• View topic - UFC 111: Frank Mir Is A “Natural Born Killer”

UFC 111: Frank Mir Is A “Natural Born Killer” Shane Carwin Be Careful

The Ultimate Fighting Championships will be staging it’s next big PPV event on Mar. 27 live from The Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Among other great match ups—including a welterweight championship showdown featuring Georges St Pierre putting his 170 lb title on the line against hungry British bruiser Dan Hardy—UFC 111 will also feature the big boys of the UFC.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will square off inside the now world famous octagon with Shane Carwin to effectively settle once and for all who will become the next challenger to the heavyweight throne.

The winner will move on to face a “reincarnated Silver-Back Mountain Gorilla” who comes to us in the form of a highly decorated collegiate wrestler and the current UFC heavyweight champion named Brock Lesnar.

With the scent and taste of blood still fresh on his lips from the last time he mauled, gored, and publicly humiliated Mir—at UFC 100—the blood thirsty Lesnar now anxiously waits on the sidelines for his next opportunity to display more of his ferocious behavior against his nemesis Mir.

Mir has been very outspoken also recently, regarding his own bloodthirsty desire to get revenge on the UFC heavyweight champion.

He caused quite a stir among those “politically correct” scribes with weaker stomachs—who would be better served as figure skating reporters—when he indirectly but firmly spoke of what his “mind set” would be like if and when he ever got another chance to enter the cage with Lesnar.

We sportswriters, most times, try to be as unbiased as possible, but I will admit that I’ve been a fan of Mir since watching his amazing standing arm-bar submission over Tim Sylvia at UFC 48, a move that visually snapped the large bone in Sylvia’s forearm.

Yes thats right, I liked it.

Sylvia, another huge fighter at 6′8″, 250 pounds, not unlike Lesnar, was also a dominant UFC champion at the time, but he had recently been stripped of the title for failing a random drug test.

The audible screams of stop ! stop ! stop !from referee Herb Dean could be clearly hear above the roar of the crowd as Sylvia’s arm was bent into a grotesque pretzel and snapped in half by the merciless new champion Mir.

This was the first evidence that Mir was nobody to mess with from the BJJ guard position, and if it weren’t for his career being interrupted by a potentially crippling motorcycle accident, he would have undoubtedly been a dominant champion even back then.

Since that fight at UFC 48 on June 19/04, Mir has proven it was no fluke by tapping out Lesnar at UFC 87, knocking out Minotauro Nogueira at UFC 92.

Most recently, Mir sent the masterful French kickboxer Cheick Kongo to “never, never land” with a perfectly executed guillotine choke at UFC 107.

To borrow a line from the greatest heavyweight boxer who ever lived, Muhammad Ali, “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a desire, a dream, a vision.”

The greatest heavyweight boxer of all time could have easily been describing a former mixed martial arts champion, such as Mir, who has certainly demonstrated rare human qualities—not only in his career, but also in his life.

Life skills which are extremely hard to come by, such as honor, integrity, courage, and a tremendous amount of pride.

Its highly unfortunate that warrior such as Mir has had his words twisted by pathetic so called sports writers , who’s only aim is to garner more reads to their website, or moire hits to a article which is filled with sensationalism, and blatant fallacy’s.

Trilogies in fight sports are extremely rare and popular, so, if Mir beats Carwin impressively, he may just find himself locked into another rubber-match of sorts between himself and the vicious behemoth.

Until then forgive me while I enjoy and take pleasure in watching this fabulous historic arm-bar submission; one in which Sylvia could have stopped at any time, but unfortunately chose to try and pullout of.

Good luck to all our cage fighting heroes, they deserve the highest respect from us.

We are merely keyboard warriors, or couch potato scribes, who only wish we had their courage and intestinal fortitude.

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• View topic - Brock Lesnar Kinda Defends Frank Mir

Quote:

“You know I don’t know what he [Frank Mir] thought… he’s still trying to pull his foot out of his mouth and when you say something like that and your wife has to go out and apologize for you, you know you pissed somebody off. I think his wife made the apology before he did probably…But you know in this sport of fighting. Fighting has come so far in such a short amount of time. We want to perceive ourselves as athletes and get the respect of the general public. Yeah it was out of line but in the fighters mentally I don’t want to go in the Octagon and kill somebody but I do want to do whatever I can to win. And maybe that’s what he was saying, I don’t know…But the guy should probably just focus on the task in front of him which is Shane Carwin because if Shane Carwin beats his ass he won’t be fighting me…. Hopefully he gets past Shane Carwin so I can put another beat down on him. For a guy to take an ass whopping like the last I gave him and for him to get up and keep running his mouth. You know I just got to laugh at it…I got to go back to a quote that he said before my second fight. He said if Brock Lesnar beats me, He will become the greatest mixed martial artist ever. And I guess he’s eating his words and he doesn’t want to say that again, he doesn’t want to admit that I am that much better than him…But I am truly hoping that Frank wins this fight so it sets us up for July and maybe the next beat down will … (laughs) I don’t know what I have to do to shut him up.”

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Liddell and Girlfriend working out in the Nude (vid added)

Quote:

Chuck Liddell working out -- naked.

Those were five words that WKR never expected to type.

We are feeling a little bit shell shocked after watching the video of Liddell working out naked --video with all the inappropriate parts blurred after the jump-- due to (a) the person recording the video breathing like a peeping tom from a horror movie (b) Liddell's flabby birthday suit (c) the fact he is even doing this and (d) the girl on the elliptical moving back and forth like a hypnotist's watch.

For the curious reader, the girl with Liddell is Heidi Northcott , who, according to The Big Lead, is Liddell's girlfriend. She is also the former girlfriend of Jose Canseco. WKR will give you a moment to run to the bathroom and vomit before continuing.

*waits five minutes*

And we're back.

Perhaps this video explains why Liddell has dropped off recently. Perhaps he has been unable to train himself into fighting shape as he wants to work out naked, which would make it diffcult and awkward to go through a MMA training camp.

WKR is curious how long the video remains online and how quickly Zuffa's lawyers will jump to the defense of "The Iceman".

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Liddell and his Girlfriend working out in the Nude

Quote:

Chuck Liddell working out -- naked.

Those were five words that WKR never expected to type.

We are feeling a little bit shell shocked after watching the video of Liddell working out naked --video with all the inappropriate parts blurred after the jump-- due to (a) the person recording the video breathing like a peeping tom from a horror movie (b) Liddell's flabby birthday suit (c) the fact he is even doing this and (d) the girl on the elliptical moving back and forth like a hypnotist's watch.

For the curious reader, the girl with Liddell is Heidi Northcott , who, according to The Big Lead, is Liddell's girlfriend. She is also the former girlfriend of Jose Canseco. WKR will give you a moment to run to the bathroom and vomit before continuing.

*waits five minutes*

And we're back.

Perhaps this video explains why Liddell has dropped off recently. Perhaps he has been unable to train himself into fighting shape as he wants to work out naked, which would make it diffcult and awkward to go through a MMA training camp.

WKR is curious how long the video remains online and how quickly Zuffa's lawyers will jump to the defense of "The Iceman".

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• View topic - Mir can't understand backlash

Mir can't understand backlash to provocative Lesnar comments

Quote:

Just because Frank Mir apologized, that doesn't necessarily mean he's sorry. It doesn't even mean that he knows precisely what he's supposed to be sorry for. Sure, he may have told a California radio station that he hates UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar and would like to "break his neck," making him "the first person that dies to Octagon-related injuries," but he's not convinced that the comment is really so incendiary, or even all that novel.

"When I got called in and they told me, 'Listen man, this is an issue,' I kind of had a smirk on my face the whole time," says Mir, who was quoted in a public apology for the remark on the UFC's Web site earlier this week. "I was like, you're kidding, right? This is a joke, right? I've heard people say that this is to the death. I've heard people say about an opponent, 'I'm going to kill him.' I heard Brock say he was going to put his hand up my rear end to pull out a horseshoe. I didn't hear anyone get too upset about that."

The man has a point. As uncomfortable as any comment about Octagon-related deaths might make some MMA fans who are already paranoid about the mainstream perception of the sport, Mir isn't the first prominent fighter to walk that road. Lightweight champ B.J. Penn has threatened to kill opponents before, or at the very least fight them until someone dies. Former light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell recently expressed a desire to end Tito Ortiz's life when they meet for a third time, and that prompted no outrage.

In fact, in an interview prior to their rematch at UFC 100, Lesnar was quoted as saying that he was eager to "murder" Mir. What, exactly, is the difference between the two remarks, except that Mir was more specific with regards to method?

"No one's been able to explain it to me yet," Mir says. "I thought we understood that what we say on camera is part of the entertainment aspect of our sport and we kind of get a little artistic license. It's not like I said this to my neighbor, that if his dog shows up in my yard one more time I'm going to kill him. That would be bad. That's a problem. I didn't understand it, but hey, it came my way, I said it, and I can't cry about it now. I've just got to deal with it, I guess."

Dealing with it meant putting his name on the apology put forth by the UFC, which included an assurance from UFC president Dana White that Mir had "been talked to" and now "regrets what he said." That turns out to be about half true. If there's one thing Mir doesn't seem to regret lately, it's speaking his mind. Even when it brings criticism, the former UFC heavyweight champ is going to tell you what he really thinks.

Take his comments about Cheick Kongo before they met at UFC 107. Mir called Kongo's ground game one of the worst in the UFC's heavyweight class. When that drew heat from some fans, Mir refused to back away from the remark. He believed it, so why apologize for saying it?

"Any time you try to play to what you think people want you to be like, you're setting yourself up for disappointment," Mir says. "Some people are still going to hate you and some people are still going to like you, but if you're not even saying what you really think then they aren't even liking you for who you really are. If someone asks me a question, at least they can know that the answer I give is what I really think. Then, if they dislike me, at least they're disliking who I really am because I really did say that."

The same is true with the Lesnar situation, though Mir feels the need to point out, he doesn't literally want to kill Lesnar. No more than Penn wanted to kill Georges St. Pierre, anyway. The excessive rhetoric, that's just his way of getting a point across, he says.

If nothing else, the situation helps to illuminate the ways in which Lesnar has become Mir's white whale. With their series knotted at one win apiece, getting a rubber match has become almost an obsession with Mir, who said he became despondent upon hearing rumors that Lesnar's illness might end his fighting career before they ever got to meet again.

Even if Lesnar weren't the champ, Mir says, he'd be just as focused on getting a third fight with him. But that doesn't mean Mir is overlooking Shane Carwin, who he'll be facing on Mar. 27 for the interim heavyweight championship. On the contrary, since the winner is tentatively scheduled to get the next shot at Lesnar, defeating Carwin is vital to his long-term plans.

"We all have our reasons for why we do things," Mir said. "It's like a guy trying to become the champion. It's not that his dream of becoming a champion is distracting him from the fight in front of him. It's just that those goals are part of his motivation. It's one more reason to go to the gym. For me, my goal of fighting Brock Lesnar again isn't distracting me, because I know I have to beat Shane Carwin and really beat him to get that third match with Brock. It's not that I'm not thinking about Shane, because I am. I'm also thinking about all the things that will come with that victory."

One of those things may be the chance to write the final chapter in his saga with Lesnar, but with that comes the possibility that the current champ may hold him to account for his words in painful and embarrassing fashion. To Mir, that's the beauty of being in the fight business. Opponents might not like what he has to say, whether he believes it to be true or not, but it's of little consequence once the cage door slams shut.

"If he thinks I'm wrong," says Mir, "he can prove it to me."

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• View topic - Frank Mir Apologizes for Comments: Should the Fans Accept?

"I would like to apologize to Brock Lesnar, his family, the UFC, and the UFC fans for my stupid remarks. I respect Brock, all the other fighters, and the sport of mixed martial arts. I’m sorry that I stepped out of line."—Frank Mir

I figured that it would be most appropriate that I write about Mir’s apology, because in fairness, I was probably one of his toughest critics in these past couple of days.

First, please let me speak on behalf of myself—and myself alone—when I say that Mir’s apology is absolutely accepted.

“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.”—Bruce Lee

In fact, I should be thanking Frank Mir.

Despite what some fight fans may think, I do not hate Frank Mir. I never have.

Have I been a bit critical of him for some of his “mind-game” antics? Yes.

Did he annoy me during his stint as a TUF coach with his constant “Junie...Niiiiiiicce!” remarks? Yes.

So then, why (at the risk of sounding like a back-peddler—which would require an apology, by the way) am I thanking Frank Mir?

I am thanking him, because if not for him, we would not have all been discussing the issue of fight-hyping, trash-talking, and “how far is too far?”

Here is an obvious example: "I want to fight Brock Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person that dies to Octagon-related injuries.”—Frank Mir, WXDX Radio

It’s tough to say that this comment crossed the line because in fairness to Mir, there was no predetermined line to cross. Bad behaviour has been tolerated and excused by many up until this point, and there needs to be a higher level of accountability and professionalism in MMA if we want this sport to continue its incredible growth as an industry (still not legal in New York and Ontario).

For all of the complaining that fight fans did when Brock Lesnar first came into the UFC about not wanting it to emulate the poor characteristics and bad behaviours typically found in the WWE, I was surprised that some fans didn’t really have a problem with Mir’s remarks. In fact, they liked them.

Personally, I found them unprofessional, irresponsible, and downright idiotic.

Anyway, enough said about that. We all make mistakes.

It’s water under the bridge for this fight fan.

Lord knows that I am in no way perfect, and the folks that are probably the most upset with me for writing my last article (c’mon Gary...how ‘bout a hug?!) would certainly be the first in line to tell you exactly that.

I accept that about myself, and I accept that about Frank Mir.

I take my responsibility as a parent and as a coach seriously.

Maybe a little too seriously sometimes...

In fact, a common trend amongst my articles (even the ones bashing Tito) has been ensuring that all professional athletes act in a way that influences our youth positively and responsibly.

Admittedly, Frank Mir had me second guessing my own involvement in this sport. Even some of the comments by the fans had me wondering, why on earth I would want to associate my name and reputation with MMA.

Then, I received this private e-mail from a young man:

“I was trying to get my dad to watch MMA. I was showing him stuff on the web and telling him about the sport. When we came up on Mir’s comments . He is a very critical man and decided he did not think much of the sportsmanship. This morning I sent him a link to your article. He liked what he read. He emailed me back and said maybe. I appreciate your article because it does show that the fans are not barbaric and do not think it should be tolerated. I read somewhere Mir would not let his children watch TUF because of a reason that in my opinion was not even close to what he said. Please excuse spelling and capital letters I’m really trying.”

This has really inspired me to keep going and so, like it or not, I will continue to speak out on the things that I do not like about this sport, in the hopes that one day, it could be something that everyone would all be proud to let their own children get involved with (it’s all about planting “roots,” folks).

Look, I’m not a naive guy.

I know that this is a violent sport. I just really thought that Mir went too far.

More than anything, I felt that Mir’s remarks warranted a serious discussion, exploring all possible consequences.

Martial arts, for me, has NEVER been about violence. I don’t see any competitive fighting sport that way. I have always looked at it more like a physical chess game.

A Sport!

Why would I want to endorse and promote MMA if I thought that it was just stupid brutality?

I could just go down to any local bar instead and watch two idiots kick the crap out of each other for free.

You can call me soft if you want (thanks Stoke), but I call it...being responsible.

And in the best interests of Frank Mir and his mental health, I feel the following quote by a “fan” sums it up best:

“Realistically, the loss to Lesnar has obviously affected Mir and it's clear that he's got some issues involving Lesnar to the level that his judgment is clouded on subjects relating to Brock. I know when I heard him say his motivation to train insane and beat Kongo was so that he could one day tear off Brocks arm in a rematch, I actually was on the fence about where Frank was mentally with his loss. I don't wonder now, Frank needs some closure on that issue, whether it's in the cage or in a therapists room, he needs it badly, it's clear. We've all said and done things we have regretted or STILL regret because we haven't reconciled the situation and I'm pretty sure at SOME point it would be prudent for Frank to make an apology for what was said and rectify his career in the sport.”

Frank Mir is without a doubt a future Hall of Famer in this sport.

We should all want what is best for him.

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• View topic - UFC 111 Hits The Big Screen In HD

Quote:

ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® DEBUTS LIVE
ON THE BIG SCREEN NATIONWIDE IN HIGH DEFINITION
WITH UFC 111: ST-PIERRE VS. HARDY ON
SATURDAY, MARCH 27

NCM Fathom and UFC® Announce Partnership in First-Ever
Year-Long Series of In-Theater UFC Events Beginning this March
in More than 300 Select Movie Theaters

Centennial, Colo. – Feb. 22, 2010 – For the first time in UFC® history, UFC fans can head to their local movie theater and take in all the action in the Octagon™, live and broadcast in high definition on the big screen starting with UFC 111: St- Pierre vs. Hardy on Saturday, March 27 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern / 7:00 p.m. Pacific.

Dana White, UFC President, today announced the UFC has closed a deal with NCM Fathom to present a series of live UFC fights in more than 300 select movie theaters nationwide, as well as plans to have UFC fighters host screenings in various markets. Tickets are available to this special in-theater event at www.FathomEvents.com and presenting theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit the web site (theaters and participants are subject to change).

“This is an opportunity to provide our fans with another cool way to watch UFC programming on the big-screen, live, in high-def and in surround sound,” said White. “UFC 111 has a stacked undercard and St-Pierre vs. Hardy and Mir vs. Carwin are both title fights, so this is the perfect event to kick off our new deal with NCM Fathom.”

UFC 111: St- Pierre vs. Hardy features reigning UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre vs. British bomber Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy and former heavyweight champion Frank Mir vs. number one contender Shane Carwin for the interim UFC heavyweight title. In addition, theater-goers can watch the entire UFC 111 live card, including welterweights Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves, lightweights Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek and welterweights Ben Saunders vs. Jake Ellenberger.

“Fathom audiences have long been waiting to see UFC events in their local theaters around the country and now, for the first time, fans can experience the action-packed excitement of the UFC on the big screen in pure high definition,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom. “Teaming up with the UFC for this series is a major milestone for our alternative program schedule in movie theaters and promises to give fans an intense opportunity to cheer on their favorite fighters, front row center.”

Broadcast live from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, UFC 111: St- Pierre vs. Hardy will be shown in more than 300 select movie theaters including AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark USA Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements and Regal Entertainment Group movie theaters, as well as the Carolina Theatre (Asheville, NC), Palace Cinema 9 (South Burlington, VT) and Penn Cinema (Lititz, PA), through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s largest cinema broadcast network.

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre (fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 19-2 professional record) has been unstoppable since regaining the title in 2008. The 28-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt holds two career wins a piece over the legendary Matt Hughes and current UFC lightweight champion and former welterweight champion BJ Penn. The 170-pound champ defended his crown most recently against feared striker Thiago Alves at UFC 100 last July, and now St-Pierre makes his fourth title defense against one of the fiercest threats to his crown in UK superstar Dan Hardy.

Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy (fighting out of Nottingham, England, 23-6 1 NC) is unbeaten in the UFC and fresh off wins over Marcus Davis and Mike Swick. A black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the brash 27-year-old is looking to extend his seven-fight win streak as he becomes the first British fighter to contend for a UFC title. With 11 wins by KO/TKO and three by submission, the UK fighter with the 4-0 mark in the UFC always looks for the finish.

Winner of four of his last five fights, former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev., 13-4) has put on the necessary muscle and weight to face the biggest challengers in the heavyweight division, and he is refocused on earning back the world title. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with immensely improved striking, the 30-year-old knocked down feared striker Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 and then proceeded to submit the French contender with a guillotine choke, putting him firmly back in the title picture.

Originally scheduled to face UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, No. 1 contender Shane Carwin (fighting out of Denver, Colo., 11-0) has been on a tear ever since he stepped foot into the Octagon. A former national wrestling champion with dynamite in his fists, Carwin has made quick work of all three of his UFC opponents, finishing Christian Wellisch, Neil Wain and Gabriel Gonzaga within 91 seconds each. Now he takes the next step in his career against Frank Mir.

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• View topic - Frank Mir Should Be Arrested After Death Threat on Lesnar

Death Threat Law & Legal Definition: “Under state criminal codes, which vary by state, it is an offense to knowingly utter or convey a threat to cause death or bodily harm to any person.”—www.definitions.uslegal.com

“The offence of utter death threat may be prosecuted by summary conviction or by indictment. If prosecuted by indictment, the accused person is entitled to elect trial by jury and upon conviction is liable to up to five years jail.”—www.defencelaw.com

“I want to fight Brock Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person that dies to Octagon-related injuries.”—Frank Mir, WXDX Radio

Not exactly the usual non-literal metaphor of “I’m gonna kill that guy!” that is heard so often in competitive sports.

In fact, I don’t think that a summer goes by where my son, who plays middle linebacker, doesn’t have at least a dozen other kids telling him that he’s a “dead man” out on the football field (easier said than done by the way).

As a coach, I may not believe such a frivolous threat in literal terms, but make no mistake, I am always conscious and aware of any perceived intent to injure another player, regardless if it’s my son or not.

Contact sports can be very emotional. I take nothing for granted and my responsibility as a coach prevents me from underestimating potentially inappropriate intentions to hurt or injure another player.

Given Mir’s recent obsession with Lesnar, which became stalwartly fuelled by his prior embarrassing defeat, Mir’s comments must be taken seriously by the UFC, as well as the authorities.

They simply must.

We cannot pretend to know Mir’s current state of mind. We cannot make assumptions that Mir is simply “hyping” a fight, and we cannot ignore the potential danger of this incredibly unfortunate situation.

Some of you may be thinking that this is a slight overreaction or that this is possibly even an acceptable level of behaviour in sports (which as a stand-alone opinion, I would have to strongly disagree).

But what if in this particular case, you are wrong?

What if Mir is deadly serious?

I really hope that the Governor of New York State or the Ontario Premier didn’t catch wind of Mir’s incredibly disturbing and irresponsible remarks. Trying to get MMA legalized is tough enough it seems, and this absolutely plays right into the old stereotype that MMA is nothing more than a ruthless, lawless “bloodsport.”

Without a doubt, it makes the UFC (Mir’s employer) and all of MMA in general, look extremely bad.

Even worse, it makes each of its supporters look bad as well (guilty by association). Believe it or not, Mir’s reputation becomes our reputation. It’s like Frank Mir reached out through the media and punched every single MMA fan square in the face.

This absolutely is “one step forward—two steps back.”

Bottom line: it insults and undermines all of our hard work in this sport.

Personally, I have been a long time advocate and supporter of all things MMA and I have taken it upon myself to speak out on the things that I don’t particularly like. I have consistently refused to sit back and accept the negatives of this sport, even if it has sometimes meant that I had to against popular opinion.

I refuse to accept bad behaviour as a natural part of this sport.

I have been a martial artist in the truest sense of the word for my entire life and I believe very strongly in the values of sportsmanship and honour.

I believe strongly in the good things found in MMA (and I hope that if you are reading this—you do to).

It’s the bad things that I have intolerance for and I have never given up trying to make a positive difference.

Frank Mir now has me asking myself “why?”

Why am I putting my personal reputation on the line amongst my friends, my peers, my colleagues, my family members, my children, my players, my community?—trust me, the list is very long.

I speak out and voice my opinions because I love this sport and I believe in its future. Or at least, I thought I did.

Now I’m not so sure.

This whole thing about “hyping” a fight just goes too far in my opinion, even for combat sports.

I believe that all professional athletes have a social responsibility to act in a way that should not be deemed illegal or as a detriment to their sport. The entire MMA community will now suffer at the hands of Frank Mir who has pushed us back into the stone ages and created a major set-back in MMA’s drive for mainstream acceptance.

So the question is: what should be done about Mr. Francisco Santos Mir?

I’ll just leave you with this:

“After lying on the ice for several minutes, Moore was removed on a stretcher. He suffered three fractured vertebrae in his neck, a grade three concussion, vertebral ligament damage, stretching of the brachial plexus nerves, and facial cuts. To date, Moore has not appeared in another professional hockey game.

Bertuzzi was suspended indefinitely by the NHL, and lost approximately $850,000 in salary and endorsements. The Vancouver Canucks were also fined $250,000, on March 11, 2004, for “…failure to prevent the atmosphere that may have led to [the incident].”

Responsibility, folks.

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All that said, Bertuzzi is playing today and being cheered by his fans which is just sad. I watched the Moore getting hurt game and some stupid Canuck fans said he "had it coming". They said he had to be accountable for a bad hit on Näslund, the hit which the NHL looked at and said was legal. But either way, they were going to get him. Once they played again in Vancouver, Moore was called out for the hit by Matt Cooke and it was a pretty even fight. This pissed off the ex Colorado coach even more. Moore was told by the CO coach not to fight again, not sure about this but I think if you fight twice in one night you miss a game. Again, not sure about that but either way, Moore was told no more fighting by the coach. I recall CO. beating Vancouver pretty bad that night when Bertuzzi pulled that gutless act.

I think Bertuzzi ended up only missing about 20 games when it was all said and done, it's been about 5 years now and Moore has yet to play again. This is what the POS Bertuzzi had to say after a year, " I'm sure just like Steve Moore and his family, it's been difficult for both parties. I know I wish that day never happened. It's been some tough times, but I've got good family and good friends and good peers in the league that have helped me get over the hump and move forward and come through it." really you cock. Difficult for both parties, FUCK YOU Bertuzzi, I wish you were only allowed to come back once Moore came back. The sooner you are out of the game, the better the NHL will be. Crawford should also NEVER been allowed to be part of the NHL.

And guys, it's been 5 years since this happened and I remember it like yesterday. If Bertuzzi and or Crawford got hit and killed by a bus tomorrow, I would not be sad. Not sure if I would say good and celebrate but I can't say I wouldn't either. Again, 5 years and still this much emotion over this. And Moore wasn't even a good player for the Avs, he was just a young up and comer starting to get more and more ice time. And I still feel this way. I'm sure 5 years from now, I will feel the same.

Imagine if Brock and Mir fight their rubber match and Brock breaks his neck going for a take down or Mir does a triangle and accidentally breaks Brock's neck. This would just kill the UFC and maybe MMA in the states. Congress would get all involved. As James said, MMA in New York and parts of Canada would never pass. This was just a stupid, stupid thing to say. If Mir does not apologize within in the next few days, I will be very, very upset. Dana can't be happy this was said at all. Tito, the king of saying stupid shit has never said anything this stupid.

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• View topic - Hardy: Koscheck and Fitch had their chance

Dan Hardy: Koscheck and Fitch had their chance against GSP -- and they got beat up

Quote:

Josh Koscheck has been one of the biggest opponents of Hardy’s position and Dan responds:

He’s just bitching because I’m in this position and he’s not. There are a lot of guys out there and I know Jon Fitch said a few things the other day as well. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion and I’m sure those guys feel like they’re in a better position than me to contend for the belt, but they don’t know me and they don’t know what experience I’ve got and the fights I’ve come through to get to this stage. They’ve all had their chances and we know how those fights ended. Koscheck got beat up, Jon Fitch got beaten up, name it and GSP’s gone through them.

Is it an attempt to take away the underdog position Hardy is so used to fighting in or does Dan present a serious problem to Georges? Dan weighs in:

I think he’s a smart champion, you know the reason he’s got the belt is because he takes people very seriously and he trains hard for all his fights. I don’t think he’s saying that because he doesn’t believe it. I’m sure obviously he thinks he’s within his ability to win the fight comfortably and I think partly the reason why he’s saying that is to kind of cover his own back a little. He’s in a situation where he has to win the fight, if he loses to me that alters the direction that his career is going. It’s a bigger fight for him than it is for me, oddly enough…Georges St. Pierre is in a position where he beat everybody there is to beat and now he’s fighting guys who offer a lot greater risk than there is a gain in the fight – he’s risking a hell of a lot stepping into the Octagon with me.

I’m in a situation where not only can I shock the MMA world, but I can shock everybody, even people within my team. This is the Muhammad Ali in the Thrilla in Manila, the fight he was never supposed to win, or you know, Dan Gable at the 1976 Olympics, or the 83’ Raiders. The ones who have been counted out all the way throughout history that all of a sudden just applied themselves at the right point with the right game plan and the right mentality and shocked the world and people look back and get inspired by those stories, and that’s what I’m doing right now, I’m just creating that story.

I’ve not really had the opportunity or the chance to show people my ground game. I’ll be honest I’m not about winning by submission; I don’t enjoy winning by submission. I’ve got all the respect in the world for people that can take somebody down and submit them, but I like putting a beating on somebody – that’s just in my nature. The reason people don’t see my ground game is because I don’t think like a jiu jitsu guy. My intention is to put fist to face as often as possible and win the fight that way… I think I am very underestimated with my ground game and my wrestling. I’m hoping, well I know that Georges St. Pierre is the guy that can force that ground game out of me.

Georges recently conceded that there are a lot of MMA fighters in the sport, but not a lot of MMA artists, and that was the reason he was going to win on March 27th – Hardy responds:

That’s his opinion, and my opinion is that the thing that is going to get me through this fight is the fight in me – I’m going to be able to go through hell to get to the end of this fight and I don’t think Georges can do that. That’s the difference between an athlete and a fighter. You know I’m not the most athletic guy in the world, I’m probably not the most gifted fighter out there, but I’ll grit my teeth and go toe to toe with anybody. I like those odds – that’s a fifty/fifty chance of landing my shot and I’m all for that…at the end of it I’m there, I’m just chasing glory.

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• View topic - Silva vs. Bisping FightMetric Numbers

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• View topic - With Australia now "infected," maybe OZ TUF in works

With Australia now "infected," UFC considering Melbourne event, "TUF" expansion

Quote:

Earlier this week Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White said Australia will become an annual host site for the promotion.

And following's Saturday's successful UFC 110 event and Australian debut, which drew a promotional non-U.S. record crowd of 17,831 attendees to Sydney's Acer Arena, White said the roots are now in place for continental dominance.

With fans now promoting the UFC as much (if not more) than the promotion can do on its own, White expects not only a future event in Melbourne but a possible Australian version of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series.

White said the key was making a debut; the fans and the product will now do the rest.

"That's our philosophy everywhere we go, and that's really how we got this think kickstarted in the U.S., too," White said. "We believe that when you move into a new territory or country, and when you expose everybody to it, they'll get into it. We believe in the product that much.

"We also believe that when you bring a live event, the 20,000 people that were here tonight will leave and they'll infect another 30 or 40 people (each) with what they saw. And it's been proven in all the different places that we've gone, so that was our strategy here, too."

White's seen the strategy work in various new U.S. locales, including Ohio and Tennessee, and international markets such as Canada and parts of the U.K.

But while other markets have required a learning curve to understand and appreciate some of the intricacies of the sport, especially the ground game, White was pleased with what he saw at Acer Arena.

"The thing that means the most to me is how educated the crowd is here," he said. "These guys were loud and energetic and excited, but a very educated crowd here in Australia. That goes to show us where the market really is."

That's why the UFC wants to return in 2011 to Melbourne, the second-largest Australian city (3.9 million residents) behind only Sydney, and why the UFC is considering Australia for one of its upcoming international editions of "TUF," which has produced 10 successful seasons in the U.S. while on Spike TV.

"We're working on taking it international," White said of the "TUF" series. "We're working on that right now. We've got a couple countries nailed down that we're definitely going to do.

"Australia is definitely one we're interested in doing."

Meanwhile, the commitment to Australia is a bonus for Australian fighters such as George Sotiropoulos, who picked up the biggest win of his career with a unanimous-decision victory over Joe Stevenson on the UFC 110 main card.

"I haven't received that sort of reception in any of my fights.," he said. "I've always had a good reception when I fought but nothing compared to what I got [at the weigh-ins] and tonight (at UFC 110). It's the best feeling in the world."

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• View topic - Brock Lesnar: Surpassing Fedor’s Legacy in Three Easy Steps

"Avoid stepping into a great man's shoes. What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If you succeed a great man, you will have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making."

Fedor Emelianenko, has been considered by many (but not all) as being the best heavyweight fighter in the world for the last eight years (and yet, most people I talk to have never even heard of him).

Several mixed-martial arts publications and websites currently rank Fedor as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and many analysts, as well as former and current fighters, consider Fedor to be the greatest mixed-martial artist of all time (sorry...but that honour goes to Bruce Lee ).

Rumour has it even that Fedor once stubbed his big toe and wiped out the entire country of Kazakhstan in the process.

Oh wait...that was Chuck Norris .

My bad.

Either way, whether it’s just perception (which is nine-tenths of reality anyway) or fact, Fedor Emelianenko has earned the respect and admiration from his fans as the reigning king of MMA and nobody, not even the great UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, can take that away from him...or can he?

And speaking of Lesnar, what’s a guy gotta do to get a little respect around here?

After all, Lesnar does have a record of 4-1 inside of the Octagon (oh wait...that’s just one of the problems).

Lesnar won the UFC heavyweight championship with a record of only 3-1, while Fedor didn’t win his first championship (PRIDE) until he had a record of 13-1 (which included a win over Bobby Hoffman, who Fedor never actually fought, but still got credit for the win on his record).

It is clear that in order for Lesnar to gain the same level of respect and admiration that Fedor currently has, he is going to have to follow a very similar path to success by matching and eventually surpassing the achievements of “The Last Emperor.”

Lucky for Lesnar, I just so happen to have three suggestions that could potentially help him out.

Step One: Fight lots of “Tomato Cans” because many fight fans only respect large, unbeaten records

Unfortunately, it has gotten to be all about quantity in MMA—not quality.

I am starting to get a strong sense that MMA is going to be taking this page away from the boxing industry, which will become an unwelcomed trend that will affect the quality of all future fight cards (Bobby Lashley, anyone?).

Not saying that Fedor doesn’t have some quality wins on his record, such as a prime Nogueira and more recently, Brett Rogers , but let’s be perfectly honest fight fans—there are a lot of names on Fedor’s win record that only add to the conspiracy that has become Fedor’s success in MMA.

Lesnar may only have a few fights under his championship belt, but they are all impressive when you consider his inexperience in the sport and the dominant fashion in which they were all won.

Why Fedor ever fought Tim Silvia for his 30th win is beyond me.

How exactly does that secure and benefit his legacy in any way?

Step Two: Fight Fedor

“Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.”

Sorry, but I find it incredibly hard to believe that Fedor could beat Lesnar. This is a debate that has been raging on amongst hardcore, extremist MMA fans ever since the threat of Lesnar appeared on the horizon.

So why ruin the fun, right?

Fedor refuses to fight Lesnar, not because he is afraid of Lesnar, but because he has more to lose than adding a loss to his otherwise perfect record.

The myth, the man, the legend—all will get flushed once Lesnar destroys Fedor in such a way that it will make Mir’s decimation seem like foreplay.

If Lesnar doesn’t find a way to make this fight happen (hey Brock...hop on a plane and get your big ass over to Russia), he will forever live in Fedor’s shadow.

This must become Lesnar’s top priority No. 1, or he will absolutely regret it.

Fedor knows this.

Step Three: Stop stirring up so much controversy

“The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated: In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you.”

Some fans refuse to believe that Lesnar is as good as he is because they don’t like him as a person. They refuse to root for a guy who behaves so ignorantly.

Then again, Lesnar was never likely going to be fully accepted as a result of his involvement with the WWE anyway, so knowing this likely hasn’t helped Lesnar with that rather large chip on his shoulder.

Lesnar had a shot at redemption after he got sick, which from a public relations standpoint, almost never happens, and he absolutely blew it .

He had better start volunteering his time at the Sick Kids Hospital or something, because his whole attitude of not caring what the fans think, or whether or not they like him, will be something that he will look back on in his life with disappointment.

I know I initially stated three suggestions, but this one is for sure the most complicated.

There is no easy solution for Lesnar’s ailing relationship with the fans, especially for a champion who publicly appears to care less.

Yikes.

I just hope that at the end of their careers, we will remember these two men as they are, instead of how we wanted (or needed) them to be.

By my standards, Fedor is a simply a better “champion” than Lesnar, and that has nothing to do with wins and losses.

Respect. Honour. Attitude.

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• View topic - UFC's Lawsuit Against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Quote:

Seemingly slipping past everyone’s notice, on November 3, 2009, the UFC filed a lawsuit against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson seeking declaratory relief on Jackson’s contract in a Las Vegas courtroom. The complaint details the dispute with Jackson over his decision to pull out of UFC 107, as well as the communications between Jackson’s management and the UFC.

According to the complaint, on September 22, 2009, Jackson posted a blog on his website stating he was done fighting. The UFC took this to be an official statement of retirement, and exercised their right under the promotional agreement to suspend the contract pending Jackson’s return to the UFC. After sending Jackson a letter notifying him of the suspension, Jackson’s manager, Anthony McGann, responded with a letter stating that Jackson was ready to renegotiate his contract. The letter also threatens to proceed "in the courts" if Zuffa is unwilling to renegotiate.

The complaint asserts that Jackson is intentionally trying to extort the UFC into renegotiating his deal under threat of running out his promotional agreement. The UFC brought this action to get a declaratory judgment stating that Jackson’s refusal to fight and statements that he was "done fighting" constitute a retirement that allows them to exercise their rights under the promotional agreement, including the right to suspend the agreement and thus toll the term of the contract.

A letter from Jackson’s attorneys argues that retirement requires certain notice provisions under the promotional agreement, and because Jackson did not meet those requirements, his "blog" does not constitute a real retirement.

There has been no further action on this issue since the initial complaint.

To boil the dispute down to simpler terms, the issue is Jackson's current contract and when it ends. Jackson wants his period away from the UFC to count towards his contractual term; the UFC is arguing that since he retired they were able to properly suspend the term for that period.

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• View topic - Cesar Gracie Says Nick Diaz Deserves A Pass On Marijuana Use

Quote:

Cesar Gracie was recently on MMA Weekly affiliated TapouT Radio and discussed Nick Diaz's marijuana use. MMA Mania put the various statements into a readable format as follows:

"People who don’t like Nick Diaz, that doesn’t make sense to me because here’s a guy who has never put a syringe in his ass in his life. He’s a clean fighter. Obviously [marijuana's] not a performance enhancing drug, so therefore trying to take the guy’s win away – all of these guys testing positive for steroids, and we’ll focus on Nick’s weed thing forever. Oh, we did steroids, that’s fine. Let’s not talk about that. You did some cocaine or something. People have this fetish for the weed thing or something. Obviously he wasn’t stoned for Gomi, but Nevada State with that idiot over there. I can’t remember his name. The little moron guy that was only an athletic commissioner guy because his daddy owned the hotel. He was pathetic and he wanted to make an example of Nick because, who knows? There are theories. Nick wasn’t in the UFC. The day Nick’s not in the UFC he’s testing positive. That was kind of a weird thing because he always smoked the night before (UFC fights). Then all of a sudden he’s in Pride and he’s testing positive. Oh we’re going to take your win away. Pride actually paid him a win bonus after he tested positive. They said, ‘nah, this is just a bunch of Nevada (expletive), and he won that fight.’ He got the win bonus and he went on from there."

Really, all Cesar does here is highlight the reasons why some people, such as myself, have a problem with Diaz. I'm perfectly willing to accept that pot is not an especially performance enhancing drug. I'm also fine if Nick wants to smoke outside of competition. But the fact that he is constantly flaunting his use and bragging about being able to test clean despite smoking 24 hours before a fight is a real issue.

Cesar even says that Nick smokes the night before fights like it shouldn't mean anything. Getting licensed to fight is not a right, it is a privilege and the rules are the same for everyone across the board. Nick knows the rules and medical prescription in CA or not, those guidelines state that pot is a no-no if you want to be a fighter.

The NFL, MLB, and most other professional sports leagues have entire lists of banned substances, some of which are entirely legal over-the-gcounter supplements you can purchase at your local GNC. It's not an absurd concept for an athlete to have to adhere to a set of rules to participate in their sport.

If Diaz can't play by these rules for a few months at a time and instead flaunts his ability to get around them, then I have no reason to treat him like a guy who is operating on the same playing field as everyone else. It may not be as bad as someone using steroids on first glance, but this behavior by Diaz and by Gracie shows a lack of respect to the sport and the other participants in it.

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• View topic - New Fedor interview.

Quote:

In Russian there’s two expressions (the ones I use here are the closest translation I can come up with) that are commonly used one for “no holds barred” (literal translation is “fights without rules”) and one’s “mix fights” (mma equivalent). Most of the people use them as interchangeably, the first question is clarifying just that.

Q: “fights without rules” (nhb), is it really what the expression means – anything goes? Because in reality, there’s quite a few rules. What do you think – are they “soft” or “hard”?

A: In “mixfights” you are not allowed to hit below the belt, you cannot hit the back of the head or the spine. Any action against the eyes is also forbidden, as well as biting etc. You also cannot hit the back. In reality – there’s quite a few rules. But more importantly are the referees; they are specialists in the ring that are ready to interfere at any moment.

Personally, I’m happy with all of that. The rules are a lot softer than in our sambo. In mixfighting you cannot head butt or hit the groin – which is allowed in combat sambo.

Q: There’s a saying amidst fighters – “the winner’s the first one to hit the chin”…

A: No, it’s not accurate. If the athlete is counting on that… well actually it’s possible, but it is not the right expression. The winner’s the first one to land on the chin yes, but you need to land it. And in order to accurately do that, you must know the strengths of the opponent. And his weaknesses.

Q: What are your weaknesses?

A: I do not talk about my weaknesses, I work on them.

Q: I can imagine how attentively your opponents study your weaknesses…

A: They probably do study them. I obviously do have weaknesses… but… No, I won’t tell them. (laugh).

Q: What about your strengths? Your key strengths?

A: I try to improve in all directions, training in all aspects. As far as key strengths… I’ll give you an example: Mirko Cro Cop. He was destroying everybody with his left foot. He hit with it in a way that people were being knocked out. When he started putting everything on that key strength, he lost.

I believe that a fighter has his favorite techniques, but he cannot focus on just that, instead he should always go forward. So that he can always be unpredictable during the fight. There are fighters that try to focus on their striking technique. There are fighters that try to do anything possible to get the fight to the ground – they all lack well roundedness; they all miss some part of the game.

Chuck Liddell, the ex-LHW champion of the UFC used to always focus more on his striking technique. He also wrestled of course, but always tried to stay away from the ground because he could lose. Randy Couture – lacks submissions and doesn’t have the best striking technique.

Q: Did you have any key fights, specific “enemies”? The kind that would make a new impact on your life? Say Cro Cop, who had knocked out your brother before fighting you (Aleksander Emelianenko also competes in mixfighting).

A: They’re not enemies, they are opponents. Opponents in a sport. I have never had enemies. As far as attacks leading up to a fight, I do not care about them. It’s a typical custom, to create intrigue leading up to the fight. They are there to create intrigue for the audience. I do not pay attention to that.

Q: How do you feel about your opponents?
A: I respect them.

Q: Without exceptions?
A: Without exceptions.

Q: You are well known abroad, over here – only in the ex-soviet sports world. Outside of these borders you aren’t really a star. Why? Heavyweight boxers for example are quite the characters.

A: Our sport is still very young; it has yet to pick up the power that it has abroad. Over there the championships have been going on for a couple of decades. Over here we have a few amateur sports. Combat sambo, hand to hand combat. But as far as professionally - the guys aren’t competing. I know a lot of fans that have been watching the fights in the UFC, “mixed fighting”, they were loving it but… there were no organizers, no organizations and no support. Personally I don’t know how it is over there, but over here if you want to show a good fight on TV, you need money. And not only money, but very serious money. Viewers around the world are interested, but the management of the Russian channels isn’t.

Q: You’ve been living in Stary Oskol ever since your childhood. Typically though, world class fighters try to move say to Germany, or the USA – where they train better and the payouts are bigger…
A: The training isn’t better in neither Germany nor the USA. And the payout does not play a role – the payment is predetermined and where I train does not influence it in any way.

Q: Then why do they leave?
A: <silence>… Because they forget where they are from, and what their flags are.

Q: You clearly do not forget what flags are yours. What are your thoughts on the Ukraine?
A: I always remember that I was born in the Ukraine. My grandmother, my grandfather, my relatives are there. I was born in the USSR, at that point in time the country was not separated. Today we live in different countries, but to me that makes no difference. I consider myself Russian first and foremost. All my childhood and youth I spent in Stary Oskol, I visited my grandparents during the summer. I do not separate the countries, I’m not a politician, it doesn’t matter to me.

Q: But you often wear a t-shirt with the two-headed eagle…
A: Of course, I am a representative of my country. I am proud to be Russian.

Q: What do you think of the “Russian” combat arts? It’s quite popular now to practice “Slavic styles” of combat, or say the “spetznaz combat art”.

A: I think that the only true Russian fighting style (martial art) is sambo. What people call now days “Russian styles” I honestly do not take seriously. I haven’t seen a single strong school with a solid technique; they most commonly look like amateurs. In fact not “most commonly”, it’s actually what they are – amateurs.
Why would you try to come up with something Russian, when you can actually practice something Russian? Another example would be religion, why try to demonstrate Orthodoxy, when you can simply live by the Orthodox way?

Q: When you go out to fight to «??, ?? ?? ?????, ?? ?? ?????» [fedor's song, i forgot that the UG does not support Cyrillic] , ceremoniously take off your cross and go forth to beat your adversary – sometimes it looks like that epic display has been thought through.
A: I have never had anybody telling me how I should look. And I do not have any people telling me how to look. Stylists or … I don’t even know what they’re called.

Q: Image-makers?
A: Yes, image-makers. I just try to live by my faith, and that’s it.

Q: What about the idea of being in a movie (action movie – the 5th execution), was that yours as well?
A: No, honestly speaking, no. My friends asked me, they were doing shows about our mix fights (about nhb). And Vadik, my manager, asked me.

They wrote up a screenplay, called in the actors and offered me one of the main roles. I was stubborn and didn’t want to do it. But at the same time – it’s very interesting and I wanted to try. I’ve never been in a movie before; I’ve never seen what it’s like. The result is… (Laugh) there is no result yet. The result will be in April. I will probably hide during that period, hide somewhere and not leave my house.

But to be fair, it didn’t look too bad at all. I was very interested in seeing, especially when everything is put together, with the sounds and everything. It all turns out completely different than what you go through. When shooting, you see everything, imagine and think – how can any of this work? Once everything is put together – it seems alright, I think.

Q: Why did you leave the official Russian sport for M-1?
A: I used to compete in Sambo and Judo, and there were issues with the judging. When I was fed up and the lack of objectivity annoyed me too much, I left for mixed martial arts.

Plus in the amateur sports, in Stary Oskol, I had no income. There was no way to support my family. It was obviously a hard choice – I was already on the official Russian teams of Judo and Sambo, and to just leave it all out of nowhere to a new sport and start from scratch… Thank god it all worked out.

Q: Is the judging better?
A: It’s not the same as in the amateur sports. Everything is professional, there’s an audience that watch and control. There are obviously some issues, but nowhere near as bad. There are different examples, but if you have a submission, no matter what, when the opponent yells “I give up!” – there will be no judging. If a person has a KO, they have to raise the winner’s hand. How can you judge a fighter when his opponent is out?..

In the amateur sports we have some very serious problems. In “mixfights” there are fans that are carefully watching over the process, they can’t be fooled. They have their favorites [fighters], by which they stand, and the fairer the judging, the more interesting the fights are for the fans. There’s more respect and the popularity rises.

Q: Still though, among the uneducated fans there are always rumors, that everything is organized. That the promoter told a fighter to “lie down” in round x – and that he does it.

A: In all of my life’s experience I have not encountered that. Not once.
How can there really be a setup, when the majority of our fights end early? Probably ~70% of the fights end that way. You can’t fake a knockout. Well, you obviously could if you tried really hard, but the audience is watching every movement, and then they discuss everything and critique. They cannot be fooled.
And think about it on your own – my payday relies solely on my wins. If I was to “lie down”, I would drop in the rankings and my next fight’s purse would be a lot smaller.

Besides, our sport is still only developing: for it to be interesting we must be unbiased. Of course, I want our guys to win – Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, sure. But if a fighter comes from France, for example, and he hits well – then he will win. It’s very fair/honest.

Q: Why is the situation so sad in the official sport?
A: Because the people standing behind our sport are not fans of it, instead they are people with their own personal interests. They would rather have their boy go forward, than to have a stronger guy from another town, it’s always better for them to have one of their own judges than to have an independent one. Better to do an easier draw [as in draw in a tournament bracket] for their guy, so that he gets to the finals in good shape, and to throw the serious competition into the other side, so that they can fight between each other, tire each other out and get there exhausted.
They put their own personal interests over those of the country… of the sport… Do you understand?

Q: Why aren’t they leaving that and not transitioning over to “mixfights”?
A: Because, just like it was for me, it’s very difficult. In my situation I had absolutely no choice: in all of the Russian championships I was always third-third-third… In our sport the first place always goes to the “world” competitions, the second – to “Europe’s”. I was always third. I was tired and was asking them if they had a conscience at all, I’m fighting, and the entire room’s yelling at the judge – “what are you watching?”… I couldn’t get through, so I left. But it was very hard. Leaving everything I live for, everything I had accomplished. It maybe wasn’t that much, but the Russian team – was a good result. I was on both the Russian Judo and the Russian Sambo team. I consider that a good result for an athlete.
I had to leave all of that and start from scratch.

Q: Do you stay in touch with the official Russian sport?
A: They are now offering me some important positions, other things… I decline. I do not see the possibility in working on that, as I am competing myself. I try to talk with people that are really cheering for their work, for their sport. With them – I talk, what’s next, what should I do. If I’m asked by the other people, not the ones who do not care about the sport, and if they need a Flag of “Fedor Emelianenko” so that they can wave it and use it to plug the holes, the ones that are trying to change something and raise the status of our sport. If they ask – I will gladly go.

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• View topic - White's latest officiating rant focuses on praise for Dean

Quote:

Generally speaking, when the subject of referees and mixed martial arts officials is brought up around UFC president Dana White, one can safely expect a profanity laced tirade to follow.

For instance, in March 2009, White openly questioned the performances of both Rick Fike and Yves Lavigne after a pair of gaffes at UFC 96 in Ohio. And of course, Steve Mazzagatti has entrenched himself as White's favorite whipping boy.

But following this past Saturday's "UFC 109: Relentless" event in Las Vegas, White wanted to talk about one of the night's officials for a very different reason.

"I wish I would have done this during the press conference," White told a small group of reporters. "You always hear me talking about the refereeing. I'm going to say it again: Herb Dean is one of the best referees in this business. Actually, I think he's the best.

"If you had to do a highlight reel of great stoppages, incredible stoppages, the entire highlight reel would be Herb Dean."

White was especially impressed by Dean's UFC 109 handling of the main-card contest between Mike Swick and Paulo Thiago.

During the bout's second round, Swick rushed forward after a successful strike and was wobbled by a counter-punch. When Swick hit the floor, Thiago locked in a tight D'arce choke and rendered his opponent unconscious with stunning quickness.

Dean was in the right position to make the call and halted the contest quickly after Swick went momentarily limp.

"[Thiago] had a choke that most guys don't know," White said. "[Dean] saw this thing, saw the choke being set-up and then moved right in and knew exactly when he was out. He was out quick."

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• View topic - Bobby Lashley Wants No Part of Brett Rogers

Quote:

After Bobby Lashley whipped an overmatched Wes Sims at Strikeforce Miami, Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker said he wanted Lashley's next opponent to be Brett Rogers.

So when Lashley appeared on HDNet's Inside MMA and was shown a poll saying that the majority of fans want to see Lashley vs. Rogers next, that should make it a no-brainer, right? If Lashley's boss wants him to fight Rogers next, and Lashley's fans want him to fight Rogers next, he'll fight Rogers next, right? Right?

Wrong.

"I don't understand this," Lashley said. "Brett Rogers isn't the champ. You've got Fedor [Emelianenko] who is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter and you've got [Alistair] Overeem who's the champ. If they want me to go up to that level let's go all the way up to that level and fight the champ."

In other words, Lashley recognizes that Rogers is a step up in the quality of opposition, and in Lashley's view, it's the wrong-sized step. He either wants to take a baby step or a giant leap, and nothing in between. Lashley knows that Fedor is fighting Fabricio Werdum next, so he'd like to fight for the Strikeforce heavyweight title.

"I want Overeem," Lashley said. "Either let me fight the way I want to -- build up, get a few fights under my belt, work my way up -- or let me fight the champ. If it's fighting the champ I'll fight the champ."

I think Rogers would beat Lashley, most likely by first-round knockout, so I can't say I blame Lashley for not wanting to fight him. But for all of Lashley's talk that he's taking MMA seriously, he sure hasn't fought any serious challenges. Lashley seems to want to fight Overeem, and Overeem seems to want to fight nothing but inexperienced MMA fighters until he gets his own shot at Fedor, so maybe Strikeforce just needs to put those two in the cage with each other as soon as possible.

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• View topic - Independent World MMA Rankings - February 12, 2010

Here they are, what do you think???

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Heavyweight Rankings (206 to 265 lbs.)
1. Fedor Emelianenko (31-1, 1 No Contest)
2. Brock Lesnar (4-1)
3. Frank Mir (13-4)
4. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1, 1 No Contest)
5. Shane Carwin (11-0)
6. Brett Rogers (10-1)
7. Junior dos Santos (10-1)
8. Alistair Overeem (32-11, 1 No Contest)
9. Cain Velasquez (7-0)
10. Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1)

Light Heavyweight Rankings (186 to 205 lbs.)
1. Lyoto Machida (16-0)
2. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (18-4)
3. Rashad Evans (14-1-1)
4. Quinton Jackson (30-7)
5. Anderson Silva (25-4)
6. Gegard Mousasi (27-2-1)
7. Forrest Griffin (17-6)
8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3)
9. Dan Henderson (25-7)
10. Thiago Silva (14-2)

Middleweight Rankings (171 to 185 lbs.)
1. Anderson Silva (25-4)
2. Dan Henderson (25-7)
3. Chael Sonnen (24-10-1)
4. Vitor Belfort (19-8)
5. Nathan Marquardt (29-9-2)
6. Demian Maia (12-1)
7. Jake Shields (24-4-1)
8. Yushin Okami (23-5)
9. Robbie Lawler (17-5, 1 No Contest)
10. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (11-2, 1 No Contest)

Welterweight Rankings (156 to 170 lbs.)
1. Georges St. Pierre (19-2)
2. Jon Fitch (21-3, 1 No Contest)
3. Thiago Alves (16-6)
4. Josh Koscheck (14-4)
5. Paulo Thiago (13-1)
6. Dan Hardy (23-6)
7. Nick Diaz (21-7, 1 No Contest)
8. Matt Hughes (43-7)
9. Paul Daley (23-8-2)
10. Matt Serra (10-6)

Lightweight Rankings (146 to 155 lbs.)
1. B.J. Penn (15-5-1)
2. Shinya Aoki (23-4, 1 No Contest)
3. Eddie Alvarez (19-2)
4. Kenny Florian (12-4)
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri (26-5-2)
6. Gray Maynard (9-0, 1 No Contest)
7. Frankie Edgar (11-1)
8. Diego Sanchez (21-3)
9. Joachim Hansen (19-8-1)
10. Gilbert Melendez (17-2)

Featherweight Rankings (136 to 145 lbs.)
1. Jose Aldo (16-1)
2. Mike Brown (23-5)
3. Urijah Faber (23-3)
4. Hatsu Hioki (20-4-2)
5. Bibiano Fernandes (7-2)
6. Raphael Assuncao (14-2)
7. “Lion” Takeshi Inoue (18-3)
8. Manny Gamburyan (10-4)
9. Marlon Sandro (15-1)
10. Michihiro Omigawa (9-8-1)

Bantamweight Rankings (126 to 135 lbs.)
1. Brian Bowles (8-0)
2. Miguel Torres (37-2)
3. Masakatsu Ueda (10-0-2)
4. Dominick Cruz (14-1)
5. Joseph Benavidez (11-1)
6. Takeya Mizugaki (12-4-2)
7. Damacio Page (12-4)
8. Scott Jorgensen (8-3)
9. Wagnney Fabiano (13-2)
10. Akitoshi Tamura (14-8-2)

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• View topic - Vitor Belfort Off UFC 112 With Shoulder Injury

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One of the most expected fights of 2010 will not happen anymore. The title fight between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort, set to UFC 112 main event, will possibly be cancelled, as TATAME.com learned from close sources that the challenger is injured and won’t be able to recover in time.

Jayme Sandall, Karate trained of the challenger, revealed to TATAME.com that Belfort had a shoulder injury, but he doesn’t know how bad it is. “He was training but not using the arm for a long time because of the injury, he said he’d stop for a while. He said he’d have it scanned to know how bad it is, but I don’t talk with him for 15 days and I don’t know about the results”, said.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s plans for a spectacular debut in the Middle East took a hit on Thursday when an injured shoulder forced Vitor Belfort to withdraw from his middleweight title fight with champion Anderson Silva at UFC 112 on April 10 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

UFC president Dana White confirmed the news in a text message to Yahoo! Sports on Thursday. White said Silva would remain on the card, but did not say who he would fight or whether it would be a championship fight.

The Brazilian website, Tatame first reported the news. It quoted Jayme Sandall, one of Belfort’s coaches, as saying “He was training but not using the arm for a long time because of the injury.”

White was in a meeting Thursday afternoon and could not be reached for comment or additional details.

A lightweight championship fight between B.J. Penn and top contender Frankie Edgar is still on the card.

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• View topic - Fighter dedicates win to fallen Rangers...

Quote:

Gert Kocani puts another notch in the “W” column and gets his record to 3-1 with his 2nd round TKO of Diego Brandao on January 30, 2010, at Respect Is Earned: Battle of the Burg 2 in Virginia.

Brandao, a BJJ Black Belt out of Greg Jackson’s camp, came into the fight with an 11-6 pro record. Kocani stepped into the tunnel with a 2-1 record; his only loss coming to Jesse Taylor in a fight he took on 7 days notice. Kocani, a BJJ Blue Belt under Paul Rodriguez, is no stranger to facing off against great grapplers. His last opponent was BJJ Black Belt Ururahy Rodriguez, who he submitted by armbar in the 3rd. Brandao and Kocani, who both fight at 155, agreed to a catch weight of 160.

Coming out in the first Gert made his reach advantage apparent by setting up his combos and clinch work with deft jabs and lateral movement. Brandao took Gert down a few times, but Gert was able to get back to his feet without taking much damage on the ground from a game Brandao.
The second round was much like the first with Gert trying to set up his combos and clinch work for the finish. About half-way through the second Brandao made a mistake and reach for a single giving Gert the opportunity to get his hips back and secure an under hook. A knee and a cross dropped Brandao and Gert followed him to the ground with some vicious ground and pound leaving the ref no choice but to step in and call it; KOCANI by TKO at 3:30 in the 2nd Round.

Gert would like to specifically thank Ben “Killa-B” Saunders for cornering him. Killa-B has his own back story for the promotion…the least of which, if you can believe that, was rooming with Shonnie Carter (here is a link to the UG and Ben’s thread about his experience with the Virginia State Athletic Commission at this event http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm ... 497&page=1).

Gert also thanks his sponsors (shown above), the promoter for pushing the event under tough circumstances, and Brandao for taking the fight.
More importantly, Gert dedicated this fight and win to the following soldiers who lost their lives in service of this country:

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• View topic - Vote for Chael Sonnen...

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Chael Sonnen is a successful realtor and vice president of Caged Promotions, a sports and music production and promotion company. He is a graduate of West Linn High School and the University of Oregon. While at Oregon on a wrestling scholarship, Sonnen was an All-American, two-time national Greco-Roman champion, and alternate for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team.

Today, Chael has settled back in his hometown of West Linn where he sells real estate, runs his business and Chael coaches West Linn’s All-Phase youth wrestling club where he volunteers his time supporting young athletes.

Sonnen’s inspiration for running for office comes from working with youth sports. He believes all Oregon kids deserve a quality education and opportunities to succeed. As state Representative he will focus on protecting schools and other critical services while creating jobs and bringing more economic security to Oregon families.

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• View topic - UFC Undisputed 2010 Improvements & Enhancements

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February 5, 2010 - The thing that struck me about the last UFC game was that it just didn't move right. Don't get me wrong, the game looked slick, sucked you into the fights, and had awesome moves, but something about the rigid transitions between positions and moves just seemed odd. There was that second of hesitation in the characters while animations played out.

THQ says that's done with.

Moments ago, the company ran UFC Undisputed 2010 through its first public match – Mike Swick versus Paulo Thiago – and although the gameplay demo was extremely short, THQ promised and showcased some really good stuff. For starters and piggybacking off of my complaint, the static animations of 2009 are gone. When your fighters are in the prone position or mid-hold, they're not just sitting there -- they're living and breathing. You'll see your arm struggle against a hold as you try and break it, there are transitions between takedowns, and – thank the Lord – there are cage moves. This year, if you're good enough, you're going to be able to slam coverboy Brock Lesnar up against the chain link and wail on his ribcage.

You can switch to the southpaw stance if you click in on the right joystick, the fight animations have been quadrupled, the clinch has been reanimated, the number of front submissions have been doubled, there's a new targeting system, and there are individual submissions like B.J. Penn's arm trap. Not enough octagon goodness? THQ has added karate, Greco-Roman wrestling, and Sambo fighting styles while doing away with archetypes for fighters – created fighters will now use individual movesets.

Speaking of created dudes, Undisputed 2010 is going to pack more than 100 fighters, and none of them are going to be made from the creation mode like 50 percent of last year's roster. Every UFC athlete in the game will be given the photo-realistic treatment. If you're looking to make your fighters (or at least your repertoire) more diverse, sways, ducks and leans have also been added to this year's game to make everything that much deeper and more realistic.

If my preview's sounding a little bit like a list of stuff added, that's kind of because that's what I was given tonight. Although the virtual Swick/Thiago welterweight bout was on a bunch of different TVs, developers were talking over it while playing so the match was moving at demonstration speeds and wasn't that amazing before ending with Thiago tapping out to an arm bar. It did look sweet – the graphics are no doubt sharper than last year, as sweat clung to the fighters' chests and blood spurted out as punches rained down on Thiago's face – but that was about it. To drive home that TV presentation, the match ended with the fighters in the ring in post-fight outfits such as Swick's "Dethrone Royalty Texas" shirt.

t wasn't shown, but a THQ press release makes it sound like UFC Undisputed 2010 is making a serious play for one of the best online fighting games. In this year's game you'll apparently be able to form "fight camps and leagues, train like real-life UFC fighters and go online to compete against other camps." There will be online co-op sparring sessions that dictate your credibility, popularity and the types of sponsorships you get. On top of that, this year's career mode will include the "Game Is Watching You" system, which will "track every action and use this information to dictate in-game commentary, opponent intelligence and overall career progression."

UFC Undisputed 2010 is giving you new modes such as Title Mode (fight through a weight class to earn and defend a belt), Title Defense Mode (complete milestone challenges on your road to stardom) and Tournament Mode (16-player individual and team).

Personally, I'm excited for UFC Undisputed 2010, and tonight only fanned the flames. The game looks good on an eye-candy level, but it's the kicking to the curb of the rigid animations that has me really excited. I noticed that the chain link of the cage didn't bend when a body was shoved up against it, but hopefully those types of touches can be amended as we lead up to Undisputed 2010's May release date. Because, if they can and all the stuff THQ says it has added actually gets added, this game should kick the crap out of last year's title.

There is also jiggle physics for the octagon girls. I thought you should know that.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/106/1067262p1.html

* Full cage support
* A fighter’s position on the cage can affect striking power
* Cage can be used to help or defend from takedowns
* Twice the number of available submissions from 2009
* Ability to transition from one submission attempt to another
* Quarter and half-circle analog stick transitions used on the ground last year will be used in the clinch
* Sway system in the clinch used to deliver more powerful strikes or avoid them
* Positions on the ground will have sub-positions
* A knockout blow can be delivered from any position in the game
* When in mount the player won’t have to manually block a transition attempt from opponent
* T-shirts, hats and other gear to unlock
* The “Buffer 180″ is in the game
* New refs including Yves Lavigne
* Some kind of trash talking feature in career mode that “will gain you more popularity and will also negatively affect relationships”
* No more static animations, fighters always moving, clinch reanimated, fight animations quadrupled
* Karate, Greco-Roman Wrestling and Sambo fighting styles added
* Created fighters not limited to two fighting styles, will have individual move sets
* 100+ fighters on the roster, none made from create-a-fighter mode like 50% of last year’s roster
* “Game Is Watching You” system, which will “track every action and use this information to dictate in-game commentary, opponent intelligence and overall career progression”
* Title Mode: fight through a weight class to earn and defend a belt
* Title Defense Mode: complete milestone challenges on your road to stardom
* Tournament Mode: 16-player individual and team
* Fight camps in career mode where you can go to learn new moves
* Analog stick rolling method to escape submissions is back, button mashing/brute force is gone
* Ability to fight orthodox, southpaw, or switch and assign a dominate power hand
* Drag-and-drop system for placing sponsorships and tattoos, no more extensive menu navigation
* No more maxed out created fighters online
* Online fight camps and leagues with ability to train and learn new moves with friends

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• View topic - UFC: Setting up Couture vs. Machida

Here’s a thought…

Why doesn’t Dana White just come right out and say that he feels that Randy Couture has done enough for the sport of MMA (which he has) to automatically deserve a shot at the light-heavyweight championship title?

Why make him jump through a dozen hoops just to appease a rather “large” portion of the fans?

After all, it’s your monopoly Dana–just do whatever the heck you want!

Fight fans can complain until they are blue in the face—Randy Couture should not have to wait in line and the light-heavyweight division was officially put on notice of this fact, once it was announced that Randy was going to be moving down from the heavyweight division.

And if the other fighters (or MMA media) don’t like it…well that’s just too bad for them. They probably wouldn’t even have the opportunities that they have today if it weren’t for guys like Randy.

Respect.

Back in July 2009, Randy made his future career goals very clear by indicating a strong desire to move back down from heavyweight to light-heavyweight in order to give him a chance at the current light-heavyweight champion, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.

“He’s got a very unique style, very unorthodox, he stays true to his karate background and makes it work,” Couture said.

“I could certainly go back down to 205 if that was something [the UFC and its’ fans] wanted to see. I’d be interested in competing against him. He’s a tremendous competitor and somebody I’d like to fight.” –mmafighting.com

When Couture fought Vera in his “debut”, I immediately picked up on something that Joe Rogan had said during the fight introductions. He said that a win would certainly get Couture into title contention and if Vera were to win, he would “move up the ladder” in the light-heavyweight division.

What? No title shot for Vera??

Obviously not.

The pay-per-view money is clearly with Couture.

But Randy messed up. He won, but he didn’t do it convincingly enough to make the fans believe that he had “earned” it. This I do not understand. Trust me when I tell you fight fans…Randy has earned it.

So now here we are– Couture has beat Mark “The Hammer” Coleman at their fight in UFC 109.

Now what?

Should that automatically mean a shot at the title for Randy?

Well…yes and no.

It all depends on what happens at UFC 113 when Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida faces off in the much anticipated rematch with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Either way, whether it’s for the title or not, Couture will definitely be fighting Machida this year and we should be praising our lucky stars that we live in a generation that will get to witness this extension of greatness.

How much time do we honestly believe that Couture has left before he absolutely concedes to the fact that he must hang up his gloves?

Not much.

So, while some are hell-bent on calling for Randy’s retirement (don’t get me started Spence, I’ve been taking massive, unhealthy amounts of steroids and I’m liable to burst into rage at any given moment), I personally believe that we should be embracing every moment that this man steps into the Octogon.

As our younger generation takes over this planet (whatever’s left of it), at least we will be able to say that we saw some of the greats…

…Wayne Gretzky…Michael Jordan…Brett Favre…Tiger Woods…

…and let’s not forget to add Randy Couture to that list.

Enjoy it while it lasts fight fans.

It is an honour and a privilege to watch this man in action—win or lose.

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