly, however, it’s probably going to be overtaken by one of the title fights. With Dana White’s new style of not releasing guys that just bring it no matter how many defeats, Beltran might be a lifer win or lose. Prediction – Joey Beltran via TKO That’ll do it for the Facebook prelims. Now it’s time to talk Spike! Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens It’s been a tough year for Pettis. He celebrated New Years as the #1 contender at 155 awaiting his title shot. After the Maynard/Edgar draw, he had the choice of waiting a year for his next fight, or sharpening his skills against Clay Guida. He chose the latter. Big mistake. A dominating defeat at Guida’s hands has Pettis having to work his way back to the top. A hungry Stephens awaits for his chance to rise up the ranks of the lightweight division. Stephens has won 4 of his last 5, including victories over Sam Stout and Marcus Davis. He even took Melvin Guillard the distance in a fight many felt he won. Stephens isn’t a household name, but he’s more than deserving of the opportunity to fight Pettis. In both fighters, you get flashy strikers capable of sending opponents down in one shots. Three times Stephens has taken home the knockout of the night, and Pettis is always interested in thinking outside the box. This fight will probably remain standing for a good portion of the first round, and you’ll probably see a desperate Pettis pushing the pace. However, Stephens is very good on his feet, and after getting rocked a couple of times, expect Pettis to take it to the ground, where It should be most of the time. Pettis is a very good submission fighter, and once down to the ground, can make quick work of this fight. Pettis really can’t afford to lose here, because losing to Stephens would mean a recovery period of a couple years before he’d be in the title hunt again. A Stephens victory would put him into higher consideration for the big names, though things are getting a bit jammed at lightweight. Expect “Showtime” to come to his senses and go back to basics. He doesn’t need to win with the crazy strikes he’s been working on with Duke Roufus. He just needs to settle down and fight the way he was before the Ben Henderson fight: An overwhelming, fast paced style with quick ground transitions into a quicker submission. I’m hoping this is the back to basics Pettis, because that’s how I’m picking the victory. Prediction – Anthony Pettis via Submission Damien Maia vs. Jorge Santiago Both fighters come into this after tough losses. Maia thought he’d done enough to beat Mark Munoz in June, however, the judges disagreed. Santiago came in red hot, and gave Stann a run for his money before getting TKO’d. Both are amongst the most accomplished BJJ fighters in the history of the UFC, with Maia holding a 3rd degree black belt. In typical Maia fashion, I’m expecting this one to try to go to the ground right from the start, and will probably stay there. Santiago is one of the best BJJ fighters Maia has ever faced, and won’t be in any rush to bring this fight up again. Santiago is one of the most exciting fighters on the ground, having won by almost every possible submission in the book. This one has “classic” in every sense of the word written on it. Santiago is vastly improved from the fighter he was four years ago in his first go around in the UFC, though I question whether he’s going to be able to contain Maia. Maia’s never lost two in a row (though to be fair, he’s only lost 3 times,) and he’s come out of those looking just as dominant as he did prior to the loss. Santiago’s going to be in tough here, and I just don’t think that this fight is going to go his way. Maia is one of the best fighters in the world at 185, and though his record has been bolstered by a few rebound-type wins over time, he’s got the skills to make another run at Anderson Silva’s title, though it’s going to take him a while to get back there. Prediction: Damien Maia via Unanimous Decision Should be a pretty solid set of prelims. Join us again tomorrow when we take an in-depth look at the main card. See you cageside! Tweet

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, fighter, zhang

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Welcome, Maniacs, to the weekly series where we help you catch up on some of the original reporting done by other sites in the vast MMA landscape. Like Renzo Gracie and Frankie Edgar pictured above, we can all "get along." Teaming up with MMA sites like MiddleEasy, Cage Potato, Fight Opinion and Five Ounces of Pain, we'll provide an opportunity for all MMA fans to read some fresh and original voices in the sport. This week, Dustin Niece shares a blog about TUF season 14 with The Fight Nerd, Cage Potato shares seven of the most insanely dangerous combat sports ever thought up and MMA Fighting's Ben Fowlkes explains who needs a win at UFC 136 to keep their job The full list of links is after the jump. - Gray Maynard: I took a piece of Frankie Edgar's chin at UFC 125 (LowKick) "I took a piece of that chin in the last fight. You can't do that in too many fights. There's some heavy-hitters now, you've got Ben Henderson, Gilbert Melendez, Cowboy Cerrone, etc. You've got a lot of guys that have some power now. If you can keep away from that, that's good, but if you do get hit, there's only so many times that you can do a fight like that." - Chiappetta's Primer: UFC 136 edition (NBC Sports MMA) If things had worked out a bit differently, Anthony "Showtime" Pettis might have been headlining UFC 136. Instead, he's on the prelims against the dangerous Jeremy Stephens. Pettis is still a highly regarded young talent, but the power striker Stephens is a dangerous opponent. The lightweight division is long on talent, so Pettis has to win or risk being left behind. - The seven most insanely dangerous combat sports ever invented (Cage Potato) "Over the past two decades, Mixed Martial Arts has evolved from a no-holds-barred freak show to a heavily regulated, network television ready enterprise that is accepted by a large slice of the general public. But even with the sport's modern improvements and safeguards, there are still detractors who contend that MMA is nothing more than low-bred street-fighting operating under the guise of an organized competition...[W]e thought we'd give the MMA critics some perspective by presenting a list of the most brutal and dangerous combat "sports" ever invented. From shock-fighting to bear-baiting, they defy logic, celebrate gratuitous violence, and remind us just how far the human race has come." - Grappling with Issues - 10/5/11 (Five Ounces of Pain) Should Gilbert Melendez get an immediate UFC lightweight title shot? Lambert: No, only because the winner of Guida vs. Henderson definitely deserves a title shot based on their track record. While Melendez is one of the best lightweights in the world, I don't think he should jump the winner of that fight and get a title shot. - The Cut List: Who's in desperate need of a win at UFC 136? (MMA Fighting) UFC 136 may be the rare event to include two title fights, but that doesn't mean there aren't still some men fighting for their livelihoods in Houston this Saturday night. We all know that professional pugilism isn't the line of work you go into if you really crave job security, but some of this weekend's competitors are on much shakier ground than others, and it might take only one more loss to send them plummeting into the void of unemployment. Who are they, and what are their chances to revive their careers with a win at UFC 136? For answers, we turn to The Cut List.  - Roland Delorme discusses Akira and Neace's growing feud on The Ultimate Fighter 14 (5thRound) After the team picks and the first fight, we started to get comfortable in the house and things started become routine; eat, train, sleep, repeat. Even the beef between Akira Corassani and Dustin Neace was becoming routine. It wasn't just for cameras, either. They truly hated each other, but it was all Akira's fault considering Dustin really did nothing but be himself and Akira seemed to see weakness in that, which is a huge mistake. - Lyoto Machida was at a birthday party when he accepted the fight against Jon Jones (MiddleEasy) "I was at a birthday party last night and I heard I'd be fighting Jon Jones. I accepted immediately, I couldn't announce it at the time, though. Ed and Joinha told me to hold the information and it was complicated, I had to stop talking at all (laughs). In the morning I want to give a class and, when I came back, the contract was there for me to sign it. It was a reason for me to be happy, because that's why we enter these battles for." - TUF Times Blog: Season 14, Episode 3 - with Dustin Neace (TheFightNerd) "I know people want to know about me and Akira but the truth is me and him got along great before the show started. The first time we were in Vegas for the tryouts, I thought he was funny and would consider him someone I could hang out with. He was always finding ways to make things happen that would just make you laugh so hard. The first few days in the house he was alright, then the team picks happened." - Is the state of MMA's heavyweight division lacking in quality? (Fight Opinion) "I mean, Andrei Arlovski's a good example... At one point in time it would have made sense to use Andrei Arlovski when he wanted to stand and knock guys out. He doesn't want to do that any more. I mean, that fight with Ray Lopez was disgraceful and the Travis Fulton fight is going to be a joke and it's going to be depressing to watch... and yet those are the kinds that fights that we're treated to over and over again." - UFC.com traffic on the Decline? (MMA Payout) One important indicator as to how popular a product or service is at a given time with the general public is to measure the size of their Internet audience, or how many visitors their website receives. We decided to take a look at website traffic statistics for UFC.com from the various leaders in the website analysis business. The hope here is get some better insight into the UFC's popularity trending over the past year through the promotions online presence. - UFC 140: Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida head-to-toe breakdown (BleacherReport.com/MMA) Now that their apparent rift is mended, Machida is back in the top contender spot. But regaining the title will be a tall order-both figuratively and literally-against the seemingly unstoppable Jones. Here's the head-to-toe breakdown for this sure to be exciting championship bout.

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, time, sport

Read the full article at MMA Mania

The main event of UFC 136 on October 8th is Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard for the UFC lightweight championship. From purely a fight perspective, I think this is the most important fight the UFC has to offer. It might not be the flashiest, it might not be receiving the most media attention, it might not be filled with the best trash-talk sound bites, but, bar none, there are no two fighters who deserve to battle each other for a belt in the Octagon more than these two, if for no other reason than the first time they squared off with a title on the line they put on a “Fight of the Night” that could very well be “Fight of the Year”. And at the end of that memorable match, there was no clear winner. On New Year’s Day in Las Vegas at UFC 125, Maynard challenged Edgar for the UFC lightweight championship and the two fought a five round war from bell to bell. It was an emotional fight with highs and lows for both competitors. It was a grueling contest where without a doubt both fighters left everything they had in the cage that night and they were both standing ready for more. When time expired, the final decision was laid in the hands of the judges. The verdict: a draw.“I know it's easy to have that quote, ‘don't leave it up to the judges’, but you're in a championship fight and you're going up against the top in the world, so more than likely it's going to be a close one,” says Maynard. “That's the way the sport is headed. I don't care who you talk to, if they know the sport, with two top athletes it's going to be a close one. I wasn't pissed off at the judges. Whatever, it happens. At that time, I felt like I wanted to do it again. Over and over. I don't care if I had to sign a contract that I had to go up against this guy 100 times to prove to everyone that I can beat this guy 100 times then I would have done that. I still feel that way. I want to fight him. I'm not tired of fighting him. I want to fight him. I want to prove to everyone that I can beat him.”At 32 years old and about to enter the Octagon for the 11th time, Maynard’s determination is unparalleled in preparing to challenge Edgar for the belt for the second time this year. There are dozens of reasons to push “The Bully” to train harder than ever to win this fight: the title, stay undefeated as a pro, it’s what Maynard’s been working for these past four years in the UFC, and on and on. But the beauty of this particular matchup is the untainted simplicity of the competition. Maynard wants to beat Edgar to settle any doubts in any person’s mind that he is better. “I'm not tired of it because there's a question and I hate questions,” asserts Maynard. “There's a question of who can beat who and that's what I want to prove. That's what drives me. I want him. I want to fight him. I want to prove it.”The three-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler from Michigan State University specifically knows he can defeat Edgar because he did it. Back in 2008, well before either were within sniffing distance of the weight class’ gold, Maynard scored a unanimous decision victory over Edgar, which handed the New Jersey native his first and only loss. It was a great matchup then between two burgeoning stars with wrestling backgrounds in a clash of “speed” (Edgar) vs. “power” (Maynard). Three years later, it is an even better matchup because they are undeniably the best in their division and have marched their way to the top since that meeting in 2008. “We both have obviously grown and evolved,” explains Maynard. “When you are going up against the top in the world one after the other you are going to get better. For me, after him I had Rich Clementi, Jim Miller, Roger Huerta, Nate Diaz, Kenny Florian. For him, Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, and BJ Penn twice. You have to evolve and have to change. For me, I'm not trying to hold onto the fact that I beat him before. I forget about that stuff. You can ask me who I beat and I will tell you to check for yourself because I don't remember. But if you ask me who beat me - I'll tell you when, the date, the time, who it was, his background - I'll tell you everything about it. I just hate to lose. I hate draws. I hate everything but a win.”“The Bully” knows winning. UFC fans have watched Maynard win and win and win, from his nine second knockout of Joe Veres on September 19, 2007 until the dominant decision victory over Kenny Florian at UFC 118 on August 28, 2010. In between, Maynard has faced and defeated notable lightweight after notable lightweight on his way to the much deserved title shot at UFC 125. Before the belt had even been put up for grabs, a number one contender had already been named in WEC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. After the murky pseudo-conclusion of the bout, it was up in the air whether Edgar’s next challenger would be Pettis or a “rubber match” with Maynard for a decisive ending. From the perspective of “The Bully”, title shots are hard to come by in the UFC and he got one and it ended in a draw. First, the fight’s fate lay with judges; now the rematch’s fate lay with UFC President Dana White.“It was heart-wrenching,” admits Maynard. “I feel like I've earned this. I didn't try to back door it. I didn't drop to my knees. I didn't think this marketing plan will have me at 300,000 Twitter followers and that's going to get me a title shot. I just asked for the best guys every fight until I had the opportunity. I felt like I won that. The judges say it was a draw - ok. But this dude hasn't beat me and he's the champ. I don't understand how I don't get another shot at that. I don't understand how it's a question. Thank God they did. I think it was Dana who called and said it was mine and I think I told him I loved him and cried a little bit because that was awesome. He could have chose whoever he wanted to because that's his job and he chose me and I appreciate that more than anything - it's unreal.”The rematch for the UFC lightweight championship is set, a date is picked, a venue is picked, so everything is going great. What could possibly go wrong? Injuries. Originally, Maynard and Edgar were supposed to square off on the Memorial Day card in Las Vegas at UFC 130. Less than a month out, the fight was called off due to injuries to both fighters. It was a blow emotionally to Maynard with another hiccup in his journey to his first UFC belt, but it was a blessing in disguise for Maynard physically because he will be entering the rematch healthy.“There had been a lot of injuries, but I wasn't going to pull out of it,” tells Maynard. “My knee was screwed up and my back and I got cut over my eye. I got a call saying he had to pull out of the fight because of his back. Obviously, it was crushing to me. I talked to my coaches and they said this is probably the best for me because I was hobbling around and my elbow had problems and I had a cut on my eye. I just jumped right back into camp after January 1st because I was pissed. For me, I just never healed up. I had to have a scope done on my elbow. Obviously, it's a tough sport and injuries happen.”Now, “The Bully” is closing in on the same opponent, the same championship and the same fight he’s been training for this past year. “That draw helped me to keep on track because I want to think about him every day,” states Maynard, who has had 10 months to ruminate on the January bout; meanwhile, the most talent rich division in the UFC has been jockeying for position to be the next in line. “If I start to look past him or there are some other good fights out there, then his head pops up in my mind and I think who gives a s**t about anyone else. I want Edgar. I want to fight him.”There are no secrets about who either Edgar or Maynard is as a fighter after they have dueled in the Octagon for eight rounds, 40 minutes and two close decisions. There is no mystery. They know the other is tough, is ready to fight the full 25, wants to fight on the feet, wants to fight on the floor, and will not give an inch until the referee stops it. Maynard would not want it any other way because taking that hardest road against the best competitors will make success taste even sweeter. “For my career, for who I am, I want to be known that I'm a normal person - I'm a blue collar type, I train hard and I work hard,” affirms Maynard. “I just want people to know that I really do put everything I have into this sport - into my dreams. Whether it is cash, time, I put it ahead of a lot of things - of everything. It isn't a game to me; it's my life and it's who I am. You only have a couple times to achieve your dreams and I want to make the most of it. I feel that I'm the guy who can beat him. I feel like I'm the guy who can beat everyone. I'm not trying to say I'm the best or anything, but I put a plan and camp together and I feel like I have the edge in that aspect. I believe in myself.”On October 8th at UFC 136 in Houston, Texas, Maynard and Edgar will battle for the supremacy of the UFC lightweight division. For the third time, these two will entertain UFC fans in the purest way possible: fighting each other in the Octagon. It’s as if Maynard and Edgar are destined to fight each other forever in the most grueling hard fought contests assembled. There’s undoubtedly a historic rivalry between Maynard and Edgar. Not built on bitter words or disrespect; its foundation is in the greatness of their competition in the cage. Regardless, Maynard knows it’s unfinished. Come fight night, hyperbole will not help “The Bully” earn that belt. It will be Maynard’s pragmatism of simply beating the opponent in front of him that will get him another win and the UFC gold. “I try not to look deep into this stuff,” relates Maynard. “I try to have a goal for the day. I try to keep out of that other stuff. But there is a lot of s**t going into this fight if you look at the history. I get asked, ‘this is a trilogy fight and you two have gone back and forth, how does it feel?’ Well, I guess when I'm an old man and I'm having a couple beers it will be cool. But right now, I'm amidst a war.”It was a war in 2008. It was a war on January 1st. And at UFC 136, there’s no reason to think it won’t be another war with the belt on the line. If that doesn’t make it the most important fight to everyone watching, then I don’t what does.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, edgar, maynard

Read the full article at UFC

The pain’s gone by now for Frankie Edgar. Not from the bruises in training camp or from the injured back that has kept him on the sidelines since the beginning of the year, though those aches have faded too. No, it’s the pain that the UFC lightweight champion felt after going five grueling rounds with number one contender Gray Maynard at UFC 125 in January, only to get a draw.If the old sports adage is that a draw is like kissing your sister, then the look on Edgar’s face after the verdict was rendered meant that his proverbial sister was 675 pounds with a mustache and a bad case of warts. In other words, he was inconsolable.“I was just super disappointed,” said Edgar. “It was a draw and I was still the champ, but it felt like a loss to me. I hate losing. And I don’t think I really took into consideration the performance I put on after going through what I did in the first round, so I was proud of what I was able to do and how I was able to bounce back, but I didn’t win a fight. I may not have lost, but I didn’t win, and that’s always my main objective and the most important thing.”Edgar had no right surviving that first round, let alone fighting back to get a draw in a bout many believed he deserved to get the nod in. In boxing terms, it was Juan Manuel Marquez bouncing back from three first round knockdowns to earn a draw with Manny Pacquiao in their first fight. But then again, Edgar’s legs were so wobbly after getting dropped by Maynard, that perhaps a boxing referee would have stopped the fight after delivering a count. Yet in mixed martial arts, a fighter can control his fate for the most heart, and with a mix of heart and determination, the scrappy kid from Toms River, New Jersey made it through the opening five minutes, righted his ship, and got back into the fight.And what a fight it was, 25 minutes of high-level MMA from the two best lightweights in the division. It was almost fitting that the fight was a draw, because there were no losers in the Octagon in Las Vegas that night. Saturday in Houston, they do it again, and a fight that had little buzz around it in January is suddenly a hot ticket as Edgar and Maynard meet for the third time. And to think, they did it on the strength of their fists and their previous bouts, not on any trash talk or ill feelings. That’s the way Edgar likes it.“That (trash talk) always gets the people going and it sells fights, but for myself, and being the kind of person I am, I’d rather do my work in the cage,” said the champion. “Gray’s a pretty reserved dude, and so am I, and I think our fight will speak for itself.”It’s a trilogy that fight fans have been waiting to see resolved, one where Maynard holds a 1-0-1 lead after handing Edgar his lone pro loss in 2008, but the ones who want to see the two part ways more than anyone are the lightweight contenders waiting to get their shot at the belt after the title’s been held in limbo pending this weekend’s bout. Edgar knows that there’s a line of hungry fighters waiting to get at him should he successfully defend his crown for the third time, but he can’t worry about that now.“You can’t help but notice the guys that are creeping on the door, but I try to not get distracted by that,” he said. “There’s always gonna be the next guy. No matter what I do, whether I win or I don’t, there’s always gonna be the next guy. I’ll worry about Gray and take it from there.”And hey, if he wins, everything’s even. Do we see fight number four?He laughs.“Let’s just take this one first. We’ll take it from there.”You can’t blame either fighter for wanting to be done with each other. As great as the second bout was, and as intriguing as this rivalry has become, there comes a point when you just want to move on. Edgar has heard nothing but Gray Maynard for over a year, and it’s the same with Maynard hearing about Edgar. Ask the champ if he’s watched film of the rematch, and he says with a chuckle, “if my coaches force me to sit there and watch it, I’ll do so.”So at this point, expect both men to pull out all the stops to make sure the end result is a decisive one. For Edgar, that means building on all his skills and upping the intensity with each training session. In his favor, the 29-year old has gone the five round distance in each of his last three bouts, so he’s comfortable going into the championship rounds. Just don’t say going 25 minutes is easier each time.“I don’t know if it gets easier; the preparation sure as hell doesn’t,” he laughs. “I think every camp’s gonna get harder and harder just because I know what it takes to get through a five round fight and become a winner and make sure that you’re still there and still able to push the pace in the fifth round. So if anything, the preparation gets harder, and I think it all matters on how the fights go whether it’s easier or not.”“But I think I’m on the right track,” Edgar continues. “Nothing changes in between my fights. I just try to become a better fighter than I was the last time. If I know that I’m a better fighter than I was my last time out, I did my job and I improved in all areas. And again, I felt like I accomplished that. I feel like I’m better at jiu-jitsu, better at boxing, better at Muay Thai, and better at wrestling, and I’m better at putting it all together. It’s showing in the room and showing in my confidence.”In fact, the only time the perennial underdog looks over his shoulder is when it’s brought up to him that in the MMA community, he is the top 155-pound fighter in the world. The whole world. How does that feel?“It makes me nervous more than anything,” he said. “It makes me want to get up and train. I don’t get a bigger head from it; if anything, I get more nervous about getting knocked off, I guess. But it’s more motivation for me. Some people, I think once they get there they relax and that’s why they don’t stay there. For me, I’m definitely on my toes at all times.”And ready to put the Gray Maynard chapter of his career to rest.“I feel like I’m closing the gap,” said Edgar. “The first fight, he won a unanimous decision. The second fight he had a big, big first round but I was able to close the gap and make it a draw which could have gone either way. So hopefully I’ll keep closing that gap and I’ll be on top this time around.”

Posted in: fight, time, round, ’t, edgar

Read the full article at UFC

Even though he's not guaranteed a title shot with a win at UFC 136, Melvin Guillard knows his time is going to come soon enough.

Posted in: title shot, time, i ’m, melvin guillard, guillard

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

On Saturday night (Oct. 8), UFC 136 will invade the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, with a fight card packed full of exciting match-ups. In the main event, Gray Maynard will look to finally "bully" his way to a win over Frankie Edgar and take home the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight belt that he's worked for his entire life. Edgar will look to do the "Jersey Shore" proud by defending his strap, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind who is the better man. Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are sure to have their favorites already picked out, whether it be to make a quick buck or to win a "sig bet." You probably think you know who will be walking away a champion after the dust has settled. You might be basing your opinion on a gut feeling. Maybe you've even gone as far as to dig up some fight footage and make a more educated guess. The fine folks at CompuStrike have put together some of these aforementioned numbers in relation to Saturday night's main event. We're not saying don't trust your gut. Just check out the cold, hard facts before you do. Let's look at where each fighter spends the majority of their time during their respective UFC fights (on average): Frankie Edgar Total Fight Time - Standing: 101:03 | Ground: 80:25Gray Maynard Total Fight Time - Standing: 87:04 | Ground: 42:24 As the numbers reveal, the time differential in which Edgar's fights have been spent standing and on the canvas is much more proportional than that of Maynard's. Maynard is one of an ever-growing number of wrestlers who actually prefer to stand and trade hands. Speaking of which, let's examine how both fighters have fared in their overall striking exchanges. Here are the percentages for "Total Strikes Landed:" Maynard: 53%Edgar: 50% Pretty close. How about diversity of strikes? We got you covered on that statistic as well. Here are the percentage of arm strikes landed: Edgar: 41%Maynard: 39% Again, razor thin.  When looking at the percentage of kicks landed, we see the gap widen a bit, in favor of the challenger. However, it should be noted that Maynard's sampling size is much smaller. (Maynard has only thrown a total of four kicks in his UFC career, according to CompuStrike.) Maynard: 75%Edgar: 59% It's almost certain that this fight will get to the mat at some point. Who has the striking advantage in this scenario? Here is each fighter's percentage of strikes landed while on the ground: Maynard: 83%Edgar: 66% The last time these two tangoed, the takedown played a major role. Here's the success rate for each fighter, in regard to their UFC takedown attempts: Maynard: 27-for-42 -- 64%Edgar: 38-for-69 -- 55% We can see that Edgar has scored more takedowns during his career, but Maynard is more effective from a percentage standpoint. The numbers would appear to tilt in Maynard's favor. But you kinda knew that already, didn't you? He's clearly bigger and stronger. Will it matter? Your turn to geek out, Maniacs. Get out your pocket protectors and protractors and tell who you've got! 

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, edgar, maynard

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFC, NewsHOUSTON -- For Kenny Florian, the third time better be the charm. The respected UFC veteran has twice before fought for a UFC title, but come up short each time. Saturday might be the 35-year-old's last chance at a major championship. For Florian, the opportunity comes just one fight into the move to the UFC's featherweight division. In his 145-pound debut, Florian earned a decision over Diego Nunes, but it wasn't a vintage performance, leading many to wonder if he can bring the goods to beat the great Jose Aldo. Florian says that moving down was a good decision at a bad time. At the moment he decided to try his hand at featherweight, he was coming off a knee injury that had him sidelined, and he weighed around 180 pounds, his heaviest weight in years. Getting those 35 pounds off to make the featherweight limit proved to be what he termed the "toughest thing I've ever done in my life, for sure." With only four months between that fight and this weekend's UFC 136, Florian monitored his weight much closer, getting no higher than 168 pounds. On Thursday, one day before weigh-ins, he told MMA Fighting he was at 154. So the weight issue is no issue. That makes Saturday all about performance. In Aldo, Florian faces a well-rounded opponent with fast hands, excellent power and underrated grappling. Except for the fact that Aldo is liberal with his use of kicks, he's fairly similar to the man that Florian last faced for the title, BJ Penn. The Penn loss proved to be a turning point for Florian. Prior to that, he spent most of his time training with his coaching staff and a series of partners, many of whom had never fought professionally. Soon after, he began to supplement the training at his own Boston area gym with trip to Montreal to train with Firas Zahabi. That opened up a new world of training partners, from UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre to wunderkind Rory MacDonald. Under the "iron sharpens iron" philosophy, Florian believes that improved preparation will have him at his best for Aldo. "I just think I'm doing it at the right time, where I have all the things I should have had all along during my career," he said." I have the best coaches, the best training partners. I think I found a good groove, a good way to train." Yet Florian will have to find a way to put that hard work into action on Saturday. After his UFC 118 loss to Gray Maynard, a No. 1 contenders fight that precipitated his drop to featherweight, UFC president Dana White characterized Florian's performance in less than flattering terms. In fact, he threw out a phrase that most fighters would consider offensive. "I think Kenny is just one of those guys who chokes in big fights," White said then. Not surprisingly, Florian strongly disagrees, citing his wins Roger Huerta and Joe Stevenson prior to earning his title shot against Penn, along with wins over Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi. But White yields a big megaphone. When he says something, it usually sticks. So Florian won't just be fighting for a belt, he'll be fighting to try and change that perception of him. "For the fans, and for the all the haters, the people who do say I choke in the big fights, it would be validation as well, but more than anything else, I want to go in there and beat a great opponent in Aldo," he said. If he can't do it, his future will be murky. Three championship losses in two divisions may limit his options. Does he try to rebound at 145? Move back up to lightweight? Is retirement a possibility? White, at least, is on record as saying it could be Florian's last title fight. So Florian has to make it count. MMA will always be in his life in some way, shape or form, but UFC 136 may be his last chance to pan for gold. "It's a dream of mine since I committed to be a professional fighter," he said. "That's what everyone wants and what they should want. I'd still be the same fighter, still be the same guy. It would be some validation, really for everyone else, I guess. I know I'm a good fighter. I've done all the work. I've prepared hard. That's the most important thing." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, florian, aldo

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

submitted by emoticon [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: time, dana, line, emoticon

Read the full article at Reddit

Filed under: UFC, NewsHOUSTON -- The fighting future of UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes may be decided by the end of October. The two-time welterweight champ and his wife are scheduled to meet with UFC president Dana White sometime near the end of the month to his discuss what is next for him after two straight losses. Likely on the agenda: possible retirement. Hughes will turn 38 years old on October 13, and he's struggled in each of his last two fights, getting knocked out in both. Afterward, he said the UFC would put him "on the shelf," while he debated his options. For his part, White has his own opinion on what Hughes should do next. "It doesn't matter what he says or what he wants to do," White said. "Hughes is going to be with us forever. Whether he talks me into doing it one more time, which I'd prefer he didn't. I'd rather see him retire. I get to this point with these guys -- him, Chuck Liddell -- these guys who dominated all these years and are a big part of growing this sport. What's next? "Matt Hughes? Believe me when I tell you, he does not need money," White continued. "He's set. He doesn't ever need to work again. He doesn't ever need to fight again. He's got plenty of money. You're one of the greatest welterweights ever. When Georges St-Pierre is done, it's arguable. We'll see how he ends his career. But what's the point? You're going to go for another title run? You just lost. You lost by knockout. Let's hang this thing up and do something else together." Hughes first fought for the UFC in 1999, and hasn't fought anywhere else since November 2001. His nearly 10 years of consecutive service makes him the second-longest tenured fighter on the roster behind Tito Ortiz. He is 46-9 in his decorated career, first capturing the title at UFC 34 in November 2001 with a knockout of Carlos Newton. He successfully defended the belt five straight times, which at that time, tied a record held by Ortiz. After losing the belt to BJ Penn in January 2004, he won it back just 10 months later, beating Georges St-Pierre. He eventually lost it to St-Pierre in November 2006. Since that time, Hughes has gone 4-4. White said he didn't know which way Hughes was leaning, but that he wouldn't be surprised to be asked for one more bout. White noted that over the years, Hughes has been an aggressive negotiator and if Hughes asks to fight again, he is expecting to hear an impassioned argument for another chance in the octagon. But even while acknowledging that Hughes looked good for most of the first round of his UFC 135 fight with Josh Koscheck until the fight's final seconds, it's clear that for now, White hopes that Hughes goes out with dignity. "As much as you don't want to deal with it, this is a young man's game," he said. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, matt hughes, hughe

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

The UFC has saddled up and moseyed on down to the Lone Star State once again, this time stopping in Houston for an event featuring dual title-fights and a number of match-ups between ranked/respected Mixed Martial Artists. Headlined by lightweight Frank Edgar’s second consecutive title-defense against Gray Maynard with a co-main event between phenomenal 145-pound champion Jose Aldo taking on Kenny Florian, UFC 136 is one of the most-anticipated events of 2011 and it’s only four days away from unfolding at the Toyota Center! However, before the fighters take to the Octagon, a handful of them including the champs and challengers sat down and spoke with media at a press conference related to the festivities. As always, Five Ounces of Pain was tuned in and relayed relevant information back to readers. Frank Edgar: - Doesn’t think Gray has his number or else he would have beaten him in the last fight - Was surprised by how well Maynard pressured him in their last fight and how tough he was throughout the entire bout Gray Maynard: - Feels good and fully prepared / “Everything is done. It’s about time to have fun.” - Wants to bring a title back to Xtreme Couture - Credits Edgar with being a “tough kid” and says even he was “amazed” by his ability to come back Jose Aldo: - His preparation was great for the last fight but the weight cut was harder, says it has been much easier this time Kenny Florian: - Doesn’t feel this is his “last stand” / Loves the challenges provided by MMA, loves going to the gym every day, and wants to compete against the best guys possible - “I feel it is my time.” - As a MMA fan he is looking forward to Edgar vs. Maynard and is happy he’s fighting first so he can hopefully watch things unfold from backstage afterwards Brian Stann: - Has trained wrestling more than anything else over the past two years and knows he doesn’t have to out-wrestle Sonnen on Saturday night / “I even went back to my bout agreement and checked – I can punch in this fight.” - Doesn’t feel Sonnen’s past opponents didn’t train specifically for him rather than focusing on what they were already good at - Believes there is a rhythm to fighting but doesn’t expect Sonnen to show any “ring rust” - Mentions that he met Sonnen after he had his first professional fight and referred to how respectful Chael was Chael Sonnen: - Has accepted he could be a bit rusty after the long layoff and believes “ring rust is a real thing” - “I’m out trying to pick a fight (with Anderson) and I’m not making any qualms about it. I’ve never told Dana I want a title-fight..I want the title.” - The break doesn’t feel too long / “I’ve never been a victim. I’m not going to complain.” - “He’ll bring his skills, I’ll bring mine. We’ll shake hands after the fight and live with the result.” - Admits he had some doubts about coming back / “I’m never secure out there. Every day I try to get a little better at something – a little faster, a little stronger…that’s part of it. What fun would this be if you knew the outcome?” Dana White: - “Nothing sucks worse than a draw.” / Excited about finally being able to move forward in the division - Calls Florian and Aldo both being finishers - “I want Kenny to prove me wrong on this one.” (referring to past assertions Florian chokes in big fights) - Mentions how much the UFC has grown since the last time they were in Houston four years ago, specifically talking about how jacked he is about the deal with FOX - Says Houston has been a great market for them where viewership is concerned - Even if Edgar wins and ties the series 1-1-1 the UFC is still moving forward in the division - Doesn’t remember how he scored the last fight but just remember the bad taste the draw left in his mouth and how passionate Maynard was about getting another shot

Posted in: fight, time, doesn, sonnen, maynard

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Admit it, Brian Stann snuck up on you. That same guy who was as raw as they come at light heavyweight while losing to Krzysztof Soszynski and Phil Davis, isn’t the one stepping into the Octagon on Saturday night to face Chael Sonnen in a pivotal middleweight matchup.Not by a longshot. But the decorated veteran of the United States Marine Corps isn’t going to gloat about his 3-0 record (all finishes) at 185 pounds and say ‘I told you so.’ But ask him if he thinks he surprised some people with his new look at middleweight, and there is no hesitation in his response.“Oh yeah, and I knew I would,” said Stann, who has defeated Mike Massenzio, Chris Leben, and Jorge Santiago in succession since dropping from 205 pounds in August of 2010. In fact, he looks at the lead-up to his UFC 125 win over Leben as the moment when he and his coaches said ‘okay, it’s time to strike.’“We knew that at that point in time, through my training, that I was really turning a corner,” said Stann. “And when you train with guys who are some of the best guys in the world, you can really know what your level is and you know what your strengths are and you know what your weaknesses are. And when I made the drop to ’85, it was at the same time I really started to turn a corner. I really started to train and really focus on wrestling and the technical aspect of it. I really started to develop a sound submission game and become an all-around fighter, and I started to understand the subtleties of the sport in all realms – striking, wrestling, and grappling. So we knew what I was capable of and the thing is that fans, writers, and the media, they can’t see you in the gym. They don’t get to see those things and they have to judge you based on your fights, and you have three, four months in between fights, so you can grow an awful lot when you’re a pretty raw athlete like I was just a few years ago.”Against Leben, Stann blitzed and stopped the steel-chinned contender in a single round, but he was beginning to show signs of his development way before that. Once just a hard-hitting brawler whose tendency to leave his chin up and exposed during serious exchanges, Stann won the WEC title in just his sixth pro fight, but lost it one fight later in 2008 to Steve Cantwell, who he had already beaten in 41 seconds a year earlier. But in their rubber match in the UFC in 2009, Stann – now under the tutelage of Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn – kept his chin tucked and his fists moving en route to an easy three round win. And then when he made it to middleweight in 2010, he showed off his ground game by securing his first submission win over a solid groundfighter in Massenzio. The Leben fight was the exclamation point though, and was followed by a Fight of the Night stoppage of Santiago in May. He’s making it look easy, but it’s been anything but for the 31-year old.“You have to do some things a thousand times before you can actually become proficient at it,” said Stann. “And it just becomes like second nature. Every single day I spend 35 minutes on the pads with coach Winkeljohn. I’m training three to four times a day every single day, drilling techniques over and over again, and it just takes time. This sport takes time and that’s why when you get guys like Jon Jones and Phil Davis, people really make a big deal out of them because this sport is supposed to take a long time to develop, and then you get some athletes that can come in and pick things up rather quickly. More often than not, those athletes are wrestlers that actually come from a background where they’ve already somewhat mastered one third of the game, which is obviously an advantage.” Stann had no such advantages, but in the process of learning on the job (and on the sport’s biggest stage), he’s gained an even greater appreciation for what’s happening to him now and the kind of athletes who surround him every day.“I’ve really developed an appreciation for the guys who make it to this level of the sport,” he said. “It’s not easy, and I think early in my career, while I was still active duty, I thought that while it’s obviously very much a privilege to be a professional athlete, I kinda looked at it as being a pro fighter’s easy. There’s lots of time off, you dictate your own schedule, etc. But as I’ve climbed the ranks and made it to this level, I find that you are working full-time and there is no off-season. At the top level there aren’t guys that take off two months after fights. The guys that make it to the elite level, the guys similar to Chael, the Kenny Florians, the Georges St-Pierres, the Carlos Condits – these guys are always in the gym, and I’m the same way. A week after my fight, I heal up some bruises and I’m right back out there trying to find coaches who can give me one or two moves for my arsenal or one more edge so I can continue to grow as a fighter.” “So I’ve really grown to respect the profession and my peers a lot more in the UFC because it’s a difficult way to make a living, the income is volatile, you can’t plan certain things because you never know when your career can end, and I think we all share that bond,” Stann continues. With comments like that, it’s no surprise that no one has decided to pick a trash talking battle with the Scranton, Pennsylvania native. Add in that he’s a war hero still active in helping out his fellow vets, a family man, and a good teammate, and the odds of him having one of those “bad blood” matchups is even slimmer. And that’s fine with him.“I don’t need to have a grudge match,” he said. “I can have the utmost respect for a guy, and I have no problem stepping into the cage, locking the door, and wanting to knock him out because it’s just what you do at that time.”Even the trash talking king himself, Sonnen, has had nothing but good things to say about the man dubbed “All-American” Stann. It’s a shocking development in some respects, but it’s no surprise to Stann.“When he (Sonnen) fought Dan Miller he didn’t have a whole lot to say; when he fought Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami it was the same thing,” he said. “I just think he was so vocal for certain fights, especially the Anderson (Silva) fight, that people just expected him to be vocal on me. And I think Chael’s honest when he says if he feels a certain way and he doesn’t like somebody, he’s gonna say it. And if that’s not the case, then he’s not gonna say anything, and I think he’s being very honest with that. And we share a very important person in both of our lives in a man named John Bardis, who is one of my head coaches and one of my closest mentors that I’ve ever had in my life. And he also has a relationship with Chael, and I think their relationship has grown in the last couple years as well where Chael sought some advice from him, etc., and so in respect for John, I knew that even for entertainment purposes Chael probably wouldn’t verbally attack me, which I wouldn’t have taken personally anyway.”And there is still the reality that the two middleweights have to fight on Saturday night, so whether there was trash talk and ill feelings or not, that cage door is going to get locked in a few days and there will be bad intentioned blows thrown. Stann and Sonnen are prepared for that, and Stann, while respectful of his foe, is also confident in his chances this weekend.“You can look at his record in the UFC and all that, but if you look at his fights, you see a guy who hasn’t lost a round in the UFC,” said Stann of Sonnen. “Unless he’s been submitted in that round, he hasn’t lost a round, and he has been able to take every guy down and impose his will on him every single time. I’ve looked at earlier fights in his career, and it’s really the same everywhere. So there are a lot of different, unique challenges that I have to face in there. But the biggest thing that I see that’s different is that the fighters that he’s been fighting have really gone into the cage with their skillsets and that’s it, and they did not appear to be prepared for certain positions and certain things that Chael could do to them. Whereas I feel that I’ll be the best prepared fighter he’s fought in quite some time. I have gone into very uncomfortable positions, I’ve brought in the people I needed to bring in to learn how to compete in certain areas that he may try and put me in. And there’s the obvious biggest difference as well, in that I can knock Chael Sonnen out with any punch.”Stann’s power and Sonnen’s underrated speed (just watch him close the distance in his fights against Silva and Nate Marquardt) may be the key factors in this weekend’s fight. And while Sonnen can’t match Stann’s stopping power, Stann believes he can match his opponent’s quickness.“If you watch my last two fights, I feel I have some of the best handspeed in the middleweight division, and I’m a lot stronger than those guys, physically stronger, so he’s gonna have to really work to get me to the mat and he’s gonna have to work the entire time to keep me on the mat,” said Stann. “I’m not gonna lay there, close my guard and just hug him, hoping the ref is gonna stand us up. And I believe I can hit him harder from my back then he can hit me on top. And I’ll put my money where my mouth is on that.”Brian Stann isn’t a big talker, so when he says he’s putting his money where his mouth is, that’s something you could probably take to the bank. And though he doesn’t have the world-class experience of Sonnen or the wrestling of the former collegiate standout, he is getting better with each fight and he’s as confident as you can get without crossing the line into cocky territory. The only problem he appears to have is that he’s lost the element of surprise when it comes to opponents who definitely won’t sleep on someone who may not be the favorite, but who is certainly no underdog.“I didn’t expect to get a fighter the caliber of Chael Sonnen for another year or so, and here I have this great opportunity,” said Stann. “And the best part is, I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m the underdog coming into this fight and there’s zero pressure on me. I can fight a hundred miles an hour; he’s got to be concerned with the amount of pressure he’s put on himself. He’s the older fighter, he’s got to get back to a title fight, and I feel a lot of these things are going to play into my favor and I know I’m gonna go out there and surprise a lot of people.”

Posted in: fight, time, guy, ’t, stann

Read the full article at UFC

Ryan (The Big Deal) Jimmo will defend his MFC light-heavyweight belt for the second time Friday -- his first time in front of his home fans.

Posted in: time, mfc, jimmo, time friday, home fans

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

No controversy this time. Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig battled last night (October 1, 2011) in the opening bout of the UFC on Versus 6 main card. Their fight was a rematch of a UFC 115 match that was screwed up by a huge mistake made by the referee who stopped the bout via technical submission while Mac Danzig was still obviously conscious. The match was as back-and-forth entertaining as one would have expected and when it was all said and done, the judges sided unanimously with "Handsome" Matt Wiman, although he wasn't quite as pretty as he used to be. So how did The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season five veteran pull it off and what's on the horizon for both fighters? This bout was a typical dogfight, with no man gaining a dominant advantage for any significant amount of time. Wiman worked aggressively with takedown and clinch attempts as well as constant pressure with strikes while Danzig looked to counter and throw short flurries of punches. This was a typical exchange of strikes seen throughout the full fifteen minutes. Notice how Wiman was pushing forward, getting inside and landing big elbows while Danzig would counter with flurries of less powerful strikes. Wiman remains in Danzig's face, throwing short knees, body kicks and even keeping a forearm on his opponent whenever he was close enough to help calibrate his distance and give him an easier job of targeting the TUF season six winner's face with his giant elbows. This tactic allowed him to control much of the stand-up exchanges. In the second round, Wiman found himself on his back for an extended period of time and while he threatened with submission attempts including a very close armbar, he couldn't finish the holds and Danzig was able to remain on top and land ground and pound for much of the five minute period. What likely was the finishing touch that helped secure a victory for "Handsome" was a scramble in the third round in which Danzig tried to take Wiman's back but instead allowed his opponent to slip out the back door.  As evidenced by the gif to the left, Wiman immediately seized the advantageous position and proceeded to rain down some huge punishing elbows on Danzig's already busted up and bleeding face.  This was a huge turning point in a round that had been very even. Wiman's physical dominance here likely swayed the judges to his side. For Mac Danzig, this was a hard-fought performance in which he simply came up short. It certainly wasn't for lack of trying. The only thing he likely could have or should have done different was keep going to the body with his punching combinations. He found some nice openings there and didn't really follow up. He also didn't have quite the zip on his strikes that we saw the last time around, as he may have been trying to exchange speed for power. There were some situations were power would have been more applicable. The TUF season six winner pulled in a hefty "Fight of the Night" bonus so he's not going anywhere. Expect him to face a fellow down-on-his-luck lightweight in his next bout like Spencer Fisher, Danny Castillo or perhaps Shane Roller.  For Matt Wiman, this was a strong performance and it was a continuation of what he started the last time these two fought. His aggressive, brawling style in the stand-up is great for guys who rely on rhythm and timing. His only issue was the fact that he gives up on takedowns a little too easy at times and falls to his back. Against a very strong top control fighter, that could get him in serious trouble and allow him to lose rounds or worse. Look for Wiman to face someone like Evan Dunham, Nate Diaz or Edson Barboza in his next fight. He proved his toughness on Saturday night and now it's time for another test to see where he stands in the lightweight division. So what did you think Maniacs? Did you think Wiman vs. Danzig deserved the "Fight of the Night" award? Does Mac Danzig have a future in the lightweight division? Speak up! For complete UFC on Versus 6 results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire pay-per-view (PPV) event, click here and here. All gifs by Zombie Prophet via IronForgesIron.com.    

Posted in: time, wiman, danzig, mac danzig, mac

Read the full article at MMA Mania

This Saturday night at UFC 136, Brian Stann enters the octagon against his toughest opponent to date, former UFC middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen. A former Marine, Stann shows no fear when he stands across from his opponent, a man who is looking to beat him into submission or stoppage. Having been put in tough situation and extreme circumstances during his time in the military, Stann describes a fight as, “a game of pick up basketball.” In his latest blog for FoxSports.com, Stann says, “I’ve never feared a fighter or a fight, and have only ever been concerned with whether I was truly good enough to get to the places I want to reach in this great sport of mixed martial arts.” Against Sonnen, “All American” will get to test his skills against the man who gave UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva the toughest fight of his UFC career, coming within two minutes of capturing belt before falling victim to a triangle choke. Undefeated in three middleweight bouts, Stann has been working a full-time job throughout his entire MMA career. That has changed while preparing for his showdown with Sonnen. “I’m no longer running out of the cage after practice to multiple conference calls and meetings. I’ve got people around me who can help me lead the charity organization that I run, Hire Heroes USA, which helps US veterans find employment after discharge, and I’ve stopped doing my corporate real estate job — and it’s been tremendous.” Now spending all of his moments focusing on MMA, Stann says, “I now have more time to watch films of my opponent, do one-on-one sessions with my coaches, recover more, train more and just immerse myself in the lifestyle of a professional fighter. Rather than try and cram a 30-hour workday into 24 hours, I now enjoy a far more manageable schedule and I can really focus on being a professional athlete, preparing the right meals and living the right life.” With his newfound time, Stann has found that spending all day in the gym might not be such a good thing for his body, saying, “My coaches get upset with me from time to time and are often trying to kick me out of the gym. I sometimes get into that dangerous cycle of getting tired and thinking it is best to train even harder, rather than allow my body to recover.” When he steps into the cage on October 8, the former WEC light heavyweight champion won’t be looking as his battle with Sonnen as a matter of “life or death.” To him, “professional fighting is just an athletic competition. It is a game.” He continued with, “What’s the worst that can happen in a fight? You might get beaten, stopped, knocked out or submitted. I’ve been through all that already.” While he promises no victory on Saturday, he does promise that, “I will fight to the absolute best of my ability — which is actually all we can control in there. “We cannot control what our opponent does, only our own actions,” said Stann. “Stepping into the Octagon with doubts or concerns about the fight or your opponent will only hold you back and prevent you from being the best fighter you can be at that moment. It really isn’t about who the best fighter is, it is about who fights best in that moment. Knowing that keeps me focused on exactly what I need to do to win my fight.” *PHOTO CREDIT – UFC*

Posted in: fight, time, opponent, sonnen, stann

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

It's time to give UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz the credit he deserves as one of the best fighters in the world.

Posted in: time, fighter, cruz, dominick cruz, dominick

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

Filed under: UFCIt's not often that we see a title fight on free TV. As expected, Saturday night's bantamweight contest at UFC on Versus 6 provided the full 25 minutes, and maybe showed some fans the difference between the lumbering heavyweights at the top of the MMA food chain and the swift little hummingbirds in the lighter divisions. The 135-pounders may not be long on finishing power, but at least they keep coming without slowing down. They don't overwhelm, but they also don't run out of gas halfway through. Either you appreciate that or you don't. After the performances of some of the heavyweights last weekend at UFC 135, I'm guessing a lot of fight fans do. But now that another one is in the books, it's time again to sift through the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from UFC on Versus 6. Biggest Winner: Anthony Johnson He said he wanted an exciting finish to silence the critics who weren't too pleased about his strategy in the Dan Hardy fight. Kicking Brenneman in the face until he fell down was a good way to go about that. Fight fans have short enough memories that a good TKO win will make them forget all about the time you promised a slugfest and delivered a wrestling match instead. All it took was him placing his foot across another man's face in as violent a fashion as possible. A very simple and reliable formula for changing public perception if there ever was one. Biggest Loser: Charlie Brenneman Fresh off his big win over Rick Story, he gets TKO'd by "Rumble" Johnson in a fight he was never really in. He can complain all he wants about the stoppage, but even before he got kicked in the face he was on wobbly legs, clinging to the fence rather than guarding his head. Maybe he could have fought on, but he wasn't doing much fighting when he took a foot to the grill. I can't blame a referee for watching that scene unfold and then deciding Brenneman was done. Now he goes from late-notice hero to just another welterweight in a crowded field. The fall was only slightly quicker than the rise, but looked far more painful. Most Perfunctory Title Defense: Dominick Cruz Okay, so it wasn't the most dominant or impressive victory of his career. He looked mildly vulnerable at times and, most shockingly, even a little bit tired. Still, Cruz controlled the fight down the stretch and did what he had to do, so he goes home with the hardware. Was it a breakout performance that will make him a huge star? Probably not, but any night you leave with the title that you showed up with is a good night indeed. Cruz remains the best 135-pounder in the world, and he showed that he can dig down and gut one out when he needs to. In fact, the only thing he lacks at the moment is fresh, compelling challengers. Unfortunately for him, there's not a lot he can do about that. Worst Use of a Reach Advantage: Stefan Struve While the fight stayed standing, he did very little to keep Barry at a distance. Despite having arms and legs that were about the size of Barry's entire body, he just kept letting the smaller man walk him down. In fact, of all the problems Barry had in the fight, getting within striking distance seemed to be the least of his troubles. It was only once the fight hit the mat and Struve was on his back that he managed to put his long limbs to good use, locking up a triangle choke that Barry really should have seen coming. Again, Struve's submissions game continues to sneak up on opponents, though it honestly shouldn't. He's won more fights that way than he has by any other method, so when will people stop thinking that it's a good idea to grapple with him? As long as he uses his range so much better on the ground than he does on the feet, there's little reason to take the Dutchman down. Mr. Consistency: Paul Sass I've heard MMA trainers say that what they really want is not a guy who can pull off every submission in the book, but a guy who has one or two good ones that he can nail on command. Sass has the triangle choke and the heel hook, and he doesn't need anything else. With his heel hook of Michael Johnson he remained unbeaten in twelve pro fights, and he's ended with a submission in eleven of those. You'd think that any opponent would be able to take a quick look at his record and know what to watch out for, and you'd be right. The fact that he keeps pulling those moves off anyway tells you just how good he is. Most in Need of a Ground Game: Pat Barry He's a great kickboxer and a likeable guy, but at times it seems he can be finished by the merest suggestion of a submission. I don't care how vicious your leg kicks are, if you can't defend against a triangle choke any better than that you have a very limited future in the UFC. Barry's had plenty of time to develop his overall game, and he has improved. Just not enough. The UFC has been somewhat kind to him in terms of matchmaking, largely keeping him away from the better grapplers in the heavyweight division, but still he finds ways to get submitted. It's a shame, because he's a lot of fun to watch when he's in his element. It's when he's not that it gets ugly in a hurry. Most in Need of an Ice Pack: Demetrious Johnson He showed a lot of heart and did much better than most expected, but he's still going home with a lump the size of a cueball in his face. That's not something you can cover with a pair of sunglasses, either. All it takes is for you to roll over on it once in your sleep and your whole night is ruined. Though of course, losing a title fight probably has a similar effect. Narrowest Margin of Victory: Matt Wiman Watching him bounce around while the decision was read, I had a flashback to Wiman's mini-freakout after the judges sided with Dennis Siver over him at UFC 132. That night he bolted from the cage like he'd left his car running out front. If the decision had gone the other way this time, he might have taken off through the streets of D.C. and been halfway to Florida by now. Fortunately for Wiman, he got the nod from the judges, but just barely. A guy who can't take it when a squeaker doesn't go his way should really learn to stop leaving it up to the judges. Or if he is going to go the distance, he could at least make it a little clearer who the winner and the loser was. Keeping it that close is a good way to go home disappointed. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, way, barry

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Yahoo! Sports reports that the UFC may hold two events in one night according to UFC president Dana White. The UFC would rely on multiple UFC teams to logistically handle events on the same night. While promoting UFC 139 in San Jose earlier this week, White let it be known of his vision for two UFC events in one night.  “When we go to Japan next year, we are going to be putting on a show at the same time in Las Vegas,” he said. White indicated that the UFC would be running multiple shows in the future. However, White did not elaborate on the details. MMA Junkie reports that the UFC would have the capability to have two teams cover each event. Former WEC head Reed Harris hosted the UFC on Versus 6 pre-event press conference and touted the fact that the UFC’s multi-team approach makes hosting two events in one night possible. There is still the question of airing both shows. The UFC wants to air both live and same-day-delayed shows in prime time slots. UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi is an example of this. While the PPV played in its usual prime time slot, it was offered live during the day. Payout Perspective: PPV saturation or a forward looking plan for global expansion of the UFC? At this point, holding a show in the US and in Japan seems to be hedging its bets. Simply put, if the Japan shows does not go well, it could be overshadowed by the US show. And if Japan does well, then that’s the story. But, it seems like the plan is to expand the brand globally. The question is whether holding two shows in one night is too much. Will the UFC have two PPVs in one night or will it have one event free and the other on PPV? For an average UFC fan on a budget, purchasing two events in one month is expensive. Will we see a day where we may pay over $100 for one night of PPVs?  The other question is whether its too much. There is not hing being made about the fact that in three straight weeks, there will be three UFC title defenses. It seems like it may be too much for the casual UFC fan as there is lukewarm interest in UFC on Versus 6 and much skepticism in the PPV buy rate for UFC 136. Time will tell to see how the UFC executes two events in one night.

Posted in: ufc, night, ppv, time, event

Read the full article at MMA Payout

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on MMA-Japan, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] This is a name you are going to see us writing a lot of going forward and a name you have seen me drop a few times in the past (namely when he is fighting). Kyoji Horiguchi is not only the top prospect out of KrazyBee, Kid Yamamoto's camp, but he is one of the, if not the, top prospect to come out of Japan these days. In a time when those words are not seen placed next to each other (top prospect and Japan), this says a lot about the little guy. His most recent win came at Shootor's Legacy 04 in which he put Naohiro Mizuno to the mat and then finished him in excruciating fashion. Basically what it came down to was Horiguchi landing such a vicious barrage of punches that Mizuno is still likely feeling his ears ring and seeing stars, similar to your Tom and Jerry cartoon. It would not surprise us in the least if we see Horiguchi make the jump to a bigger stage soon. His killer instinct is something that fight promoters worldwide love. They also love people who finish fights, something that Horiguchi seems to know how to do very well. Our boy IQWrestler made, yet another highlight video, this time of the bantamweight doing what he does best - destroying people in the ring. Watch the video...

Posted in: time, video, horiguchi, naohiro mizuno, boy iqwrestler

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Shane Roller is not used to losing. Four time high school state champion of Oklahoma. Three time All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State. Two time submission of the night winner, along with one knockout of the night. However, it seems once Roller gets to the top of heap in the lightweight division, he comes up just short. With four losses, Roller has a very impressive list of defeats. Names like Ben Henderson, Anthony Pettis, and Melvin Guillard. It certainly is nothing to be ashamed about, losing to two former champions in Henderson and Pettis, along with Guillard, who is rumored to be nearing a number one contender’s position. Regardless, Roller wants to continue to make a name for himself, specifically while putting another notch in the win column. He will look to rebound from his most recent loss, a first round defeat to Melvin Guillard at UFC 132, as Roller faces former welterweight TJ Grant this Saturday at UFC on Versus 6. Roller spoke to MMAFrenzy regarding that matchup. Grant will be making his lightweight debut for this bout, having fought at 170 pounds for the last five years. Roller does not see that as being a detriment for Grant, though, stating “I am not counting on Grant gassing out. He’s gone the distance quite a few times at 170 pounds.” What Roller does count on happening is utilizing his forte, his wrestling, to neutralize the Canadian. “I will start with a high tempo. It’s something I always do,” explained Roller. “I am always confident with my wrestling. I have never gone against someone I feel I don’t have the advantage over.” Roller has another advantage over Grant he can use, with training partner Johny Hendricks already having fought Grant. Hendricks defeated Grant via decision at UFC 113. “Although Johny does things differently, he has been very helpful,” said Roller. “Team Takedown is always there to help. We are a real close group and we help each other in any way possible.” Getting back on the winning track is vital for Roller. He wants wins over opponents like Anthony Njokuani, Thiago Tavares, and Jamie Varner to be what he is recognized for, not his losses. Adding TJ Grant’s name to that resume would just be putting him back on schedule. “I put myself at the top,” said Roller. “Rankings might not, but I know I can fight with the top guys in the division. With Grant, I am excited to show what I can do.” For complete coverage of UFC on Versus 6, stay tuned to mmafrenzy.com

Posted in: ufc, time, melvin guillard, grant, roller

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

Filed under: UFCQuinton "Rampage" Jackson is, yet again, fed up with MMA. I guess that means it's time to rotate the tires on my Toyota and change the air filter in my furnace. Who needs a calendar or a planner for that stuff when you've got Jackson, whose frustration with this sport is the most reliable natural phenomenon outside of Yellowstone National Park? This time, Jackson told an ESPN UK podcast that, after his loss to Jon Jones at UFC 135, he's tired of "fighting people who are scared." "That's why I'm going to go to boxing," said Jackson. "I'm going to try boxing because they've got to stand with you. If I get knocked out I don't care, because at least it's a fight." Right. Because that was his big problem with Jones. The champ was "scared" to stand up and fight him. That must be how Jackson ended up getting kicked around the cage like a hacky sack at an Ani DiFranco concert. Not that any of us should be surprised to hear Jackson threatening to take his talents elsewhere. As recently as May he proclaimed that "as soon as movies start paying me more than I make to fight, I'm gone." A year and a half before that, when the UFC gave him a hard time for taking the A-Team role rather than fighting Rashad Evans right away, he declared he was "done fighting" and "hanging it up." His movie career must not be panning out like he'd hoped, because now boxing is his new frontier. Six months from now he may decide wants to be a male model instead, or maybe an astronaut. In other words, anything but MMA, the one thing he's made a reliable living at for the last decade or so. It's not that I don't understand the motivation behind comments like these. We've all romanticized the notion of a different career in our minds. No matter how good you have it in your current job, other people seem to have it better. Especially when you've never actually tried that line of work, the way Jackson has never tried to be a full-time professional boxer. Then it exists solely as an idea, wholly perfect and unmolested by reality. How else could Jackson have convinced himself that boxing is a sport where he won't have to worry about supposedly scared fighters running from him? Has he not heard that boxing has its share of "elusive" fighters? That even if opponents aren't shooting for takedowns or tenderizing his legs and ribs with kicks, there are still plenty of ways for them to avoid slugging exchanges in the ring? If he thinks boxing is a sport where men stand directly in front of each other and trade haymakers, he's about a hundred years late to the party. These days, boxing has its share of runners. It also has its share of skyscraper heavyweights who could jab him from across the street and give him the same distance problems that Jones did. That is, unless he thinks he can drop down to cruiserweight (quick: name your favorite cruiserweight, and no, Chris Jericho doesn't count), where there'll be less money on the table than he seems to think. I don't blame Jackson for feeling like he wants to do something else after the loss to Jones. That fight was so thoroughly one-sided that he has to know he'll never get his belt back as long as Jones is breathing air in the light heavyweight division. That leaves him with limited options. He could rematch "Shogun" Rua or Forrest Griffin, both of which he seems open to. But what then? And of course, there's always the need to find some excuse for a loss, a pastime that even Jackson will admit he's an old pro at. Jones dominated every second of the fight? So what. It's only because he was running scared. Things will be different in the faraway land of boxing, where the streets are paved with gold and there's not a college wrestling All-American in sight. Sure, it doesn't really make sense, but it doesn't have to. A few months from now the UFC will have given Jackson another fight, another guaranteed payday, and he'll have forgotten all about it. He'll be back to doing the one thing he knows and kind of hates, and all be well again. At least until the next time. And you know there will be a next time. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, time, jone, jackson, boxing

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: UFC, NewsAt 6-foot-11, Stefan Struve towers over every fighter in the UFC; he's the tallest competitor fighting under the organization's banner. Meanwhile, his Saturday night opponent, Pat Barry, is 5-foot-11. That height differential will make for an interesting visual at UFC Live 6, and it will also make for a difficult obstacle for Barry to overcome. Reaching his high target will be no easy feat for Barry, who with a 74.5-inch reach, will have a nearly 10-inch disadvantage in that category. But Barry has no concerns about what appears to be a daunting challenge. In fact, he says that the fight is no different than any other for either him or Struve. "I'm accustomed to guys being taller than I am whereas Stefan is accustomed to guys being shorter than he is," Barry said recently. "So, like this is going to like play into our games, into our strategies, into our timing, reach, distance. Like this is going to play directly into what we've been training for every day since we started the job, like since we started this sport. "So I don't think it's going to ... I don't think this fight is going to make it any different," he continued. "I mean, like I said, I don't think he's run across any - I don't think there's any 9-foot-tall kickboxers. It's something that his lifetime of training has prepared him for." On Thursday, the two squared up for the first time for a pre-fight staredown photo opportunity, and yes, the shot looked a bit comedic. The two could barely keep straight faces, with both cracking smiles and laughing. Part of those loose attitudes stem from their past, as the two have known each other for a few years and get along well outside of the cage. It has allowed them to fire off one-liners at each other all throughout the leadup to the bout, and on Thursday, Struve got in the best line at the pre-fight press conference. When asked how he expected to defend Barry's high kicks, Struve nonchalantly answered, "Block it with my shin," a response that drew laughter from the fighters and media. Earlier, Barry even poked fun at himself, saying when it came to ground skills, Struve could "lay on the ground and submit me while I was standing straight up." But when the laughter ends and business gets serious, the two are expected to have one of the night's most intriguing fights, not only because of the size and reach differential, but because of their respective kickboxing backgrounds. Barry has worked hard in his recent camps to round out his game, working wrestling and jiu-jitsu with his new DeathClutch teammates, including former UFC champ Brock Lesnar and current Bellator champ Cole Konrad. Meanwhile, Struve said he spent time sharpening up his striking, including working with renowned Romanian kickboxer Daniel Ghita. So there is at least a friendly rivalry over who is the better striker, and neither man will want to be the first to try to take it to the ground. But "friendly" is the key word here. It's not personal for either one. At least on the surface, it's a test of everything that's come before. For Barry, the challenge is simple physics. And for Struve, it's beating Barry at his own game. "I think that this could turn out to be a really awesome fight to where really when it comes down to it, my short arms won't matter," Barry said. "With his really long arms might, we might cancel each other out in a way and it might stand there and take a long time for the fight to get finished or maybe he can keep me on the end of a jab the way, you know, people eventually started keeping Mike Tyson away from them with a jab. Like, who knows? I mean it could be a little bit of anything. Anything could happen that night. So I mean range, it can be good, but at the same time it can be bad, too." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, barry, struve

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez was expected to make his second title defense in mid October against the season four 155-pound tournament champion Michael Chandler. Instead, the bout has been delayed due to a nagging injury in his training camp at the Philadelphia Fight Factory. The top-ranked lightweight explains his current predicament to HDNet: "Without giving anything away, I just want to let fans know and let people know I tried to work through the injury. It seemed like every time, it was basically the last 10 days, every time I would get a little bit of momentum, I would setback, get a little momentum, setback. In all honesty, for me, it wouldn't be right. I'd be selling myself short to go out there on the 15th and I'd be selling the fans short to go out there on the 15th. They would be expecting to see somebody and with the consistent injury bug, there's just no way I could get the momentum to be 100 percent prepared for the 15th. It's very important to rest my body properly. The fight is not cancelled. it's just postponed I think 30 days or so. I apologize to you guys. It's not in my nature to make my injuries a part of a promotion's problem, a part of the fans' problem but again it wouldn't be fair. It wouldn't be fair to the people wasting their night tuning in and seeing me at 60-70 percent." We wish "The Silent Assassin" a speedy recovery. Do you expect to see him back on time, Maniacs?

Posted in: time, day, fan, title defense, injury

Read the full article at MMA Mania

With UFC 136 just around the corner, it's time to cast your votes for who will end up on top. Let your voice be heard with the UFC 136 Fight Day Fight Card.

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, day, card

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

It seems that Dana White has ambitious plans for the future. At Tuesday's press conference for UFC 139, White mentioned to Dave Meltzer of Yahoo Sports that they were going to do something they've never done before - run simultaneous shows. One overseas, and one in their backyard: "When we go to Japan next year, we are going to be putting on a show at the same time in Las Vegas." Definitely an interesting concept, but how would it be aired? Meltzer covered that one too: When asked how the company was going to handle a dual-show evening from a television standpoint, White just smiled and said, "You’ll see." While Dana didn't give a firm date, it's all but confirmed that the Japan show will take place on February 26th at Saitama Super Arena. It's unlikely that the shows would run at exactly the same time to time differences, but they could be packaged together as one broadcast. Both wrestling and boxing have used variations of that theme for pay-per-view events before. I'm not quite sure how the logistics would work out, but it's an interesting concept, and one that Dana says will continue in the future as well: "We’ll be doing a lot of that in the future," White said.

Posted in: time, dana, las vegas, future, firm date

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Filed under: UFC, NewsOn the surface, Dominick Cruz has settled into the role of champion nicely. He's successfully defended the bantamweight title three times, established himself as one of the sport's pound-for-pound best fighters, and headlines his second straight UFC event at Saturday night's UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson. Yet Cruz seems to go out of his way to remind himself that it can all change in an instant. He hasn't splurged on a big house or fancy car. Instead, he lives on the cheap and saves his money for a rainy day that might never come. Those reminders serve as motivation for training, and the mindset extends even to his most prized possession: his title belt. "Really, I'm not going out there to defend anything. I'm going out there to win something new every single time I go out and fight for a title," he said in a Thursday press conference from the Newseum in Washington D.C. "I don't own anything. It's always up for grabs, so I have to always stay on top and stay focused and go out there to win something new, so that's it. This will be like my first time winning it." Should Cruz beat Demetrious Johnson (10-1) on Saturday, it may feel like a first time for him, but it would mark his fourth straight defense of the 135-pound belt, surpassing the three successful defenses made by Miguel Torres when the belt was a WEC property. Cruz has done it with a style all his own, mixing active striking and strong wrestling with endless stamina to wear down opponents over time. Overall, he's won nine straight, and on the strength of his 18-1 overall record, his .948 winning percentage is among the best in major MMA. Rather than falling complacent though, Cruz continually surveys the landscape of his division and considers the oncoming challengers. "Success feels good," he said. "I'm a fighter and this is what I do. I love to do it. I love my job. It's easy to stay motivated if you see all these maniacs coming up in my division. They all want to beat me up. What other motivation do I need?" In Johnson, Cruz may be facing the fastest opponent he's ever faced. At just 5-foot-3 and with a 66-inch reach, Johnson has some distance to navigate, but if anyone can figure it out how to make an unlikely journey, it's the man that's nicknamed "Mighty Mouse." Johnson's rise to one of the division's best has been a largely untold story, though it is one worth telling. He's not a pedigreed athlete with a following who got major breaks along the way. Though he wrestled throughout high school, he was never a state champion, and he had no other martial arts training when he first walked into a gym in October 2005, after watching the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Johnson grinded his way through the northwest regional circuit before debuting tin the WEC, and then he promptly dropped his first fight by decision. The setback hardly set him back, however, and he ran off a streak, winning four straight to earn a shot at Cruz. In his last two fights, he beat Miguel Torres and Kid Yamamoto, who were at one time the best lighter weight fighters in the world. Now Johnson has a chance to join those ranks, but there aren't a lot of believers out there; Cruz is as much as a 5-to-1 favorite. "Story of my life," Johnson said. "I'm the smallest guy probably in the UFC. It is what it is. Everyone sees me as an underdog. I don't mind. It is what it is. Like I say, story of my life." Yet Johnson is every bit the story of determination as Cruz. Until recently, he held a full-time job in a Tacoma, Washington recycling plant. During his May win over Torres, he suffered a broken bone in his leg, but he was still back to work at the plant on the following Monday. After accepting the title bout with Cruz, he gave up the job to prepare for the biggest opportunity of his life. Like an underdog out of central casting, Johnson is quiet and polite in addition to being small. The UFC sat him next to 6-foot-11 Stefan Struve on Thursday, further highlighting just how small he is. He didn't say much on Thursday, and even when he was asked questions, he often clipped his answer short when you had the feeling he might have had a little bit more to say. Like Cruz, perhaps he is holding it back for when it truly matters. "You guys have all seen me fight, and you know what I do," he said. "I come out and bring the pace and I do my job. I prepare myself to win." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, title, johnson, cruz

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: Fighting, MMA Fighting Exclusive, News When the MMA world last saw Roger Huerta, it was at his worst hour as a fighter. By the time the cageside doctor stopped the fight after 10 minutes of action, Huerta had been battered by Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, a beating that resulted in two broken orbital bones and a concussion. As bad as that was, things weren't much better for the charismatic fighter in his personal life. Even prior to the bout with Alvarez, Huerta was going through some personal turmoil, questioning himself and his place in the world. Despite it, he showed up to fight before getting thumped. For Huerta, it was a first. Sure, he had lost before, but he'd never been beaten up. Nothing was making sense anymore. In the wee morning hours after the fight, Huerta was sitting in a bed at a Philadelphia hospital, with his adoptive mother and sister at his side. It was right then when Huerta had a moment of clarity. He was suffocating and needed to be free. But where would he go? A year earlier, just after finishing his UFC run, Huerta had visited Thailand. And in his dark moments, his mind had re-visited it. Sitting in his bed, in the hospital room after the worst night of his professional life, he knew he was going back. "It was one of those things where I bought a one-way ticket and I didn't know where I'd end up," he told MMA Fighting from his home in Phuket. "I didn't have a plan or anything. I really had nothing." When he says "nothing," he means it. Just prior to arriving in Thailand, he had stopped off in Australia with only one suitcase full of possessions. On the trip over, the suitcase was lost by the airlines. He literally arrived with just the clothes on his back. If you immediately appreciated the symbolism of a troubled man losing his baggage, at the time, Huerta did not. At least not at first. But in time, it came to be a lesson for him. One month later, he was on the phone, dialing a number to complain and once again inquire about his lost suitcase when he was hit by nature's straight right hand. "I was going to scream at them, and I walked outside to make the call and it was just really pretty outside, really beautiful," he said. "I hung up and I was like, 'What am I doing? That bag is gone.' And I realized I've been wasting all this time and energy in this amazing place worried about this materialistic thing. "That was like the beginning for me," he continued. "I realized it was OK. You're in paradise. Enjoy it. Live in the moment. Live in the now. Just live." For Huerta, the trip was not about fighting. In fact, he says now that he contemplated retirement after the loss to Alvarez. It was more about untangling himself from everyone and everything around him to see who and what he truly needed. As he explored Thailand and a different way of life, he began to think about the route his life had taken. He had a famously difficult childhood, abandoned by his parents, homeless by the sixth grade. He made it through high school, moved on to college, and was quickly thrust into the MMA spotlight in the UFC. He became a Sports Illustrated cover boy at the age of 24. It was all quite dizzying, and by the time he left the UFC for Bellator, he was struggling with burnout and self-doubt. "You could say that i was going crazy, but I was trying to understand things," he said. "I came from nothing, then all of the sudden everything happened at once. People were asking me for advice and I was like, 'I don't have answers. I'm just a kid. I'm still training, I'm still learning, I'm still a student.' And they'd say, 'You've gone through so much, and you've had success. How are you doing it?' I said, 'To be honest, I don't know. I work hard, train hard and try to live life in a good way. But I'm just a kid.' Around those times, I started questioning everything. My surroundings, people, life itself. What's my vocation? What's my calling? That's where things were for me." Still, for someone trying to find himself -- someone with no conscious thoughts of continuing his career -- Thailand is a curious spot. It is a country where a combat sport -- Muay Thai -- is the national sport. It's not a place to escape fighting. Not surprisingly, Huerta didn't stay away for long. He was quickly finding balance in his life and realized that training was still a worthwhile creative outlet. Then he started teaching, hosting seminars, and he could no longer deny that his itch to compete would never go away. "I realized, this is always going to be in me," he said. "It's my heart and my passion. It's in my blood. I need to let it out, this animal I have inside me, and the only way I can do that is competing. For me, now I think, let's get back in there. Let's start it the way I want to start it." Huerta has found such peace in Thailand that he now considers it home. Along with close friend, UFC star Mike Swick -- who is still based in California -- he is opening a gym in Phuket called "Nitor," the Latin word meaning to persevere or strive. Huerta will be the local presence, and the two have an 11-year lease on the property. Meanwhile, his first step back into fighting will come on November 26 when faces "War Machine" Jon Koppenhaver in Pharr, Texas for a first-time promotion called Ultimate Warrior Fighting. Huerta, who naturally walks around at about 180 pounds, will be competing as a welterweight for the first time in years, a move he calls a "trial run." Pharr is a town that Huerta spent several years in, up until the ninth grade. The place does not hold many good memories for him. It's where as a homeless youth, he would sometimes sleep on rooftops. But he recently returned there to impart some knowledge about training, strength and conditioning, and saw some longtime supportive faces. It gives him the feeling he'll be fighting at home. While in the past, Huerta didn't like to invite friends and family to his fights, this one will be different. In the past, the return to Pharr would have been an emotional rollercoaster, but now, it will be a celebration. "We're having a party, a good time," he said. "I'm going to throw down, and we're going to have a party. All the negative stuff is gone, man. It is. Thailand had a lot to do with it, my family had a lot to do with it, my close friends had a lot to do with it. It's been very good. Life is good." There is a line in the movie "Gattaca" that Huerta loves. In the sci-fi film, Ethan Hawke's character is able to beat his genetically superior brother in a race where they swim out to sea and the first to give up and return to shore loses. When Hawke's brother asks him how he did it, Hawke replies, "I never saved anything for the swim back." Huerta says it's that kind of go-for-broke mentality that he used to have in his fights but lost along the way. His mind is clear now, and there are no doubts restraining him. Ask him to look ahead in his career and he stays consistent with his philosophy. There's nothing past the next round in front of him. There are no thoughts about what organization might come calling, or what his fighting future holds. He's happy where he is, halfway across the world, and whatever else is supposed to happen will happen. The personal storm clouds are gone. These days, he smiles a lot, in a place that makes him happy. It is another unlikely story in a colorful life. Roger Huerta, the man who arrived with nothing and found everything. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, life, huerta, nothing, thailand

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) plans to return to the "Land of the Rising Sun" for the first time in more than a decade with a major event penciled in for Feb. 26, 2012, at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. As if that endeavor wasn't big enough, company president Dana White recently revealed that the promotion is thinking about running another event on that same day from Las Vegas, Nevada. White alluded to the unprecedented possibility during a recent press conference in California to promote UFC 139, which will feature one of Japan's most popular mixed martial artists from the Pride FC heyday, Wanderlei Silva. Yahoo!Sports.com has the skinny: "When we go to Japan next year, we are going to be putting on a show at the same time in Las Vegas," he said.  When asked how the company was going to handle a dual-show evening from a television standpoint, White just smiled and said, "You’ll see." The report points out that because of the time difference with the two locations literally a world apart, the Japan show would take place in the early afternoon, airing stateside in the usual 9 p.m. ET pay-per-view (PPV) time slot. That means the UFC would likely have to leverage its other television partnerships, including FOX and Versus, to make a two-fight night dream come true. With Scott Coker of Strikeforce and Reed Harris from World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) still on the Zuffa payroll, the promotion has more than enough experienced professionals at their disposal who can run an event without the presence of White.  Production, coordination and on air talent, on the other hand, are entirely different animals. From a fan perspective, however, those are lots of good problems to have.

Posted in: ufc, time, event, las vegas, japan

Read the full article at MMA Mania

If fight fans have any faith in the strength of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's comeback story, the oddsmakers don't share their enthusiasm. Well, that and who can forget the blowout knockout loss he suffered in his first fight against Frank Mir? The odds opened recently for the upcoming fight between the two scheduled for UFC 140 on Dec. 10 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Mir is the favorite at -255 while "Minotauro" comes in on his heels at +205. That's according to Nick Kalikas of BetOnFighting.com, who released the line just yesterday. That line will shift and move as the betting dictates but consensus opinion seems to be that it will hold steady right around where it is. Unless you Maniacs plan on dropping some coin on Nogueira, of course. These two were supposed to rematch all the way back in Sept. 2010 at UFC 119; however, Nogueira suffered yet another injury that led to Mir taking on -- and knocking out -- Mirko Filipovic. "Minotuaro" made the decision shortly after to take an extended vacation from the Octagon to get the necessary treatment, which included several surgeries, in order to come back healthy enough to get his career back on track after two knockout losses in three fights. And that's exactly what he did, returning this past Aug. 27 in his native land of Brazil to knock out Brendan Schaub inside the very first round. For his part, Mir was last in action in May, picking up a dominant decision victory over Roy Nelson, who, admittedly enough, was suffering from walking pneumonia at the time. The powers that be weren't altogether pleased with Mir's performance that night, all things considered. In fact, one of the last times he truly turned heads was when he battered and beatdown Nogueira all those years ago. Of course, "Big Nog" claimed he had suffered from an extended -- and particularly -- troubling case of staph in the time leading up to the fight. If healthy, he said, the fight would have gone down much differently. Time to find out how true that may be. The oddsmakers don't seem to think a healthy Nogueira can defeat a healthy Mir. Do you? Who are you putting your money on, Maniacs?

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, nogueira, mir

Read the full article at MMA Mania

"I've always been a big fan of Georges, I've admired his style and kinda of the way he carries himself and I'm honored to get in their and challenge him for the belt and step in the cage with him. With all that aside I think that I'm the best welterweight in the world and I've been trying to prove that every single time I get in their and this fight is going to be no different. We actually never trained together. There was a time or two when we were training in the gym at the same time, but I think we kind

Posted in: time, georges st, carlos condit, george, time i

Read the full article at Low Kick

Filed under: UFCThere have been few champions in recent UFC history that have engendered such diversity of opinion as Jon Jones. In fact, there's only been two in the same ballpark. One was Brock Lesnar, and the other is Jones' next opponent, Rashad Evans. Both of those fighters have heard many boos in their day, but for very different reasons. From the minute he made a serious run at an MMA career, Lesnar was a lock for polarizing reactions. First, there were the people who knew nothing of his decorated amateur wrestling background, choosing only to see him through the prism of his work in professional wrestling. Then, there were the others who resented his immediate elevation to major fights. And finally, there were those who were turned off by his aloof attitude and disinterest in engaging the MMA community past fighting. For Evans, it was different. He was the little guy among heavyweights when he began his career on The Ultimate Fighter and easily could have turned himself into an underdog story, but instead he forged a first impression that many couldn't and still can't shake. He quickly tangled with the respected veteran Matt Hughes, and was initially seen as a showboater without the skills to warrant it. But what about Jones? Unlike Lesnar, Jones had no fame before coming to the UFC. And unlike Evans, he didn't have a built-in audience from a reality show stint. So when he entered the UFC after just eight months of MMA training in 2008, he entered with a blank slate. Early impressions were good. Jones opened up many eyes in his debut fight, a win over Andre Gusmao on just three weeks' notice. He followed that up with a surprising win over Stephan Bonnar five months later, and from a career standpoint, he was off and running. With each time out, it became more clear that Jones was heading for big things. He was beginning to finish fights, his fight IQ and confidence were growing, and the headlines were quick to follow. So was the backlash. Like many reporters that travel to events, I've had the chance to speak to Jones on a few occasions, and find him friendly, smart and engaged. Even though fame has come quickly for him, he doesn't appeared jaded by it. I remember him being the last fighter in the room at the UFC 126 press conference, just hanging out and making conversation. Even though fortune has come quickly for him, he doesn't flaunt it. He doesn't wear flashy jewelry, and last I'd heard, he'd yet to even spring for a new car. In the cage, he's parts spectacular and effective, stopping all of the last six fighters he's beaten. With his mix of personality and success, you think Jones would be a lock for a crowd favorite, but that's yet to completely materialize. Why? He's overrated. He's phony. He's cocky. He stretches the rules. He's been accused of everything. Let's run down the laundry list: snitching, spying, swagger-jacking, fighting dirty, ripping apart a training camp, arrogantly signing autographs as the champion before he was one, arrogantly declining to sign autographs on replica belts as the champ after he was one, fighting no one, fighting past-their-prime someones, too religious, too fake, too manufactured. He also doesn't hand out autographed $100 bills, that monster. Maybe it's different with Jones because the bandwagon didn't slowly stop along the way, picking up fans as it went. It was a rocket ride, and few had time to join before he blasted off. Maybe it's because the media has spent time force-feeding Jones down their throat. But the reaction, I just don't get. You watch fights to be entertained, and few will disagree that he's delivered the goods time after time. That's why many boos have greeted Jones to his fights, but he almost always leaves them cheering. The funny thing is I've seen and read many people say that they like watching him fight, but they don't like him. If you like watching him fight, you at least partially like him. You're just rooting with your wallet and time. The standard reason for disliking Jones is his perceived arrogance. Is he confident? Of course. Wouldn't you be, if you were him? He made it to the UFC after nine months of MMA training. He was the champion at 23. He's a millionaire today. Even with hard work, that type of progression makes him an outlier, a prodigy. Most 24-year-old males couldn't handle that meteoric rise. Jones has handled it just fine. If you don't "like" Jones, I'm probably not going to change your conscious mind, but if you appreciate his fighting style, the seeds of fandom are already planted. You're Darth Vader just waiting to cross over from the dark side. And that's a good thing, because rooting against Jones is cheering against progress. If you really want to see what the sport can be and where it can go, this is the type of talent that's going to take us for that ride. This is the type of talent that will stretch the boundaries of what's possible. You want evolution? Here it is, in a 6-foot-4 package. If he loses his way, if he loses his motivation, we miss out. At some point, maybe those boos will turn to cheers for good. At some point, maybe he'll no longer care about the negativity grenades lobbed his way. Maybe. But for right now, we need Jones. We need to love him or hate him. Sometimes, the two emotions are rooted in the same thing. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, jone, fighter

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Though plenty of exciting events are set to take place before the end of the year, one of the cards clearly on the minds of most fans is the UFC‘s scheduled stop in San Jose on November 19 with a lineup boasting a bevy of former title-holders. Headlined by Dan Henderson‘s return to the Octagon against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and also featuring human highlight reel Cung Le taking on Wanderlei Silva, UFC 139 is shaping up to easily one of the most anticipated shows of 2011 (and that’s without even mentioning Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles or Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story). One of the first legs of the two-month journey towards the HP Pavilion takes place this afternoon at 4:00 PM EST when Henderson, Rua, Le, and Silva take to the stage to promote the upcoming event. UFC President Dana White will also be on hand. As always, Five Ounces of Pain will be tuned in and ready to report back to readers with relevant information featuring highlights from the proceedings and soundbytes when possible. Read below to see what the quartet of highly-skilled competitors had to say: Dan Henderson: *”I guess it’s ironic that every time I win a title somewhere, Dana has to buy the company to get me back.” *Wasn’t excited about fighting anyone else in Strikeforce. Felt all the best fights for him were in the UFC. *Prefers to fight at 205 because he hates cutting weight. Only fight he wants at 185 is Anderson Silva. Mauricio Rua: Cung Le: *Has been training since February and is ready to fight. Wanderlei Silva: Dana White: *”Dan and I get along fine…. I can’t hate him for knocking Fedor out, either. I’m happy to have him back.” PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE/UFCSimilar Posts: UFC on FOX Real Time Press Conference Highlights UFC 134 Press Conference Highlights UFC 136 Press Conference Highlights UFC 135 Real Time Press Conference Highlights “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson” Conference Call Highlights Tweetgovernment,politics news,politics news,politics

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, conference, press

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Matt Hughes was finished for the second straight time when Josh Koscheck pounded him out at UFC 135 last Saturday night (Sept. 24) in Denver. Was it the last time we'll ever see the Hall-of-Famer inside the Octagon? Find out here.

Posted in: saturday night, time, matt hughes, josh koscheck, matt

Read the full article at MMA Mania

"I don't think that treatment for Anderson's problems is prohibited by the UFC, even right before a match. Some medications are limited, as you know, but Anderson is in a state of medical legitimacy because I don't think that Midol is prohibited, nor are chocolate or Gerard Butler movies. I have never personally had to deal with his sort of condition, but I feel for him and I really want to see what his top fighting form actually is, since we apparently haven't seen it yet. I can't remember the last time

Posted in: time, right, chael sonnen, anderson, midol

Read the full article at Low Kick

No sooner had Jon Jones destroyed Quinton Jackson to retain his light heavyweight title at UFC 135 last night (Sept. 24, 2011) in Denver than Rashad Evans entered the cage to quickly remake his acquaintance. The post-fight interview conducted by color commentator Joe Rogan was done to set up their pending championship fight, which is already set for a later date when the two are healthy enough to compete. Evans was short and sweet, complimentary of Jones' performance against "Rampage:" "I thought it was a good fight tonight. I thought Jon Jones looked impressive. It's a good opportunity (fighting Jones for the title). I'm glad the UFC put it together and I can't wait to get a chance to fight him." "Bones" wasn't so nice when he was asked what he thought of the coming showdown against his former stablemate: "No, I'm sure he's got a lot to say and he's going to do a lot of talking. I'm not going to say anything, I promise you guys, leading up to this fight I'm not going to say much. I'm just going to prove it. He's ruined my special night twice now. The time will come." At the post-fight press conference, Jones was again asked about Evans and at first, he told the media he wouldn't answer questions about his upcoming opponent because he "didn't want to talk about him." That is until Jackson remarked that he's looking forward to the light heavyweight championship fight because "Suga" made so many claims that he's got Jones' number. The champ simply couldn't let that comment fly without a response: "I will say this about Rashad: he does not have my number. He's not even close to having my number. Me and Rashad, we sparred a few times, and every time we sparred I know what could have happened. He talks about one day at practice where he held me down and he lives that day in his head every day. So we'll see." Evans has long made assertions that underneath all the cocky bravado is a 24-year-old kid (and you know how much Jones hates being called that) who will quit when the going gets rough. And he knows this because he's seen it in training. "Bones," of course, disputes this fact and both men will continue to claim they got the better of the other while they were hitting the mats down at Greg Jackson's gym in New Mexico. We have nothing to go on besides these words and they may or may not ring true for either side. Nonetheless, the only way to find out is when these two finally climb inside the cage to settle their differences. Then? It's on like Donkey Kong, ladies and sirs.

Posted in: fight, time, jone, jon jones, evan

Read the full article at MMA Mania

As grating as it was sitting at a bar, watching a card that occurred within miles of my new job, it seems that enjoyed the card a good deal more than most of my blogging brethren.  Perhaps it's because I'm used to world-class athletes performing less than optimally in the thin Colorado air (perhaps David Castillo could write a detailed, well-researched, elaborate article that makes his compatriots look bad and his readers feel stupid), or the fact that I didn't hate either of the participants in the main event.  More on why in the bullet-point things. I loved this crowd - mostly.  I'm sure the late start to the Facebook fights (did we ever get a why on that, by the way?), but there were a lot of seats filled early and the audience was active and engaged for the duration.  Junior Assuncao didn't earn himself any fans by shrugging off boos after his Jeff Dunham-like Anderson Silva impression during the first round, and his domination over the rest of the fight wasn't enough to sway the tide.  I do hate it when crowds boo the action - that I didn't like.  But at least they were there early and provided nice auditory accompaniments to the prelims.  Plus, we weren't Chicago.  Bonus. James Te Huna's destruction of Ricardo Romero's flailing take down attempts was the most dominant performance of the Facebook fights, but in terms of impressiveness, it's hard not to give the nod to Takeya Mizugaki defeating Cole Escovedo.  Since coming out of nowhere to give Miguel Torres his toughest fight at the time (and most awesome fight to date), Mizugaki has been maddeningly inconsistent, trading a win for a loss regularly.  While the blather from the booth can normally be discounted as fight and fighter hyping, Joe Rogan's commentary on the integration of kicks and elbows fit in perfectly with the fight in progress.  Takeya beat a better opponent, so he's who impressed me the most leading into the Spike fights. Tim Boestch is a beast, and I'm proud to finally be able to rank him in his new home at 185.  Nick Ring isn't a bad fighter at all, and will probably stick around for a while, but I'm much more excited to see how The Barbarian fares.  Those judo tosses were pure beauty, and he looks huge at middleweight.  Losing to Phil Davis might be the best thing that ever happened to him. I'm pretty good and Goddamn "meh" when it comes to Tony Ferguson, but he looked good.  The real focus is how Aaron Riley was able to get his testicles through the Octagon door.  Greasegate II, if you ask me. It's amazing what a difference the right weight class can make.  After a wayward experiment at welterweight (motivated at least in part by an aversion to cutting weight), Nate Diaz looked fantastic in his return to 155 as he avenged his brother's THC NC against Takanori Gomi.  After showing a flash of the old Fireball Kid by knocking out Tyson Griffin, Gomi reverted to his Fireball Thirtysomething ways, even getting outwrestled by Nick Diaz's little brother.  I think that ship has sailed, JMMA fans. Ok, now for the heavyweight fights that everyone hated.  I actually didn't think Rob Broughton looked that terrible.  Is he as good as Travis Browne?  No, and that should have been clear to everyone as soon as Browne held his own against de facto gatekeeper Cheick Kongo en route to a draw.  However, Broughton was tough enough to make it long and ugly, and crafty enough on the ground to escape Browne's full mount twice (and other crappy positions on other occasions).  I don't think he's terrible, at all. I get to rank Mark Hunt on my ballot this month!  In 2011!  That's amazing!  I don't, for the live of me, know why Ben Rothwell didn't employ the "shoot, sit and stay" game plan that worked so swimmingly against Gilbert Yvel - he got the take down when he wanted it - but I think I can speak for everyone at HKL when I say I'm glad he didn't.  Via MiddleEasy's Twitter account: "Mark Hunt's record in the UFC is better than Fedor's record in Strikeforce."  I look forward to Ben Rothwell's next "I'm better than ever" speech. Matt Hughes said the perfect things after his fight.  To paraphrase, he'll take a fight that is interesting, competitive and lucrative, but he's done competing for a title in the welterweight division.  That's perfectly OK, and the UFC has the leeway, legitimacy and leverage to make room on cards for "legacy fights" or "cool shit" or whatever you'd like to call what Matt Hughes does next.  Koscheck is Koscheck and is merely biding time at that weight class, since he's 0-2 vs the champ and no one wants to see that fight again ever - particularly Josh Koscheck's left eye, but to be fair, it didn't have to see most of the second fight anyway. Only Internet weirdos hate Jon Jones, and the fact that they make up a larger proportion of a UFC crowd than they do at every other place on Earth at the time doesn't change that fact.  First of all, he's a KID.  He's younger than the know-nothing whippersnappers that write for such MMA blogs as... um... all of them.  He's in the spotlight, making millions, holding the belt, doing the press junkets and - oh yeah - putting on flat-out amazing fights using his phenomenal skills every time out.  Every time he fights, it's against better fights, and every time he fights, he looks better.  In back to back fights, a 23 year old has made Shogun Rua tap to strikes and RNC'ed Rampage Jackson.  I can't stop you from letting his interviews and press conference mannerisms cloud that, but I can sure as hell pity you.

Posted in: fight, time, nbsp, nbsp ;i, ;i

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

We see it in every venue of entertainment; from movies and television to music to combat sports. Someone is all the rage one moment and then -- poof -- it's all gone. But while a once-hot actor or actress might be forced to star in direct to DVD movies or a former chart-topping artist is reduced to "Where Are They Now?" status, their falls from grace -- although apparent -- are played on such a public stage as those of fighters. Passing the Torch is a special about those fighters who were once on top of the world but suffered at least two losses that forever altered their career -- either leaving them shells of what they once were or forcing them to retire outright. When the topic of dominant champions in mixed martial arts (MMA) is broached, it would be a crime not to bring up Matt Hughes. The Illinois wrestler dominated the welterweight division in a way not seen before. Five years and seven successful title defenses sit atop his resume with his only blemish during that time coming at the hands of a lightweight who would end up becoming his greatest rival. He would eventually get his revenge on the Hawaiian but his reign at the top of the 170-pound division came crashing to a halt immediately afterwards at the hands of the new welterweight kingpin. Here we go!:  Hughes' title reign almost didn't happen. His trainer at the time, Pat Miletich, was slated to get a rematch against Carlos Newton -- the man who beat him for the title -- but the UFC felt a fresh challenger was needed and Hughes was booked instead. It was a spirited bout that saw "The Ronin" get a triangle choke locked on Hughes in the second round. The wrestler did what wrestlers do best and lifted the champion up, pressing him against the cage. As the flow of oxygen begin to taper off, the American dropped Newton onto the mat, knocking him out cold. Slightly groggy, it took Hughes a few seconds to realize what he had accomplished. After that, there was no looking back. Five straight defenses including a more definitive victory over "The Ronin" separated the welterweight division into two columns: Hughes and everyone else. A shocking upset loss to B.J. Penn was the first crack in the champ's armor but he recovered admirably by rattling off five straight wins including finishes over Georges St. Pierre, Frank Trigg, and Royce Gracie. When Penn came back to the Octagon after a sabbatical, Hughes got his win back and added the Hawaiian's name to his list of victims. He's rocked!:  While Hughes continued his streak of dominance, another fighter was beginning one of his own. After suffering a submission loss to the champ at UFC 50, Georges St. Pierre became a man on a mission. He felt the welterweight title was his destiny and hero or not, Hughes was standing in his way. When they met inside the Octagon the second time, it was as if the champion was fighting an entirely different man. Standing in place of the hesitant fighter who couldn't even look the champ in the eye was a confident, skilled beast that didn't concede a single second of the fight. A near finish at the end of the first round served as the appetizer to the second round technical knockout (TKO) main course. A year later, the two met a third and final time. If their prior bout left any doubt as to who was the better fighter, "GSP" thoroughly erased it with another second round stoppage. It's all over!:  After his second loss to "Rush," Hughes was on the business end of a Thiago Alves flying knee that knocked him senseless. A devastating loss to be sure but not too bad considering the former champion took the fight on short notice and his opponent came in overweight.  The former champ would go on to win three straight following his bout with "The Pitbull" but none were against top caliber welterweights. Matt Serra's time in the spotlight had come and gone and a bout with Renzo Gracie was more spectacle than sport. His most impressive of the three wins was a submission victory over Ricardo Almeida at UFC 117. But while "Big Dog" is as solid a fighter as there can be, no one would ever confuse him with a world beater. When Hughes finally stepped inside the cage with a top-level 170-pounder, he looked across the cage and saw his old rival, B.J. Penn. Their first fight ended in a shocking submission. The second saw Hughes weather an early storm from the former lightweight champ to come back and earn a TKO victory. The rubber match could have gone either way. via mmagif.blogspot.com It didn't. That night, Penn joined Dennis Hallman in a very exclusive club of fighters who have finished Hughes off in less than 30 seconds. The aftermatch: After the brutal knockout to the Hawaiian, it was obvious that Hughes could still scrap but would come up short against the upper echelon of welterweights. His status became even more obvious at UFC 135 when it only took Josh Koscheck one round to knock out the former champion. Talks of retirement peppered the build up to the fight as it was the last of Hughes' contract. When pressed about hanging up the gloves by Joe Rogan, Hughes refused to commit either way. The sport -- one where he was once recognized as the best -- had passed him by. Nothing will ever erase his accomplishments inside the Octagon but a new breed of fighter has cropped up and left him on the outside looking in. If you're the drinking type, toast to Matt Hughes tonight, one of the greatest fighters of all time. Cheers.

Posted in: time, fighter, hughe, loss, welterweight

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFCMatt Hughes couldn't bring himself to call it quits on Saturday night. Even before the fight, he admitted that his wife wanted him to retire, and then he got knocked unconscious by Josh Koscheck. That's not going to convince Mrs. Hughes to reconsider her opinion, but it also wasn't enough to get the decorated legend to utter the hardest words a fighter must ever say. It was a second straight loss for Hughes, and more to the point, it was the second straight time we've seen his body go limp as he ate strikes from an opponent. The caliber of fighter he's losing to isn't the problem; dropping matches to BJ Penn and Koscheck is nothing to be ashamed about. But it's the way he's lost both that is concerning. More: UFC 135 Results | UFC 135 Post-Fight Press Conference As we continue to learn more and more about brain health and the effects of repetitive trauma, you have to wonder if it's truly worth it for Hughes to continue on. After 54 fights and a nearly 14-year career, it might be time for Hughes to walk away and enjoy his millions with his family. He's not so sure though. After the fight, the first words out of his mouth were, "I'm not retiring." That was partially because he didn't want to make a snap decision, but if he was already thinking about it before Saturday, what positive development can he take out of the result? Still, UFC president Dana White believes that once Hughes talks things over with his family, he'll come to a sensible decision. "I've known him for 10 years," White said at the UFC 135 post-fight press conference. "He's a competitor. He's really upset. He wanted to win this last fight, and I'm almost 100 percent positive he's going to retire." Yet at least in the moments just after the loss, Hughes wouldn't commit to it, telling Joe Rogan he was going to tell the UFC to "put me on the shelf" as he ponders his next move. There is no practical reason for Hughes to continue on. He has accomplished more in the octagon than nearly anyone else in UFC history. He holds the record for most wins (18), had two welterweight title reigns, and authored one of the most memorable moments in UFC history with his comeback win over Frank Trigg at UFC 52. At different times of his career, Hughes had winnings streaks of 18 and 13 fights, respectively. He holds wins over current or former UFC champs Georges St-Pierre, BJ Penn, Sean Sherk and Carlos Newton. He beat two Gracies. He's already in the UFC Hall of Fame. I could go on. At 37 years old though, what is the upside of Hughes continuing on? Losing two straight, he can't be included in the title picture, and as he falls down the rankings, will he be as interested in fights against lesser names? %VIRTUAL-Gallery-134788% Yet when you hear Hughes talk, he emphasizes how much he still loves everything about fighting. He loves to train, he loves being in the gym with his training partners and friends, he loves learning and competing. The same things that made him so successful all these years may work against him now. How do you quit something you love? That's not to say that Hughes couldn't possibly find success if he chose to continue on. Many people thought Hughes was done nearly three years ago, when he lost three out of four, all by finish. But he bounced back with three straight wins, beating Matt Serra, Renzo Gracie and Ricardo Almeida. He could do it again. The right matchups could put Hughes back on the winning track. But the thing is, Hughes has never asked for the "right" matchups, he's asked for the best in the division. It's largely disrespectful to tell a legend when to walk away (unless you are married to said legend), so I won't do that here. Hughes has earned the right to call his own shots. If he wants to give it one more go, I'm sure he'll find the motivation to train hard and walk into the octagon in the best possible shape, and I'm just as sure that the fans will rally behind him. No one wants to see a great career end badly. Hughes doesn't want this Koscheck loss as his last fight memory any more than his wife wants to see him fight one more time. But you also can't guarantee a fairy tale ending. Here's hoping Hughes finds peace with his decision, whatever it is. It's been a legendary career full of superlatives. It's been a career to be celebrated. But right now, the finish of his UFC 135 loss is a perfect symbol of where he is in 2011. One second left, youth overwhelming experience, and time running out. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, time, hughe, career

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Filed under: UFCDENVER -- Jon Jones decimated his toughest opponent to date and successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight title for the first time on Saturday night. So why didn't he seem all that happy about it? That was just one of many questions for the brilliant young fighter who is proving to be as much of an enigma to those trying to understand him out of the cage as he is to the baffled opponents who face him inside of it. Throughout the UFC 135 post-fight press conference the 24-year-old champion maintained a low-key, almost downtrodden demeanor, despite the fact that he was only minutes removed from the biggest win of his career. "Me and 'Rampage' [Jackson] did a lot of talking and I'm just glad it's over," said Jones, his voice flat and low. "I'm just doing my job right now." Maybe what got him down was the foot injury he sustained while kicking Jackson's shins. He had to be helped into his seat at the start of the post-fight presser and helped out of the room once it was over, though he insisted it was nothing serious. Or maybe it was the fact that the UFC once again cut his post-fight celebration short by immediately shifting the focus in the cage from Jones' fourth-round submission win over Jackson to his planned next bout against former teammate Rashad Evans -- a shift that Jones said "ruined my special night" for the second time in as many title fights. When asked about that comment, a stone-faced Jones shook his head and said only, "I don't want to talk about Rashad today." Though later he did talk about him, but only after Jackson alluded to Evans possibly having Jones' number after their training room sessions at Greg Jackson's gym in Albuquerque, N.M. After Jackson said that Evans was "basically the only person who has a chance at beating him because Rashad trained with him before and Rashad knows," Jones deigned to speak of his former training partner. "I will say this about Rashad," Jones said. "He does not have number. He's not even close to having my number. Me and Rashad, we sparred a few times, and every time we sparred I know what could have happened. He talks about one day at practice where he held me down and he lives that day in his head every day." Even Jackson had questions for Jones once they were both sitting at the same table. Like, for instance, why did he start the fight by crawling out to the center of the cage on all fours? According to Jones it was because he knew Jackson's punching power would be greatest early in the fight and "I knew he wouldn't be able to generate too much power at such a low target." And his decision to dump Jackson over his back before calmly strolling off to his corner following the horn to end round three? At the time, it seemed like just one more way to remind Jackson of his superiority. Not quite toying with him, but certainly sending a message. Not so, according to Jones. "I was just trying to finish the round strong, show that I had a lot of energy left," he explained. Jackson, who has losses to both Jones and Evans, said he respected the champion more than his old rival Evans, if only because Jones looked to do more than simply out-wrestle him. "When it comes to fighting, even though Jon ran like a little girl every now and then, I still have more respect for him as a fighter, because Jon did come to bring it. ...He rocked me once and he's a true fighter. Rashad...I was really rusty and he probably would have knocked me out that time had he fought me." As for Jones, he insisted that he was "definitely happy" about the win over Jackson, even if he didn't seem like it. Rather than thinking (or talking) about where and when his long-awaited fight with Evans might be, the champion had other ideas. "I just can't wait to get home to my family, take a nice bath, and be done for a while." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: time, jone, jackson, rashad, evan

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

For the second time in his career, an apparent broken jaw derailed Aaron Riley.

Posted in: time, aaron riley, riley, jaw, jaw injury

Read the full article at Sherdog

Rashad Evans spoke with MMA Nation's Luke Thomas on the eve of UFC 135. Evans, who turns 32 on Sunday, will be in attendance at the Pepsi Center in Denver, and he is expected to step into the Octagon and challenge the winner of UFC light heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and challenger Quinton Jackson. Evans had the opportunity to visit "Rampage's" camp at the MusclePharm gym, and he was impressed with what he saw: "I walked through the facility and I seen some of the things that he was doing and then I seen him and he was looking good, better than I've ever seen him before and I was actually really surprised...."A 'Rampage' that's focused is a dangerous 'Rampage' and I think that the biggest problem with Jon Jones is the fact that he's getting so overly confident and cocky that he can't get beat and all he has to do is step in the cage Saturday and collect his belt. I think that's dangerous thinking when you've got somebody in front of you who's been training hard." As for Jones, Evans is repeating the refrain about their shared time at Greg Jackson's gym: "I've seen him get pushed in practice and I've seen him be very human and not as good as he looks on TV. I've seen that there's times where he looks great in practice but there's times where I've seen him quit in practice." Evans also thinks the SpyGate situation is messing with Jones: "It becomes a distraction when you take it personal...."I think Jon Jones is taking it personally. This is his first time being in a fight where he's used his mouth like that. Normally he tries to be the humble guy and say all the right things but that's being pushed a little bit because Rampage is giving him a little bit of mouth." Evans seems to be giving "Rampage" a better chance at winning this fight than he did earlier this week when he picked Jones to win. The off-shore sportsbooks list Jones between a 5- and 6-1 favorite.

Posted in: time, rampage, jone, jon jones, evan

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Numbers don't lie.  They don't get into the cage and fight, though, either. Statistics can be telling, but they aren't always 100-percent accurate as to what has happened or what will happen. That aside, when Jon Jones takes on Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 this Sat., Sept. 24 in Denver, Colorado, who should be the favorite? Who has the edge in the striking game? Who is better served to take the fight to the mat? Most of the time it's just conjecture and subjective opinion. Today, the nice folks at CompuStrike released a statistical comparison between "Bones" and "Rampage," highlighting some of the strengths and weaknesses of the two light heavyweights powerhouses. Let's take a look at the numbers.  The following statistics are based only on contests each fighter has participated in within the confines of the Octagon. Fights in other organizations were not taken into consideration. The numbers are averages, based on eight fights for Jones and nine for "Rampage." The first comparison has to do with the time each fighter has spent standing, as well as how much time they've spent on the ground during their fights. Jones (Total Fight Time) - Standing: 45:28 | Ground: 24:11Rampage (Total Fight Time) - Standing: 106:06 | Ground: 27:56 An interesting statistic, but somewhat skewed because the majority of Jones' fights have been "don't-look-because-you-might-miss-the-entire-fight" quick. The next category involves "Percentage of Total Power Strikes Landed." Jones: 71%Rampage: 67% The next category contrasts each fighter's percentage of arm strikes landed. Jones: 32%Rampage: 49% Big disparity. It could have something to do with the amount of unorthodox arm strikes that "Bones" attempts. It could also just mean "Rampage" is a much more accurate striker. The next category details the percentage of leg strikes landed by both fighters. Jones: 70%Rampage: 75% I have to admit, this surprised me. The words "leg kick" and "Rampage" barely belong in the same sentence. Next, we look at the percentage of ground strikes landed. Here, we see a large disparity between the two. Jones: 66%Rampage: 52% In the final category, takedown attempts, Jones runs away with it. Shocking, right? Jones: 92%Rampage: 55% None of this is earth-shattering. It may, however, show the areas that fans thought were close are, perhaps, even closer than they'd previously imagined. It may also spotlight the fact that the areas we thought held lop-sided differentials, may be even more uneven than we'd initially suspected. What do you Maniacs think? Anyone rushing to change their bets at the last minute with this new information?

Posted in: rampage, jone, fight, time, strike

Read the full article at MMA Mania

He's already one of the best in the world. Could Jon Jones become the greatest mixed martial artist of all time?

Posted in: time, jon, jone, jon jones, time ?.

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

Welcome to a special edition of Payout Perspective as we take a look back at Saturday’s fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas featuring Floyd Mayweather taking on Victor Ortiz. Mayweather wins via controversial TKO “Protect yourself at all times.” Oftentimes glossed over in instructions for MMA and boxing, Mayweather used this rule as support for his one-two combination to end the fight with Victor Ortiz. After a couple days, the consensus is that Ortiz was culpable for the outcome as much (if not more) than Mayweather and referee Joe Cortes. All parties are at fault to a certain extent. Cortes is at fault for losing his ring. Dana White succinctly explained the issue in a couple tweets stating it was the ref’s fault. Ortiz forgot the “protect yourself at all times” rule in his daze to apologize. Mayweather took advantage of the rule. But still, he feigned a hug and then punched Ortiz. Of the three, Mayweather is the least culpable for the ending. Certainly Mayweather could have foreshadowed his attack by perhaps pushing Ortiz back and then attacking. But the two punch combo looked WWE-like if you couple Cortes head looking the other way. Merchant vs. Mayweather After the fight, Larry Merchant and Floyd Mayweather had another run-in which ended in Merchant putting himself over by stating that if he was 50 years younger he would fight him.  This was preceded by Mayweather telling Merchant what some people have had on their minds for years: that Merchant should be fired. Honestly, it was entertaining but not professional. The interview itself was not coherent and Merchant asked leading questions when it was not necessary. It was merely to evoke a response from Mayweather.  For Mayweather, he seemed to have a shorter fuse with Merchant (as the two have a history of not getting along)  than usual. “Star Power”/HBO’s 24-7 Promotion The fight theme, “Star Power” really  made no sense as Mayweather was the only star on the card. You could argue that Erik Morales and Canelo Alvarez are stars but that would be stretch. Morales is past his prime and Alvarez is a boxer that one day may be a star. Both had good wins but Mayweather was the star of the night. This was the first time that Time Warner utilized its media muscle by including HBO’s 24/7 on CNN as well as having Victor Ortiz and Oscar de la Hoya on “Piers Morgan Tonight.” The fight was promoted throughout the Time Warner networks and online. In addition, Floyd Mayweather made a guest appearance on TBS’ Conan. The HBO 24/7 series was made for Floyd Mayweather. Nothing against Manny Pacquiao, but Mayweather understands the drama as exemplified by the first episode confrontation with his father. The Victor Ortiz story helped keep interest in the series and its a shame that Ortiz’ antics erased the good PR he had from the show. One of the things that is used time and again to promote these big fights is the face off between the two. This time it was HBO airing Mayweather and Ortiz talking with Max Kellerman as the moderator. Its hard to watch and I’d be interested to hear what others think of this format.  Does it sell a fight? Sponsors -DeWalt Tools, AT&T and Tecate were on the ring mat in Las Vegas. -Notably, Erik Morales was sponsored by Under Armour. -Tecate jumped on board in promoting the fight including a focus in the Southern California region. The promotion included a heavy investment of $800,000 in marketing and promotion of the event which included the event at the Staples Center. This was a calculated promotion that Payouts, PPV and Tickets -The NY Times had a report on the payout structure Floyd Mayweather had in place for the fight  which estimates that he would receive close to $40 million. In comparison, Mayweather Productions would pay Victor Ortiz $2.5 million. The Mayweather deal is interesting when looking at the risk-reward. While Mayweather used his own money for marketing the event, he’s receiving a healthy portion of the profits. -Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports tweeted that initial reports of the PPV buys was 1.3-1.4 million which is below the initial hope of breaking the boxing PPV record of 2.4 million set by Mayweather-De La Hoya. -While there was a push for the PPV, the MGM Grand was giving away tickets during fight week as the actual attendance was nowhere near a sellout. In comparison, Pacquiao-Marquez is a virtual sellout according to a tweet from ESPN’s Dan Rafael who spoke with Top Rank’s Todd DuBoef. Odds and ends -The price for the PPV rose $5 to $69.99. Its likely to be the same price point for Pacquiao-Marquez III. How much higher will it go for a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight? -Mario Solis did an admirable job of interviewing and translating at the same time when he interviewed Gomez and Alvarez post-fight. -Best quote of the HBO 24/7 occurred in the first 10 minutes of the first episode. Regarding Mayweather, “Although he’s had a 14 month layoff, the swagger remains untouched.” -50 Cent, Ray J and Mr. Chop (from the reality series “King of Cars”) made cameos in the 24/7 series as friends of Mayweather.

Posted in: fight, mayweather, time, ortiz, merchant

Read the full article at MMA Payout

This weekend, MMA icon Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will go to battle inside the Octagon for the 10th time in his illustrious career, this time facing the young lion Jon "Bones" Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight title. The fight will headline UFC's return to Denver, Colorado, for the first time since Ultimate Ultimate event that took place back in 1995. On September 24th, sixteen years after Ultimate Ultimate, Jackson will look to repeat Dan Severn's triumph over the much younger and skilled Oleg Taktarov

Posted in: ufc, time, jackson, dan severn, lion jon

Read the full article at Low Kick

submitted by grec530 [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: time, fotd, grec

Read the full article at Reddit

As we head into one of the most loaded weekends of mixed martial arts in quite some time all eyes will be on the light-heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.However the story being told heading out of the event may be that we are saying goodbye to two huge names in the sport.First up is the former ruler of the lightweight division and arguably one of the best 155-pounders of all time Takanori Gomi.“The Fireball Kid” made a name for himself in the land of the rising sun in the glory days of PRIDE Fighting Championships with a hit list that includes Hayato Sakurai, Jens Pulver, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Mitsuhiro Ishida just to name a few.Unfortunately, most fight fans that came late to the party won’t have the opportunity to appreciate the 32-year-old.Gomi made the move to the UFC in 2010 with high hopes from the PRIDE die hards but was unable to compete with the top of the division while in the twilight of his career.Now training part-time with American Kickboxing Academy he has shown that he still brings power to the table with his knockout victory over Tyson Griffin but has limitations with his wrestling, cardio and submission defense that won’t allow him to beat most 155-ers. With a defeat to Nate Diaz that would push Gomi’s octagon record to 1-3 and could be the last time we see him in the octagon or at all.Next up is the former UFC welterweight champion and first ballot hall of famer, Matt Hughes. It’s impossible to look past Matt Hughes as one of the best welterweights we have seen thus far, anyone who was in the UFC at 170-pounds fell to the NCAA Division I wrestler during his heyday. Hughes held the welterweight strap on two separate occasions and defended it a grand total of seven times in his career.His overwhelming amount of strength, speed and wrestling ability made him arguably the pound-for-pound king of the sport in the early parts of this century.But as with every elite level athlete your time in the sun doesn't last forever. Last time we saw Hughes compete he was looking to put his stamp on the trilogy with two-division champion BJ Penn.However, it took a mere twenty-one seconds for Penn to put him to sleep.This Saturday he is set to face former welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck in the last fight on his contract with the organization.The thirty-seven year old pioneer will be having his fifty-fourth professional bout and has seen and done it all in the sport so it would be the perfect time to step away win, lose or draw.The issue with both combatants is they can beat-up most at their division but not the upper-tier which is where they will be paired up because of their name value.UFC 135 will look to deliver with a roller coaster ride of emotions, in those could be a few tears with the swan songs of two legendary figures in mixed martial arts.

Posted in: time, matt hughes, welterweight, division, name

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend