05/17/2012
05/16/2012
Josh Weathers For Endless Grind
Endless Grind in North Carolina has a new clip of Josh Weathers.
Kyle Bradley Jai Bradney Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan
John Dodson leaps over Tim Elliott on way to decision win at UFC on Fox 3 (PHOTO)
05/15/2012
MMA in New York bill fails again
Though MMA earned a victory when Vermont decided to legalize the sport last week, it suffered a defeat when a bill to legalize the sport was stopped before it could reach the floor. Assembly leader Sheldon Silver decided the bill didn't have enough votes to pass.
After years of lobbying and hoping to have an event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the UFC is disappointed that they will have to fight on another year. Zuffa vice president of government and regulatory affairs Marc Ratner was unhappy that the bill didn't even come to a vote.
"I feel 150% if we had a vote on the floor of the Assembly, we would win," Ratner said. "Not to get a vote is un-American."
Earlier this year, UFC president Dana White "guaranteed" that MMA would be in New York this year. He said the UFC wanted to bring fights not just to NYC, but to Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, too.
Losing the chance to get MMA in the third largest state is particularly hard to swallow considering the UFC just brought an event to the NYC-area over the weekend. Though the UFC on Fox 3 fights and weigh-ins were in East Rutherford, N.J., other pre-fight events were in Manhattan. They showed how an event can bring money to the area, but still were spurned by the legislature.
Will MMA make it to the Empire State? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/mma-york-bill-fails-again-202614337.html
MMA in New York bill fails again
Though MMA earned a victory when Vermont decided to legalize the sport last week, it suffered a defeat when a bill to legalize the sport was stopped before it could reach the floor. Assembly leader Sheldon Silver decided the bill didn't have enough votes to pass.
After years of lobbying and hoping to have an event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the UFC is disappointed that they will have to fight on another year. Zuffa vice president of government and regulatory affairs Marc Ratner was unhappy that the bill didn't even come to a vote.
"I feel 150% if we had a vote on the floor of the Assembly, we would win," Ratner said. "Not to get a vote is un-American."
Earlier this year, UFC president Dana White "guaranteed" that MMA would be in New York this year. He said the UFC wanted to bring fights not just to NYC, but to Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, too.
Losing the chance to get MMA in the third largest state is particularly hard to swallow considering the UFC just brought an event to the NYC-area over the weekend. Though the UFC on Fox 3 fights and weigh-ins were in East Rutherford, N.J., other pre-fight events were in Manhattan. They showed how an event can bring money to the area, but still were spurned by the legislature.
Will MMA make it to the Empire State? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/mma-york-bill-fails-again-202614337.html
Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida Eddie Alvarez Thiago AlvesÂ
05/14/2012
Ricardo Almeida making UFC debut as a judge Saturday at UFC on Fox 3
Ricardo Almeida is set to make his UFC debut on Saturday -- as a judge. The UFC veteran trained to be an MMA judge after retiring a year ago. With the UFC headed to his home state of New Jersey for UFC on Fox 3, Almeida is getting his first shot at judging from Octagon-side.
Almeida told ESPN that he expects to be nervous for the fights.
"It will be pretty intense, but I will be on my toes with this UFC event, because I know all eyes are going to be on me," Almeida said. "Yeah, I'm going to be nervous. It'll be like I'm walking into a fight myself. But the spotlight only makes me want to be sharper and do a better job."
He made the decision to join the judges' ranks after ending his career on a controversial decision. With a BJJ background and 18 MMA bouts on his resume, Almeida brings a different perspective to MMA judging.
MMA is full of judging controversies, as fans, media and promoters often see a different result than the people charged with calling the winner of a fight. Most recently, Carlos Condit's win over Nick Diaz was called into question. Almeida hopes to help with that problem.
"There is always going to be controversy, but the more we can get guys who understand what's going on inside the Octagon, the results are going to be a little more consistent," Almeida said.
The lack of enough quality judges to keep up with the sport's growth is one of the biggest issues facing the sport. The problem is that MMA, in the form it exists today, has not been around for generations. In other sports, officials and judges have been involved with the sport since childhood, and have done their job at lower levels before moving up to officiate the pros.
In MMA, the judges quite often come from other disciplines. Though they have learned MMA, it's not the same as having it ingrained in your mind for most of your life, or even having a pro career for 11 years, as Almeida did.
Almeida's jump to the judges table is a good start for MMA. As more fighters retire from the sport, hopefully they'll follow his lead.
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David Bielkheden Michael Bisping Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan
05/13/2012
Ryder Lawson
Little man, Ryder Lawson is murdering shit in Australia and making old men like me look foolish.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MostlySkateboarding/~3/CxndBx2DeTM/ryder-lawson.html
Jon Jones has a new respect for Rashad Evans; why you should, too
After defending the UFC light heavyweight belt on Saturday over Rashad Evans, Jon Jones said he had a new respect for his former training partner and friend.
"I would say Rashad is my toughest fight to date, and a lot of it is because of how talented and awesome of a fighter he is," Jones said after beating Evans in a five-round decision.
Since winning and defending the title, Jones has finished former champs Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and Lyoto Machida. Evans is the first fighter ever to force Jones into the fifth round, and the first fighter to require judges' cards since Stephan Bonnar in 2009. Evans was wobbled several times throughout the fight, but was still standing for the final horn.
Somehow, there were still fans who were unsatisfied with Saturday's main event. On Cagewriter's Facebook page, one reader said Evans had no heart. Another called the fight boring, while another claimed Evans didn't want the fight.
Seriously?
Evans trained for months and months to face a man he once called his friend. He cut down his weight, went through countless interviews, had cameras follow him around incessantly for "Primetime," then traveled to Atlanta and got in a cage with someone who is considered one of the world's best fighters. He withstood elbows, punches and kicks for 25 minutes. At the end of it all, he lost, but was still standing.
And there are actually fans who think Evans did not want to be in there? For the final word on the subject, let's hear from the great Baltimore boxer (and fictional character), Dennis "Cutty" Wise.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/jon-jones-respect-rashad-evans-why-too-175611137.html
05/12/2012
Matchmaker, matchmaker: The latest bouts for Ryan Bader, Lyoto Machida, Jake Shields and more
Check out the latest crop of bouts from the UFC yentes.
-- Ryan Bader will fight former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida at UFC on Fox 4 in August in Los Angeles. Bader has wins over Quinton Jackson and Jason Brilz in his last two bouts. This will be Machida's first bout since losing a title fight to Jon Jones at UFC 140 in December.
-- After once holding the Strikeforce middleweight belt, Jake Shields will move back up to his old weight. He will be welcomed back to the division by Ed Herman at UFC 150 in August in Denver.
-- After each earning fight night bonuses at UFC 145, heavyweights Travis Browne and Ben Rothwell will face off at UFC on Fox 4 in August. Browne is undefeated in 13 bouts, while Rothwell just took out Brendan Schaub with a knockout in 1:10.
-- At UFC 149 in Calgary, Thiago Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will match up. Silva's last bout was a loss to Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on Fuel 2, while Rua's last bout was his Fight of the Year loss to Dan Henderson.
Vitor Belfort Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael BispingÂ
UFC on Fox 3 will answer these five questions
UFC returns to network television for the third time on Saturday with four bouts on Fox and six on Fuel TV. What questions will be answered when the fights are over?
1. Is Johny Hendricks ready for the big time? Since losing to Rick Story in 2010, Hendricks has been on a tear. He won three straight fights, including a 12-second knockout of Jon Fitch. His last test before being promised a title shot is Josh Koscheck, a one-time welterweight contender who has equally impressive wrestling credentials.
2. Does Nate Diaz deserve a title shot? UFC president Dana White says with a win over Jim Miller, yes. Diaz won his last two fights, but lost the two before that. The lightweight belt is being contested in August and Anthony Pettis is waiting in the wings. Even with a win, Diaz may have some time on his hands before fighting for UFC gold.
3. Is Josh Koscheck over the hill? Koscheck is 34. Hendricks is 28. That age difference means it's easy to look at the fight as old fogie vs. young buck, but Koscheck took offense, calling any media who pointed out the gap between their ages "retards." If he wants to prove he's not an old man, he needs to give a better showing in the cage against Hendricks than he did against Mike Pierce in February, when he barely won a split decision.
4. Will Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson last more than a minute? This bout kicks off the month of the heavyweight, and it promises to be the perfect way to start a May that will feature the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix finals and UFC 146's all heavyweight main card. Barry and Johnson have 20 knockout wins between them. Chances are that number will be 21 by the time the bout is over.
5. How do the latest crop of "The Ultimate Fighter" products stand up? The preliminary card, airing on Fuel TV and Fox Deportes, is full of TUF castmembers from the past few seasons. John Dodson, Louis Gaudinot and Dennis Bermudez are getting their first shots at fights outside of the TUF finale, and this is their chance to show they're more than just good TV.
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Related UFC news from Yahoo! Sports:
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fox-3-answer-five-questions-143924003.html
05/11/2012
Daniel Cormier Explains Why He Didn't Try to Take Down Jeff Monson - Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier Explains Why He Didn't Try to Take Down Jeff Monson Video by Daniel Cormier
Ambush Promo
Atlanta's Ambush Skateshop has a sick little promo.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MostlySkateboarding/~3/nCBmulrUO5A/ambush-promo.html
Chris Lytle comes up short in senate bid
UFC veteran Chris Lytle lost his bid to win the Republican state Senate nomination in Indiana on Tuesday. He came in second with 30 percent of the vote behind Mike Crider who had 41 percent. After the results came in, he made a concession tweet.
Almost. I finished 2nd. It was a good fight.
Lytle's last MMA bout was a win over Dan Hardy in August. He announced his retirement just before the bout, then won by a submission. His campaign started less than a month after the bout.
His campaign drew support from the MMA community, as fighters Matt Mitrione, Chael Sonnen and Patrick Cote encouraged the Lytle's district to get out and vote for him. Both fighters and fight fans liked Lytle because of his style in the cage. He earned a record of 31-18-5 and picked up $515,000 in fight night bonuses during his 12-year fight career.
Chin up, Chris. Be comforted by the fact that you can knock out anyone who didn't vote for you.
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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/chris-lytle-comes-short-senate-bid-122130110.html
Julien Bill Pierre Karsmakers Vladimir Kavinov Mike Kiedrowski
