idioticace96

idioticace96

The media isn't moving fast enough for the UFC, so the promotion has decided to move forward with its own prefight and postfight shows. The sport is badly in need of consistent shows before and after the fights. Various websites and even ESPN has dipped their toe into prefight/postfight field, now the UFC is introducing UFC Central at UFC 129.

According to MMAjunkie, the show will be hosted by former WEC voice Todd Harris along with CBS Sports' anchor Molly Qerim. UFC fighters Stephan Bonnar and Kenny Florian will serve as analysts.

The UFC adds that during the PPV event UFC Central gives extra access to the viewer:

Once the UFC 129 live broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, UFC Central will only be available to fans that purchased the event for viewing on UFC.TV and will capture interviews with fighters on the fight card during the live broadcast as well as other analyst commentary.

UFC Central will be offered as a seventh video feed and fifth audio feed, leveraging UFC.TV's multi-camera view and multi-audio feed experience. During the live event, fans will have the option inside of UFC.TV to select UFC Central as the main broadcast; or, drag and drop it into Picture-n-Picture or Quad View so that UFC Central can be watched and/or listened to alongside the broadcast of the main fight card.

Immediately following the live broadcast, UFC Central will be offered for free at UFC.TV with post-fight analysis, making it the ultimate destination for the most comprehensive UFC 129 news.

The show on UFC.tv airs at 8 p.m. ET. MMAConvert points out that it's an interesting time slot because it counterprograms the UFC 129 undercard fights on Spike TV at 8.

One would assume this is the beginning of plenty of programming on "UFC Central." UFC president Dana White has always been bullish on the Internet.

"It is (the future), I'm telling you," White told MMAjunkie.com. "I've been saying it for 10 years. Everything is going Internet. I believe that everybody is going to be watching TV and be on the Internet."

The promotion is showing the first five undercard fights on its Facebook page beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

Luiz Cane Dos Caras Jr Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin

idioticace96

by Michael David Smith Ben Henderson defeated Mark Bocek at UFC 129.

In the UFC debut the former World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion, Ben Henderson won a unanimous decision over Mark Bocek at UFC 129.

All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for Henderson, who improved his MMA record to 13-2.

"Where ever the fight took place, if he's on top of me, if I'm on top of him, if we trade knees and elbows, I'm ready for anything," Henderson said after the fight.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Per Eklund Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto

idioticace96

UFC 129 is more than a record-breaking MMA event that will pack 55,000 into the Rogers Centre in Toronto to see two championship belts decided. It's also a face-off between American and Canadian fighters to decide which country is better. Cagewriter breaks it down for you. Which North American country does it better?

GSP vs. Shields: Everything is going for GSP. He's fighting in front of a home crowd, he's at the height of his hype and he's considered invincible, which is exactly why I don't think he'll win. If Shields gets it to the ground, GSP is in trouble. Advantage: Shields and the U.S.

Signature food -- poutine vs. pizza: Poutine, french fries top with cheese curds and brown gravy, sounds amazing. However, pizza -- a food with an ancestor in Italy but that is singularly American -- is much better. It is customizable, yummy when hot and cold, can be made to look like Yoda and everyone loves it. Advantage: U.S.

Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson: BenHen needs to erase the memory of being on the wrong end of the Anthony Pettis highlight reel. That incentive is enough to get the former WEC champ the win. Advantage: Henderson and the U.S.

National anthems -- "O Canada" vs. "The Star-Spangled Banner": The U.S. national anthem, when sung well, can tear the house down, but it's not easy for an average person to sing.� That's not true of "O Canada." During the Vancouver Olympics, Canadians showed how easy it was to sing their anthem. Advantage: Canada

National animal: For America, it's the bald eagle, a strong, proud bird that can pick off prey from a mile away. Canada's, which can seen on the header of the new Yahoo! Sports Blog, The Eh Game, is the beaver. Advantage: the U.S.

Nate Diaz vs. Rory McDonald: Does Canada have a Stockton equivalent? Nah The baddest fighters come from Cali, not Quebec. Advantage: U.S.

Other sports: Well, Canada did just win a figure skating world championship and the Canucks knocked my Blackhawks out of the playoffs, and they won the gold medal in both men's and women's hockey at the Vancouver Olympics. Canadians also excel at curling. Outside of that, America rules. Football, baseball, basketball -- I'll take Derrick Rose over Steve Nash -- we're better. We'll give you hockey, Canada. We'll take the rest. Advantage: U.S.

Other fights: On the other UFC 129 Canada vs. U.S. fights, my picks are Makdessi, Patrick, Jabouin for Canada and Ellenberger, Valencia, Jensen for the U.S.

The final tally: America wins, 8-4.

Yves Edwards Justin Eilers Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis

idioticace96

Filed under: UFC

TORONTO - Kyle Watson doesn't want to make too big a fuss over his fight against John Makdessi because, well, the two are "definitely not teammates."

But in a sport in which every little advantage could be the difference between a win and a loss, Watson will take what he can get.

Watson (13-6-1, 1-0 UFC) and Makdessi (8-0, 1-0 UFC) meet on the preliminary card of UFC 129 in Toronto on Saturday, but it was the short time they spent together at the Tristar Gym in Montreal that is eliciting a few whispers.

Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito Rob Broughton Mike Brown Junie Browning

idioticace96

UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is recovering well from shoulder surgery that delayed his first title defense and is on track to return to the Octagon in October, UFC President Dana White said."Cain's good," White said. "He's coming along great."

Shane The Engineer Carwin Jason Hollywood Chambers Ryo Piranha Chonan Dan The Sandman Christison Logan The Pink Pounder Clark

idioticace96

This latest gem doesn't sound like Nick Diaz is "playing the game." as Dana White requested last year.

Outside the cage, that means the Strikeforce welterweight champ, has to show up for drug tests and fulfill some of his media responsibilities. Do that and there could be huge paydays awaiting him in the UFC. Oh, and one more thing ... don't sign boxing contracts.

The constantly displeased Diaz told HDNet there's no one for him to fight in Strikeforce and his life is a living hell. His trainer Cesar Gracie says the MMA star has signed a deal to fight former world champion boxer Fernando Vargas in September. Gracie says the Diaz camp is just waiting for Vargas, 33, to sign the contract.

Update - Camp Diaz says the Vargas fight is off:

"We were talking about Vargas, but the thing is, I just came under some information that Vargas apparently has some kind of medical issue where he's not able to pass the test any more, and he could be retiring," Gracie said. "Vargas was very interested, but unfortunately, if he can't pass the test, he can't pass the test."

Gracie says now Diaz wants to fight Jeff Lacy.

This is all an interesting development since Scott Coker has basically indicated Diaz can't box while under contract with Strikeforce.

Vargas claims he's making a comeback and told ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto in January that he had his weight down to 187 pounds. If his goal is to make a run at a world title again, why would Vargas risk his reputation by fighting someone from the MMA world? Who wants to bet this "dream" fight never comes off?

Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove Clay Guida Jason Guida Melvin Guillard

idioticace96

We're still in "business as usual" mode according to Dana White when it comes to crossover fights between Strikeforce and UFC fighters. So no Nick Diaz versus Georges St. Pierre or Gilbert Melendez against Frank Edgar anytime soon. White spoke with USA Today's Sergio Non:

UT: You seem to be a bit more open to the idea of interpromotional fights if fans want it. Which Strikeforce champ could you see getting first crack at a UFC star?

DW: I'm not in the interpromotional fights now ...

Well, which Strikeforce fighter will we see in UFC?

If guys' contracts expire over there, I can sign them.

But you still wouldn't bring, say, Gilbert Melendez in to fight one of your top guys in UFC?

Not until his contract's up.

White said there is one loophole:

What if his contract allows it? Scott Coker says there's no contractual impediment to having Strikeforce guys fighting in UFC.

I agree, but we have a contract with Showtime. I could see going that way before I could see guys coming this way.

So the possibility exists that the UFC could send its fighters into Strikeforce to take on the champions on Showtime.

That's still a big help to the smaller MMA company. Strikeforce lacks the depth at 155, 170 and 205 to come up with enough quality challengers for its champions in those divisions, so maybe we see guys like Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Clay Guida, Anthony Pettis, Quinton Jackson or even Tito Ortiz squaring off against Strikeforce champions.

At the end of the interview, White also addressed the recent media credentialing snafu at Strikeforce: Diaz-Daley. Non pushed the issue, but White sounds like he's sticking to his guns.

Karen Darabedyan Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis Tony DeSouza Edwin Dewees

idioticace96

Randy Couture is ready to call it a career, yet he's up for new challenges and it sounds like that could include future fights.

We tracked down Couture just before he hit the friendly skies for Toronto and UFC 129. He's steadfast in his desire to walk away, win or lose, after his fight against Lyoto Machida, but when we mentioned UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, Couture had an interesting take. Couture said the "UFC would have to make it right" for him to take a fight against Jones (3:00 mark). He also mentioned that he was offered Jones in the past and turned down the fight.

Couture was also reacting to Dana White saying he didn't think the legend was going to retire. White made the comment to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Reached via text message late Tuesday, UFC president Dana White made it clear he thinks Couture will continue fighting if he beats Machida.

It's likely Couture walks away, works some UFC broadcasts and serves an ambassador for the sport, but it'll be interesting to see what he does if he scores a big upset over Machida. Never say never.

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

Josh Barnett David Baron Phil Baroni Don Barr Pat Barry

idioticace96

Is there anyone who doesn't want to talk smack about Michael Bisping? Alan Belcher slammed Bisping the other day so the Brit responded in typical "Count" fashion by smashing his Johnny Cash tattoo.

"He's got a lot of nerve calling me an [expletive] when he walks round with that on him [see picture above]," Bisping told Fighter's Only. "Although lets be fair, the real [expletive] is the tattooist who drew that."

Got to hand it to Bisping. That's a pretty funny comeback to being called an a-hole.

Belcher, returning from serious eye issues, said he could be back in the Octagon in September. During a conversation with Sherdog, he called out Bisping.

"Bisping is an [expletive] who disrespects the sport and his opponent. A fight between me and Michael Bisping is something everybody wants except for Michael Bisping. It would be amazing to sign that fight and have him come to my backyard," Belcher said. "He always gets to fight in Britain and other places, but it'd be good to see him come down to Louisiana. I'd love for that to be my comeback fight."

Belcher wants homecourt advantage versus Bisping when the UFC lands in New Orleans on Sept. 17.

Tip via MMAFix

Andrew Gardner Tiki Ghosn Dennis George Kultar Gill Allan Goes

idioticace96

The UFC officially opened for business today in Toronto with the final prefight press conference. After a 50-minute presser, Dana White stuck around to lend clarity to some of the bigger stories around MMA.

- Jon Jones' hand injury will probably keep him out six months. Earlier today, the Jones Camp answered allegations of ducking the fight against Rashad Evans.

- White confirmed that Nick Diaz's Strikeforce contract allows him to box, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will. White plans on meeting with him after UFC 129 to figure things out.

- During the press conference, Jake Shields confirmed that his trainer Cesar Gracie is not in Toronto this week. Visa issues prevented Gracie from entering the country (43:30 mark).

- White said Royce Gracie is pressing him to face Matt Hughes at UFC in Rio in August. He's very hesitant to make the fight. Gracie was present at the presser and White said he was going to meet with the legend shortly.

- According to MMAjunkie, Jason Miller was recently signed by the UFC because as White said, "he was banned from fighting on Showtime and CBS." Matchmaker Joe Silva wanted him, so they signed the MMA veteran. This from USA Today:

"Mayhem, he's banished from CBS for life. In my opinion, he was a guy that was put into a position -- first of all, we control what happens inside that Octagon; the fighters do not. In our organization, you don't see melees break out in huge fights. And you see what happens when somebody does cross the line and does stuff like that," White said.

"I think Mayhem was put in a bad position. And I don't know -- I haven't talked to Mayhem about this; this is just what I believe, in conversations I've had with Joe Silva."

- White said Strikeforce is working on a fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson. He has zero involvement in the negotiations. UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta has taken the lead on trying to put that match together.

- White said he's disappointed with the ratings for Season 13 of "The Ultimate Fighter," but blames the time slot. White isn't happy that Spike bumped TUF up to 9 p.m. ET and put "Coal" at 10. He said TUF is battling some big-time programming on television in that time slot.

- He expects Cain Velasquez back in October. He could've returned earlier but suffered a setback in his recovery from a shoulder injury. Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos square off in June with the winner expected to battle Velasquez in the fall for the UFC heavyweight title.

- White is confident that the UFC 129 setup is better than the recent mega-fights featuring Manny Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium. He also said the promotion is considering opening more seats to add to the current 55,000 seat configuration (1:07:30 mark).

Some presser info courtesy of Yahoo!'s Kevin Iole and MMAjunkie's John Morgan.

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

Bernard Ackah Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama Gilbert Aldana José Aldo

idioticace96

It's the deepest class in the world, so much so that the top of the 155-pound division could be turned on its ear by this time next year. UFC champion Frank Edgar escaped with his title after fighting to a draw against Gray Maynard at UFC 125. Edgar's a great fighter, but people doubt him because of his size and lack of finishing prowess. With challengers coming at him from all directions, will Edgar still be the No. 1 lightweight in the world in Apr. of 2012?

Maynard, Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez and Jim Miller are probably all two wins away from being the undisputed top dog in the division.� With a hot 2011, Sean Sherk, Shinya Aoki, Melvin Guillard, Clay Guida, George Sotiropoulos and Evan Dunham could all force their way into the picture as well. Additional wild cards include Ben Henderson and Eddie Alvarez, if he can escape Bellator. Now that's depth.

Melendez certainly did his part last weekend against Tatsuya Kawajiri. He wasn't going to let judges screw up his first fight in front of Zuffa management. The Strikeforce lightweight champ made sure of that by unleashing a fury of elbows, knees and punches at Kawajiri.

Melendez is knocking at the UFC door for a fight against Edgar, Pettis, Maynard and the rest of the elite crew in the bigger fight promotion.

Melendez says his camp might be the best in the world. Looking at his competition with the "Skrap Pack," it's hard to disagree.

"It's discouraging in camp training with Nick [Diaz], Jake [Shields] and Nate [Diaz]," Melendez told HDNet's Inside MMA. "You question yourself, 'am I ready for this fight?' You know, you have these bad days. I'm getting smashed by these guys sometimes. And then you doubt yourself. And then you walk in there and you dominate, and then you realize that's how great your team is. We're evolving and we always constantly raise the bar against each other."

Yahoo!'s lead MMA writer Kevin Iole joined us to debate the future odds on an Edgar-Melendez fight and how he'd matchup against some of the other elite lightweights.

Here's my top 10 in Apr. of 2012:

1. Gilbert Melendez

2. Frank Edgar

3. Eddie Alvarez

4. Jim Miller

5. Anthony Pettis

6. Melvin Guillard

7. Gray Maynard

8. George Sotiropoulos

9. Ben Henderson

10. Evan Dunham

What's yours?

Crosley Gracie Gregor Gracie Ralek Gracie Renzo Gracie Rickson Gracie

idioticace96

by Michael David SmithIn an exciting if overlooked Saturday night fight card, Ronnie Mann put on an impressive showing in his Bellator Fighting Championships debut, while Richard Hale and Christian M'Pumbu advanced to the light heavyweight tournament final at Bellator 42.

Mann spent three rounds brutalizing an overmatched Josh Arocho, winning a unanimous decision in which one judge awarded him a shocking (but not completely unreasonable) 30-25 victory, while the other two judges gave him the more conventional 30-27 scores. The British Mann was making his Bellator debut, and he was confident and aggressive, displaying great positional control and violent ground and pound. Mann, who improved his professional MMA record to 19-2-1, showed that he's going to be a force to be reckoned with in Bellator's featherweight division, although he's going to have to beat much better opponents than Arocho, whose record fell to 6-10.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen Alex Andrade Jermaine Andrè Yoji Anjo

idioticace96

Canada sounds like it's stoked for UFC 129 and all its countrymen on the card next week in Toronto. Mark Hominick, a Thamesford-native is representing all of Ontario, he'll also be pushing the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. From Yahoo!'s CFL blog:

Hominick will wear a Tiger-Cats' hat as he enters the octagon; his shorts will also feature a Tiger-Cats' logo and an ad for Ticats.ca. The team's also running a contest which includes tickets to UFC 129 as a prize (along with plenty of other impressive stuff), and Hominick will also be featured at "MMA Night" at Ivor Wynne Stadium, which will take place July 16 when the Tiger-Cats host the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Andrew Bucholtz from 55-yard line says the CFL is capitalizing on something other major leagues are whiffing on:

MMA fans are also an excellent demographic for the Tiger-Cats to reach out to. The MMA fan base includes a lot of people in their 20s and 30s (partly because the sport's rise to prominence is still relatively recent), and that's a group the CFL would do well to try and draw. The CFL audience used to skew a lot older; I think that's starting to change, but there's still a need to bring in new, young fans, and a partnership with a prominent Canadian MMA fighter's an excellent way to at least increase the visibility of the Tiger-Cats' brand. From an image perspective, it's also a good thing for a CFL team to position itself as on the side of MMA; many established sports leagues and brands have somewhat turned up their noses at the UFC, and that's probably not a smart long-term strategy given the sport's rapidly growing popularity.

We're glad to see Ontario is welcoming MMA with open arms. Now it's time to work on its acceptance of the Lingerie Football League.

Andrei Arlovski Ricardo Arona Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio Mikhail Avetisyan

idioticace96

Is there anyone who doesn't want to talk smack about Michael Bisping? Alan Belcher slammed Bisping the other day so the Brit responded in typical "Count" fashion by smashing his Johnny Cash tattoo.

"He's got a lot of nerve calling me an [expletive] when he walks round with that on him [see picture above]," Bisping told Fighter's Only. "Although lets be fair, the real [expletive] is the tattooist who drew that."

Got to hand it to Bisping. That's a pretty funny comeback to being called an a-hole.

Belcher, returning from serious eye issues, said he could be back in the Octagon in September. During a conversation with Sherdog, he called out Bisping.

"Bisping is an [expletive] who disrespects the sport and his opponent. A fight between me and Michael Bisping is something everybody wants except for Michael Bisping. It would be amazing to sign that fight and have him come to my backyard," Belcher said. "He always gets to fight in Britain and other places, but it'd be good to see him come down to Louisiana. I'd love for that to be my comeback fight."

Belcher wants homecourt advantage versus Bisping when the UFC lands in New Orleans on Sept. 17.

Tip via MMAFix

Zelg Benkei Galesić Mauro Galvao Arman Gambaryan Manvel Gamburyan Sean Gannon

idioticace96

After a short break, the UFC's middleweight division has a ton of good fights falling into place. Today, the UFC announced Yoshihiro Akiyama is back and he'll face Vitor Belfort. Belfort is badly in need of a big win after getting booted in the face and losing to Anderson Silva back in February at UFC 126.

Akiyama and Belfort will square off at UFC 133 in Philadelphia in early August. Akiyama (13-3, 1-2 UFC) last fought in October at UFC 120. "Sexyama" was submitted in the final minutes against Chris Leben. He's lost two straight, but he's also garnered Fight of the Night awards his last three times out.

Here's a look at the rest of the scheduled bouts for 185ers near the top of the UFC's middleweight division.

UFC 130: Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago

UFC 131: Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz

UFC 132: Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben

UFC 134: Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami

We're still waiting for the next shoe to drop on middleweight bad boys Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping. Sonnen has to sit down with the Nevada State Athletic Commission in mid-May. The UFC has been tight-lipped about the actual penalty it handed down to Bisping for his spitting incident at UFC 127. One would think, he'll be back in the Octagon no later than July or August. Alan Belcher recently announced that he's ready to return in September.

The division lost one its bigger names with Nate Marquardt dropping to 170, where he'll debut against Anthony Johnson as the main event at UFC on Versus 4 in Pittsburgh in late June.

Traditionally, middleweight has been one of the promotion's weaker divisions. That could change once Strikeforce fighters like Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Tim Kennedy, Jason Miller and Robbie Lawler start crossing over.

Update:� That didn't take long. Miller has officially signed a deal with the UFC.

Todd Duffee Marvin Eastman Stav Crazy Bear Economou Yves Edwards Justin Eilers

idioticace96

*** Watch Complete 1/2hr HD Episodes on http://www.MMAheat.com *** MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant spends a few minutes with Jake Shields' head trainer, Tareq Azim, and hears why GSP will be pushed harder than he ever has been before when he faces the former Strikeforce champ. Tareq talks about Jake's weight cutting and preparation, and also gives insight to the Skrap Pack team's psyche (teammates include Nick and Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez and Daniel Roberts) Tareq also lets us know how ready Nate Diaz is for his fight against Rory MacDonald, which will be seen on Spike TV before the UFC 129 PPV event. Be sure to visit http://www.MMAheat.com for more interviews and archived episodes of our 1/2 hour TV show. N�s falamos Portugu�s! * We're on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MMAheat * Follow MMAheat on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MMAheat * Follow Karyn on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KarynBryant

Ricardo Almeida Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves Andre Amade Dean Amasinger

idioticace96

Georges St-Pierre's biggest fight is on the horizon. Not only is he finally taking on Jake Shields, his most-credentialed opponent in years, but it's the main event of a card that will have 55,000 screaming for Canada's best fighter. It's just a touch more pressure.

That means that GSP has had to pull out all the stops in getting ready for the fight. Hitting a tire? Done. Running with a parachute? So last year. Yoga? Who hasn't done that? No, GSP pushed the bounds on this fight camp.

Flip, flop and fly: GSP turned to gymnastics to cross-train for this fight. As a longtime fan of the gymnastics, I welcome this development in MMA training. Gymnasts have fantastic functional strength, body control, balance and flexibility, all characteristics that are useful in MMA. Plus, it gives us videos like this, so we can all giggle at GSP turning a cartwheel with the skill of a 9-year-old girl.

Hovercraft: It turns out that GSP has skills usually reserved for ghosts. See? He can hover.

More Freddie: GSP returned to boxing guru Freddie Roach to work on his striking for this bout. It helped GSP hammer Josh Koscheck with a jab in GSP's last bout, so why not return to what worked?

Ugly design: We've talked about the ugly shirt already this week, but wow. It deserves mention again. Affliction really brought the ugly for UFC 129.

Melvin Guillard Cody Guinn Jorge Gurgel Andre Gusmao Alexander Gustafsson

idioticace96

The media isn't moving fast enough for the UFC, so the promotion has decided to move forward with its own prefight and postfight shows. The sport is badly in need of consistent shows before and after the fights. Various websites and even ESPN has dipped their toe into prefight/postfight field, now the UFC is introducing UFC Central at UFC 129.

According to MMAjunkie, the show will be hosted by former WEC voice Todd Harris along with CBS Sports' anchor Molly Qerim. UFC fighters Stephan Bonnar and Kenny Florian will serve as analysts.

The UFC adds that during the PPV event UFC Central gives extra access to the viewer:

Once the UFC 129 live broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, UFC Central will only be available to fans that purchased the event for viewing on UFC.TV and will capture interviews with fighters on the fight card during the live broadcast as well as other analyst commentary.

UFC Central will be offered as a seventh video feed and fifth audio feed, leveraging UFC.TV's multi-camera view and multi-audio feed experience. During the live event, fans will have the option inside of UFC.TV to select UFC Central as the main broadcast; or, drag and drop it into Picture-n-Picture or Quad View so that UFC Central can be watched and/or listened to alongside the broadcast of the main fight card.

Immediately following the live broadcast, UFC Central will be offered for free at UFC.TV with post-fight analysis, making it the ultimate destination for the most comprehensive UFC 129 news.

The show on UFC.tv airs at 8 p.m. ET. MMAConvert points out that it's an interesting time slot because it counterprograms the UFC 129 undercard fights on Spike TV at 8.

One would assume this is the beginning of plenty of programming on "UFC Central." UFC president Dana White has always been bullish on the Internet.

"It is (the future), I'm telling you," White told MMAjunkie.com. "I've been saying it for 10 years. Everything is going Internet. I believe that everybody is going to be watching TV and be on the Internet."

The promotion is showing the first five undercard fights on its Facebook page beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

Shinya Aoki Andrei Arlovski Ricardo Arona Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio

idioticace96

*** Watch Complete 1/2hr HD Episodes on http://www.MMAheat.com ***MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant spends a few minutes with UFC welterweight Jake Ellenberger after his photo shoot and scanning session with Round 5, and gets his thoughts on the UFC 129 fight he took against Canadian Sean Pierson on short notice. Jake talks about how the fight materialized, what shape he was in when he got the call and how he feels to be one of the American "bad guys" on a card that features several Canadians, and which will also be the first UFC show in Ontario. Jake also fills us in on his training partner Jason Brilz' preparation for his fight with Vladimir Matyushenko.Be sure to visit http://www.MMAheat.com for more interviews and archived episodes of our 1/2 hour TV show. N�s falamos Portugu�s! * We're on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MMAheat * Follow MMAheat on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MMAheat * Follow Karyn on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KarynBryant

Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus Todd Duffee Marvin Eastman

idioticace96

*** Watch Complete 1/2hr HD Episodes on http://www.MMAheat.com ***MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant spends a few minutes with UFC welterweight Jake Ellenberger after his photo shoot and scanning session with Round 5, and gets his thoughts on the UFC 129 fight he took against Canadian Sean Pierson on short notice. Jake talks about how the fight materialized, what shape he was in when he got the call and how he feels to be one of the American "bad guys" on a card that features several Canadians, and which will also be the first UFC show in Ontario. Jake also fills us in on his training partner Jason Brilz' preparation for his fight with Vladimir Matyushenko.Be sure to visit http://www.MMAheat.com for more interviews and archived episodes of our 1/2 hour TV show. N�s falamos Portugu�s! * We're on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MMAheat * Follow MMAheat on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MMAheat * Follow Karyn on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KarynBryant

Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen Alex Andrade Jermaine Andrè

idioticace96

Welterweights Mike Pierce and Johny Hendricks have agreed to square off at UFC 133 on August 6 in Philadelphia.UFC 133 features Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama and Rich Franklin vs. Anthonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Ryan Gracie Peter Graham Forrest Griffin Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian

idioticace96

Presenting Steve Pleydell-Pearce, a British surf artist based in the South West of England, who likes to work with fast drying oil paints to complete paintings in one session. Impressive stuff…

www.clubofthewaves.com/surf-artist/steve-pleydell-pearce.php

Surf Art by Steve Pleydell-Pearce

www.stevepp.co.uk

Ryan Bader Siyar Bahadurzada Bao Ligao Josh Barnett David Baron

idioticace96

Tom Wright, the UFC Director of Canadian Operations, revealed Wednesday that a few hundred more seats may be made available for UFC 129 later this week. How many tickets does Canada need? Wow! The crazy Canadian fans blew out 42,000 seats at the Rogers Centre in record time and then quickly scooped up an additional allotment of 13,000. That means the only way to get into the giant baseball/football stadium now is the secondary market.

Seat Geek gave Yahoo! Sports these notes on the current ticket situation:

- Tickets are averaging $336 for the sold out event.
- This is a 25% increase over 128 in Newark which averaged $270.
- The "get in" price for UFC 129 is $111 for tickets in the mezzanine.
- Seats by the cage are going for up to $5,000

The Toronto Globe and Mail says the overall economic impact of UFC 129 in town could be huge. The Toronto Star's Cathal Kelly is on the other side telling fans don't bother. He can't fathom paying $800 to see a fight.

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

Siyar Bahadurzada Bao Ligao Josh Barnett David Baron Phil Baroni

idioticace96

by Michael David SmithFor the second consecutive Saturday night, Bellator has the mixed martial arts spotlight to itself, as Bellator 42 is the weekend's only major MMA card. The big question facing Bellator is whether the match-ups they've put together will result in the kind of exciting card that will get fans buzzing, and create a little momentum for the promotion heading into the home stretch of its fourth season.

Bellator 42 took a hit when Paul Buentello suffered an injury and had to pull out of his fight with Bellator heavyweight champion Cole Konrad, so whatever attention this card can garner will come from the semifinals of the light heavyweight tournament, and the promotional debut of Ronnie Mann.

Here are the basics on Saturday night's card:

What: Bellator 42

Where: Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma

When: Saturday, the MTV2 broadcast starts at 9 PM ET.

Predictions on the three main card fights below.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Matt Hamill Volk Han Joachim Hansen Antoni Hardonk Dan Hardy

idioticace96

UFC president Dana White talks about Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields at UFC 129 in Toronto, and answers the question: If GSP wins, will he have cleaned out the welterweight division, opening the door for a possible fight with Anderson Silva? Get more MMA and UFC news at the World's top MMA News website http://www.mmaweekly.com.

Gesias JZ Calvancante Luiz Cane Dos Caras Jr Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro

idioticace96

Mystery surrounds elite fighters and their ability to cut weight. How is it possible for Georges St. Pierre to drop 25 pounds by Friday afternoon before his fight with Jake Shields but gain most of it back and be full-strength by fight time on Saturday night?

It's no guessing game. Smart fighters treat nutrition as a science, carefully regulating their diet before fights. GSP's main trainer Firas Zahabi talked about what the UFC welterweight champ does to ensure a healthy weight cut.

Now he's on a protein and vegetable diet. Right now his exercise is significantly cut, but he's going to shed water. It's only temporary weight loss. It's not real weight loss. You're not dropping fat. (The final weight-cut) lasts about six days . . . By Friday he'll have six or seven pounds left and we'll put him in the sauna. I don't recommend this to anybody, even professional athletes. This is somebody who's very seasoned.

After GSP steps on the scale on Friday afternoon and weighs in at 170 lbs., his team will give him a carbohydrate-laden recovery drink. Then, he will eat normally and drink water to rehydrate. He'll weigh around 192 lbs. by the time he steps in the Octagon with Shields on Saturday night for UFC 129.

Some fighters start their eating plan months in advance. Mike Dolce, a nutritionist and former contestant on "The Ultimate Fighter," works with fighters to ensure a complete eating plan that helps fighters cut weight without the sauna. Like Zahabi, Dolce does not recommend sauna use.

"The guys who use the sauna to cut ten or twelve pounds, you're forcing your body to expel so much water so quickly that it's not discerning what water is safe to cut from the system and what water isn't. It's just taking it from wherever, and it becomes dangerous. That's where you see guys who don't recover from their weight cut. They look sluggish in their fight, and they defeat the whole purpose of all the training and the conditioning from their fight camp."

A recent study on wrestlers found that severe weight cuts could hurt their mental abilities in a match. Without using proper methods, fighters can find themselves in bad shape for their bouts.

Thanks to The Eh Game

Follow Yahoo! Sports on Facebook and be the first to know about the most interesting stories of the day.

Other popular Yahoo! Sports stories:
? 100-year-old fan gets gift of a lifetime
? College football player dies after leaving hospital
? NFL player a hero after saving lives

Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie Royce Gracie

idioticace96

by Michael David Smith

Shinya Aoki is one of the greatest submission specialists in mixed martial arts, so it was no surprise that Lyle Beerbohm was no match for him at Saturday night's Strikeforce event.

But it was a bit of a surprise just how easy Aoki made it: The whole fight lasted just a minute and a half, and Beerbohm all but invited Aoki to submit him with an odd game plan: Beerbohm charged forward and pressed Aoki against the fence in the opening seconds of the first round, a clear mistake that put Aoki in his wheelhouse when they fell to the ground.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans Urijah Faber Wagnney Fabiano

idioticace96

It's the deepest class in the world, so much so that the top of the 155-pound division could be turned on its ear by this time next year. UFC champion Frank Edgar escaped with his title after fighting to a draw against Gray Maynard at UFC 125. Edgar's a great fighter, but people doubt him because of his size and lack of finishing prowess. With challengers coming at him from all directions, will Edgar still be the No. 1 lightweight in the world in Apr. of 2012?

Maynard, Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez and Jim Miller are probably all two wins away from being the undisputed top dog in the division.� With a hot 2011, Sean Sherk, Shinya Aoki, Melvin Guillard, Clay Guida, George Sotiropoulos and Evan Dunham could all force their way into the picture as well. Additional wild cards include Ben Henderson and Eddie Alvarez, if he can escape Bellator. Now that's depth.

Melendez certainly did his part last weekend against Tatsuya Kawajiri. He wasn't going to let judges screw up his first fight in front of Zuffa management. The Strikeforce lightweight champ made sure of that by unleashing a fury of elbows, knees and punches at Kawajiri.

Melendez is knocking at the UFC door for a fight against Edgar, Pettis, Maynard and the rest of the elite crew in the bigger fight promotion.

Melendez says his camp might be the best in the world. Looking at his competition with the "Skrap Pack," it's hard to disagree.

"It's discouraging in camp training with Nick [Diaz], Jake [Shields] and Nate [Diaz]," Melendez told HDNet's Inside MMA. "You question yourself, 'am I ready for this fight?' You know, you have these bad days. I'm getting smashed by these guys sometimes. And then you doubt yourself. And then you walk in there and you dominate, and then you realize that's how great your team is. We're evolving and we always constantly raise the bar against each other."

Yahoo!'s lead MMA writer Kevin Iole joined us to debate the future odds on an Edgar-Melendez fight and how he'd matchup against some of the other elite lightweights.

Here's my top 10 in Apr. of 2012:

1. Gilbert Melendez

2. Frank Edgar

3. Eddie Alvarez

4. Jim Miller

5. Anthony Pettis

6. Melvin Guillard

7. Gray Maynard

8. George Sotiropoulos

9. Ben Henderson

10. Evan Dunham

What's yours?

Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita

idioticace96

by Michael David SmithFor the second consecutive Saturday night, Bellator has the mixed martial arts spotlight to itself, as Bellator 42 is the weekend's only major MMA card. The big question facing Bellator is whether the match-ups they've put together will result in the kind of exciting card that will get fans buzzing, and create a little momentum for the promotion heading into the home stretch of its fourth season.

Bellator 42 took a hit when Paul Buentello suffered an injury and had to pull out of his fight with Bellator heavyweight champion Cole Konrad, so whatever attention this card can garner will come from the semifinals of the light heavyweight tournament, and the promotional debut of Ronnie Mann.

Here are the basics on Saturday night's card:

What: Bellator 42

Where: Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma

When: Saturday, the MTV2 broadcast starts at 9 PM ET.

Predictions on the three main card fights below.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen Chris Dolman Edson Drago Tomasz Drwal

idioticace96

Is there anyone who doesn't want to talk smack about Michael Bisping? Alan Belcher slammed Bisping the other day so the Brit responded in typical "Count" fashion by smashing his Johnny Cash tattoo.

"He's got a lot of nerve calling me an [expletive] when he walks round with that on him [see picture above]," Bisping told Fighter's Only. "Although lets be fair, the real [expletive] is the tattooist who drew that."

Got to hand it to Bisping. That's a pretty funny comeback to being called an a-hole.

Belcher, returning from serious eye issues, said he could be back in the Octagon in September. During a conversation with Sherdog, he called out Bisping.

"Bisping is an [expletive] who disrespects the sport and his opponent. A fight between me and Michael Bisping is something everybody wants except for Michael Bisping. It would be amazing to sign that fight and have him come to my backyard," Belcher said. "He always gets to fight in Britain and other places, but it'd be good to see him come down to Louisiana. I'd love for that to be my comeback fight."

Belcher wants homecourt advantage versus Bisping when the UFC lands in New Orleans on Sept. 17.

Tip via MMAFix

Michael Bisping Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku Tony Bonello

idioticace96

Welterweights Mike Pierce and Johny Hendricks have agreed to square off at UFC 133 on August 6 in Philadelphia.UFC 133 features Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama and Rich Franklin vs. Anthonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko

idioticace96

Georges St-Pierre is a good-looking man. I say this not only from my own judgment, but because my friends who know nothing about MMA often ask about "that hot French-Canadian fighter." Objectively, he is nice to look at.

Perhaps this is why he thinks he can get away with having a ridiculously ugly shirt for his bout with Jake Shields.

Do I need to break down the ugliness? OK. The griffin with the mottled background and the too-small maple leaves combine with the actually cool GSP logo to say, "Too much." The best (worst?) part of this Affliction shirt of ugliness? It's reversible. No, really. You get two awful shirts in one, which is good because it costs $57.99. Buy it here, if you really, really want to.

Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio Mikhail Avetisyan Luiz Azeredo Luciano Azevedo

idioticace96

Filed under: UFC, News, Japan

Looking to get in the win column in the UFC for the first time, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto will have to wait a while longer.

The Japanese legend made his UFC debut in February, losing a unanimous decision against Demetrious Johnson in a fight "Mighty Mouse" dominated with takedowns. Yamamoto was expected to face Chris Cariaso at UFC 130 next month, but the UFC reported Wednesday an injury has forced him off the card.

Stepping in to fight Cariaso in the bantamweight bout will be Michael McDonald on less than five weeks notice. The fight is expected to take place as part of UFC 130's preliminary card.

Tony Bonello Stephan Bonnar Lorenzo Borgomeo Kyle Bradley Jai Bradney

idioticace96

Georges St-Pierre is a good-looking man. I say this not only from my own judgment, but because my friends who know nothing about MMA often ask about "that hot French-Canadian fighter." Objectively, he is nice to look at.

Perhaps this is why he thinks he can get away with having a ridiculously ugly shirt for his bout with Jake Shields.

Do I need to break down the ugliness? OK. The griffin with the mottled background and the too-small maple leaves combine with the actually cool GSP logo to say, "Too much." The best (worst?) part of this Affliction shirt of ugliness? It's reversible. No, really. You get two awful shirts in one, which is good because it costs $57.99. Buy it here, if you really, really want to.

Thiago Alves Andre Amade Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen

idioticace96

MMA fans disagree on nearly everything, from the best pound-for-pound fighter to the best promotion to even the prettiest ring card girl. However, there is one area that MMA fans, media, promoters and fighters do agree on -- the state of MMA judging is nothing short of sorry. Martin Kampmann, Nam Phan and Riki Fukuda were recent victims of egregiously bad judging, but rarely does a card go by that doesn't have at least one judges' decision that leaves the MMA world confused.

Two judges spoke up recently about their job, and how they arrive at decisions. Chuck Wolfe, who surprised Bellator fans by scoring Joe Warren 30-27 in a win over Marcus Galvao, despite the damage that Galvao inflicted on Warren during the second round. Wolfe defended his call:

"He had three rounds to take Warren out if he really wanted to beat him -- he had three rounds to dominate Warren, as well as Warren had three rounds to dominate him," Wolfe said. "It's up to the fighter. ... Don't leave it in the hands of the judges, especially when it's a close fight."

Yes, that's a judge saying, "Don't leave it in my hands." Wolfe mentions his credentials, but then essentially says, "Don't make me do the job." Imagine being at work and telling that to your boss. How long would it be before you cleaned out your desk?

Jeff Blatnick, an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling and an early player in building the UFC, now serves as a well-respected MMA judge. He allowed reporter Jim Genia to shadow him through a regional MMA event in New Jersey, explaining some of the nuances to judging that fans can't see from their seat in the stands or through their television screen.

"If a fighter winces from a landed punch, that means it scored," he says.� "If I hear the whoosh of a foot dragging on a takedown, it's a legitimate attempt at a takedown."

Blatnick acknowledges that there will be subjectivity among judges, because a judges has to compare apples and oranges. Does a takedown matter more than three elbows? How does a leg kick stack up next to a jab?

Judging is a problem in MMA, but one that is to be expected in a sport that has grown so much in a short time. Judges with backgrounds in wrestling or boxing or jiu-jitsu are having to learn the value of the other disciplines. What's clear is the need for ongoing education for current and new judges. Some states, like New Jersey and Ohio, already have stringent requirements for judges. Other states need to catch up.

The good news is that MMA recognizes the problem exists, which is the first step in fixing any debacle. Recently retired UFC vet Ricardo Almeida plans to go into judging, hopefully starting a trend for former fighters.

Education and more qualified judges will help, but something that any fan of a judged sport need to realize is that subjectivity will always creep into the judges' minds. Their decisions will forever be one more area of disagreement for MMA fans.

Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie Royce Gracie Royler Gracie Ryan Gracie

idioticace96

Welcome to our latest featured surf photographer; Shelli Bankier from the Gold Coast of Australia. The beauty of the blue sphere…

www.clubofthewaves.com/surf-photographer/shelli-bankier.php

Teahupoo, Tahiti by Shelli Bankier

www.bluespherephotography.com

Lorenzo Borgomeo Kyle Bradley Jai Bradney Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan

idioticace96

It's always been one of the bizarre phenomenons at MMA events.

What other sport has fans that give raucous ovations to "name" referees? For some reason, many MMA fans enjoy seeing "Big" John McCarthy and Herb Dean and show them the love. Somehow we don't see that happening anytime soon at baseball game with "Cowboy" Joe West or in the NBA with Joey Crawford.

McCarthy recognizes this oddit and he along with certain promoters may be cashing in on it. That doesn't sit right with Canadian promoter Mark Pavelich. The MFC chief throws a lot of bull at the wall and generally none of it sticks, but this time, he may have uncovered a pretty serious issue.

Pavelich says promoters are paying some MMA referees extra "appearance" fees to work events.

"It's outrageous and absolutely inappropriate. These certain referees are charging anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 just to show up, bark out a catchphrase, and supervise a fight. But these fees aren't being paid by any commission. They are paid by a show owner or promoter," Pavelich said in a recent MFC newsletter. "[...]
And how can you not call into question the ethics of these referees. Would you not expect their loyalties to be torn when some promoter is willing to pay them 10K, and that same referee is then calling the action when the promoter's top fighters are in action."

Pavelich says commissions need to lay down the law.

"There are a number of very good referees out there, including those that have worked recent MFC events. But even they shouldn't be allowed to just toss out a price tag, or have a commission toss out one for them. There should be a pay scale in place ? here's what you get paid (plus reasonable expenses) … take it or leave it," said Pavelich.

McCarthy responded to Pavelich on MMA.tv's Underground Forum and in doing so confirmed that he has received additional dollars to work events.

If I have a promoter contact me about working their show it is my right to ask for whatever fee I feel is fair. Most of the time that promoter is using my name to help promote their show and I should be compensated for that because it goes beyond the normal scope of the job. Now they are using you to help possibly sell tickets," said McCarthy.

In a sense McCarthy is right, that's not fair. But he also has the right to tell the promoter that his name can't be used in any promotional efforts to push the event.

"Have I ever made $10,000 to work a show, No. I have made different amounts of money throughout my career," McCarthy wrote. "Last night I worked a show and made $280 for the night."

McCarthy alleges that Pavelich is only pushing the issue as part of an agenda to help out a Canadian friend/official who's been left out of UFC 129 and several other big events in Canada.

Does anyone else see the potential problem here? In no way are we saying McCarthy, Dean or any of the other big-name referees would do a favor for a promoter or one of their star fighters, but anything that could potentially put any referee's integrity into question has to be stymied before the issue arises.

Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz Luke Cummo Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai Mac Danzig

idioticace96

Gilbert Melendez held onto his Strikeforce lightweight championship belt with a dominating performance at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley. Melendez quickly TKOed Kawajiri in San Diego on Saturday.

Melendez started aggressively in the first round, dropping Kawajiri with a right hook and then following up with a bevy of strikes. He took Kawajiri's back, and continued to land strikes even as Kawajiri struggled to his feet. When they returned to stand-up, Kawajiri, a noted wrestler, shot in for a takedown but Melendez sprawled, threw an upper cut and then followed up with strikes and elbows to finish the fight at 3:14 in the first round.

After he ran through Kawajiri, Melendez wanted to make it clear that he believes he's the best lightweight in the world, not UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

"I think it's time to unify some titles. I'm the No. 1 lightweight in the world. Let's get it done," Melendez said.

Melendez�hadn't been in the cage for a year;�his last win was over another Japanese fighter, Shinya Aoki. Melendez's record is now 19-2. Kawajiri, who faced numerous training difficulties because of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, was making his American debut. He�fell to 27-7-2.

Justin Eilers Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko

idioticace96

Fighting in front of 55,000 fans, a huge pay-per-view audience and increased media attention has to be great for the fighters at UFC 129. There is a downside. With all the interest, Jake Shields and Georges St-Pierre say the media crush has been unbelievable.

"It's always a distraction. For sure, I'm not gonna lie, the worst part is this," St-Pierre said. "Sometimes you have to wake up very early in the morning. It's bad because it messes up your sleep time."

Shields wants to be a company man, but when you body is on west� coast time, it makes it even tougher to fulfill your duties.

"I think they have me doing the same amount [of interviews as St-Pierre], which I'm not really used to," Shields said (0:15 mark). "I looked at my schedule up there and they have me getting up at seven in the morning for interviews, which is four o'clock in the morning my time.�It seems kind of ridiculous to me. I don't know."

The former Strikeforce middleweight champ will do what he's told. He's a quality dude. Watch him act like a pro as this crazy, smiling wacko is all over him.

Before you mock too hard, John D. Villareal is a pretty accomplished athlete. He's just a little too Tony Little-like.

GSP said he understands that the media requests are part of the business and those increase even more when you're a champion. He also knows it's how fans get their fill of the sport.

Most Excited Interviewer in the World tip via Cage Potato

Per Eklund Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto

idioticace96

With Ramsey Nijem's upset over Charlie Rader on last week's episode of The Ultimate Fighter 13, Team Velasquez remains in control of the matchups and chooses the latest opening round fight, but the winner may be unable to continue in the competition.

Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante Luiz Cane Dos Caras Jr

idioticace96

Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz talks about his win over Paul Daley.

Yves Edwards Justin Eilers Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis

idioticace96

The opinions are swirling on who comes out on top when Rashad Evans and Jon Jones step into the Octagon. The former teammates are on a collision course after Evans decided to leave, the only team he's known, Jackson's Submission Fighting in Albuquerque. Evans, who will challenge Jones for his UFC light heavyweight title, is training with camps in both Denver and Florida.

When we stopped by Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas to talk about this teammate versus teammate thing, the grappling coach Neil Melanson surprised us by saying he'd like to get Evans to Vegas.

"I feel my style of coaching is perfect for him," Melanson said (3:15 mark). "He's a wrestler and I've got a lot of experience with the wrestlers here. I think I can help him. He's really good already, but I would like to see him finish and I know he can finish on the ground."

From talking to some folks around Xtreme Couture it sounds like Jones' favorite status at minus-500 is a bit out of whack. Plenty of folks think he's got a good shot at taking the strap from the phenom.

Daiki DJ taiki Hata He Peng David Heath Delson Heleno Dan Henderson

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Friday, April 29, 2011

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Wednesday, April 27, 2011