Cameron Richardson Camilla Belle Carla Campbell Carla Gugino
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Laguna 2009 tipping contest prizes
Thanks to all our competitors last week - it was a week that was particularly scare on points with Dani Pedrosa hardly featuring in the picks - only four of you had him on the podium at all, and only @rumblestrip as high as second. Elsewhere, he was mentioned but generally only as a crash [...]
MMA Top 10 Lightweights: Edgar Is the Best, Maynard on His Heels
by Michael David SmithNo one can doubt Frankie Edgar anymore.
After Edgar beat B.J. Penn by unanimous decision in April, a lot of people believed that the fight was a fluke, that the judges erred, and that Penn was still the best lightweight in mixed martial arts. But now that Edgar has defeated Penn once again at UFC 118, there's no room for debate: Edgar is the undisputed champion.
Except that Edgar has one loss on his record, and that one loss is to Gray Maynard, who has been anointed the next challenger to Edgar's title. Maynard could make a case that he deserves to be considered the top fighter in the division, but unless he makes that case again in the cage, I'm sticking with Edgar at No. 1. The rest of the rankings are below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
After Edgar beat B.J. Penn by unanimous decision in April, a lot of people believed that the fight was a fluke, that the judges erred, and that Penn was still the best lightweight in mixed martial arts. But now that Edgar has defeated Penn once again at UFC 118, there's no room for debate: Edgar is the undisputed champion.
Except that Edgar has one loss on his record, and that one loss is to Gray Maynard, who has been anointed the next challenger to Edgar's title. Maynard could make a case that he deserves to be considered the top fighter in the division, but unless he makes that case again in the cage, I'm sticking with Edgar at No. 1. The rest of the rankings are below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Poppy Montgomery Portia de Rossi Rachael Leigh Cook Rachel Bilson
Strikeforce Houston: KJ Noons Knocks Out Jorge Gurgel
by Michael David Smith
KJ Noons knocked out Jorge Gurgel in the second round of Saturday night's Strikeforce Houston card with the help of two illegal strikes, one a left hook at the end of the first round and one an illegal knee on the ground as the referee was starting to stop the fight in the second. The referee awarded the fight to Noons by knockout even though it easily could have gone to Gurgel by disqualification.
At the end of the first round, Noons floored Gurgel with a huge left hook an instant after the bell rang, and Gurgel was wobbly as he tried to get back to his corner. The punch clearly landed after the round had ended, and the referee easily could have disqualified Noons, or at least taken a point away. Instead, the referee did nothing.
More Coverage: KJ Noons vs. Jorge Gurgel Live Blog | Strikeforce: Houston Results
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
KJ Noons knocked out Jorge Gurgel in the second round of Saturday night's Strikeforce Houston card with the help of two illegal strikes, one a left hook at the end of the first round and one an illegal knee on the ground as the referee was starting to stop the fight in the second. The referee awarded the fight to Noons by knockout even though it easily could have gone to Gurgel by disqualification.
At the end of the first round, Noons floored Gurgel with a huge left hook an instant after the bell rang, and Gurgel was wobbly as he tried to get back to his corner. The punch clearly landed after the round had ended, and the referee easily could have disqualified Noons, or at least taken a point away. Instead, the referee did nothing.
More Coverage: KJ Noons vs. Jorge Gurgel Live Blog | Strikeforce: Houston Results
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Gabrielle Union Garcelle Beauvais Genelle Frenoy Georgianna Robertson
Strikeforce undercard: Cormier rolls in third fight in four weeks
Daniel Cormier is taking the right path to becoming an elite heavyweight. He's working out of a high-level MMA gym and staying as active as possible. He just won the King of the Cage heavyweight title last weekend and made quick of work of Jason Riley tonight in the final fight on the non-televised undercard at Strikeforce: Houston. In the opening seconds, Cormier (5-0) charged Riley looking for a single-leg takedown. He didn't get it but his aggressiveness put Riley on the defensive. When the fighters stood apart for a few seconds, Cormier leapt into an overhand right and hurt Riley badly. Riley hit the deck and that's where Cormier turned on the jets. He pounded away with a half-dozen left hands. Riley covered up and took the abuse for a few more seconds before tapping due to strikes at 1:02 of the first. Cormier, an Olympic level wrestler out of Oklahoma State, is a little short for the division at 5-foot-11 and 249 pounds but he manhandled the much bigger Riley. His work with guys like UFC heavyweight Cain Velasquez at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose is paying off. His conditioning looks better and his hands are improving with each fight. His next fight is scheduled against Soa Palelei in Australia. Odds are he'll take a few more fights between now and Nov. 21. Riley has dropped 3-of-4 fights including losses to Tim Sylvia and Devin Cole. Jorge Patino took his fight against Andre Galvao on short notice and did all he could to steal the fight in the first round. Galvao weathered the storm and was able to wear down the fill-in. Galvao scored a takedown early in the third and wailed away with shots to Patino, who couldn't improve position. After dozens of elbows and punches to Patino, who was just covering up, Galvao got the stoppage at the 2:45 mark of the third round. Patino did a great job in the opening round attempting several punch-kick combos. The 37-year-old would charge Galvao, fire off a left and a right followed by a head kick. He shocked Galvao by landing a huge left with 1:40 left in the round. Galvao scrambled and was hurt badly when he got drilled by another left on his knees. Patino poured it on but just couldn't get the finish. The effort probably sapped Patino a bit for the rest of the fight. Galvao was able to score takedowns throughout the second to take back control of the fight.The 27-year-old Galvao (5-1) is a highly decorated world champion in jiu-jitsu. His ground control was impressive and so was the toughness he exhibited in withstanding a dangerous situation in the first.
Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Morrison Jennifer ODell Jennifer Scholle
Maynard's wrestling too much for Florian at UFC 118
Kenny Florian lost his first UFC title shot against Sean Sherk. On Saturday night, in his homestate of Massachusetts, he was fighting for another title shot, but his fight vs. Gray Maynard looked a lot like the Sherk fight. Maynard worked his boxing early in each round and then, when he chose to take the fight to the ground, it went to the ground. Florian couldn't get off his back and when it was standing, he did very little offensively. Maynard impressed the judges and was able to pull the mild upset via unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 on all three cards. The winner of the fight was promised a title shot. Now Maynard can sit back and watch the main event, where UFC lightweight champ Frank Edgar defends the strap against B.J. Penn. "I wanted to try and make him chase me -- he doesn't chase a lot -- then throw two shots at a time and eventually try for the takedown," said Maynard (11-0, 8-0 UFC).Maynard played that game for the first four minutes of the fight and then scored his first takedown. It was a sign of things to come. Not only did Florian (14-5, 11-4 UFC) struggle to get back to his feet, but he posed no danger from his back. The former Michigan State wrestler did the same thing in the second round and landed a key left hand followed by a right uppercut with 2:30 left in the round. The uppercut opened up a cut over Florian's left eye and affected his vision. Seconds later, Maynard scored another takedown and made a bloody mess of Florian. It was more of the same in the third. In the final 90 seconds, Florian threatened with a pair of omaplata attempts, but Maynard stayed patient and powered out of both. "I'm feeling good," said Maynard, as he was being booed by the pro-Florian crowd. "I'm really glad to get to the spot where I get a shot at the title."Florian, a native of Westwood, Mass., and a Boston College grad, has to go back to the drawing board. Maynard moves onto to the title shot, where he could face Edgar. He beat Edgar back in 2008 at Ultimate Fight Night 13 and came away with a win.
Sara Spraker Sarah Gellman Sarah Michelle Gellar Sarah Mutch
Indy tipping contest scores
In another lean week top scorers, two names shot ahead from the pack to challenge the leaders - @tailzer and @harleymac1. Pulling off an impressive Brit-centric Minella to gain 6 points, @tailzer took second place in the overall standings. Well done sir! @harleymac1 also made impressive gains with his 6 point Minella.
Honorable mention goes to [...]
Honorable mention goes to [...]
Interview with Rick Broadbent
MotoGPBlog was lucky enough to catch up with Rick Broadbent, Times journalist and author of Ring of Fire. You can also read our review of his book, and while you’re there, pick up your copy though our Amazon store - see links at the end of the articles.
Monday, August 30, 2010
A rock climbing training blog - why?
If you are hoping to improve your ability or learn more about training techniques and tools, then this blog will give you some of the answers - because that’s what I’m going to do too!
I’ve been climbing for about three years and have developed enough basic ability to get me up 6a routes. I’ve set [...]
I’ve been climbing for about three years and have developed enough basic ability to get me up 6a routes. I’ve set [...]
UFC 118 Press Conference Video
by Michael David SmithUFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, former champion B.J. Penn, UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and former boxing champion James Toney will all meet the press, joined by UFC President Dana White, at Wednesday's UFC 118 pre-fight press conference. And if you can't be there in person in Boston, you can watch it right here at MMAFighting.com.
The star of the show is likely to be Toney, who will draw plenty of mainstream media attention and talk plenty of trash about Couture. It's going to be easy to forget that Edgar-Penn 2 is actually the main event.
The UFC 118 pre-fight press conference begins Wednesday at 3PM ET and the video is below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
The star of the show is likely to be Toney, who will draw plenty of mainstream media attention and talk plenty of trash about Couture. It's going to be easy to forget that Edgar-Penn 2 is actually the main event.
The UFC 118 pre-fight press conference begins Wednesday at 3PM ET and the video is below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
UFC 118: Randy Couture Submits James Toney
by Michael David SmithThe 41-year-old former boxing world champion James Toney made his mixed martial arts debut Saturday night at UFC 118. It did not go well.
UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture easily beat Toney by first-round submission, confirming what everyone suspected: In a mixed martial arts match, a good mixed martial artist will beat a past-his-prime boxer.
"This was exactly what I trained to do," Couture said.
More: Randy Couture vs. James Toney Live Blog | UFC 118 Results | UFC 118 Pictures
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UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture easily beat Toney by first-round submission, confirming what everyone suspected: In a mixed martial arts match, a good mixed martial artist will beat a past-his-prime boxer.
"This was exactly what I trained to do," Couture said.
More: Randy Couture vs. James Toney Live Blog | UFC 118 Results | UFC 118 Pictures
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Dana White sits down with Mike Tyson to talk UFC 118
You think you're a big fight fan? You might get smoked in a conversation with Mike Tyson. The former heavyweight boxing champ loves his sport and is quickly becoming a huge fan of mixed martial arts. For him, the Randy Couture-James Toney fight is right up his alley. Tyson visited the Las Vegas office of UFC president Dana White to talk some boxing. When the conversation turned to James Toney, Tyson got pretty animated (2:13 mark)."I want to see this fight. Toney's a crazy guy," said Tyson. "He's a really dark, kinda crazy guy."If Toney wins at UFC 118, Tyson was interested to see if the UFC would book Brock Lesnar against the boxing great. Tyson follows the sport pretty closely. Last month, he told ESPNRadio1100 in Las Vegas that his favorite fighter is Fedor Emelianenko. He also has a lot of admiration for Lesnar, after the first round beating he took against Shane Carwin at UFC 116. This is quite a coup for White and his videographer Eliot. Tyson is pretty picky when it comes to allowing photographs and videos.
Shanna Moakler Shannon Elizabeth Shannyn Sossamon Shiri Appleby
Street League Day One
DC has results from yesterday's qualifiers from the first Street League event. Chris Cole, Shane O?Neill, Paul Rodriguez, Sean Malto, Nyjah Huston, and Chaz Ortiz are in with the final contestant to be determined today at the best trick event. Keep an eye on the DC site for continuing coverage throughout the weekend.
Davis on boxing in MMA: Toney has little shot and Noons not a UFC fighter
In anticipation of UFC 118, boxer versus grappler has been talk all week long . James Toney will try to pull the upset on Randy Couture. But don't forget the card also features Marcus Davis against Nate Diaz. If there's anyone who understands how hard the transition is from the ring to the cage, it's Davis. There was a time when Davis was in Toney's position. No, he was never on the level that Toney has been in boxing but after 18 pro bouts wearing the big gloves, Davis moved over to MMA. Since he possessed only one legitimate weapon, Davis was in over his head during Season 2 of "The Ultimate Fighter". "There's nothing that James Toney can do to Randy Couture other than punch him and knock him out," Davis told Hardcore Sports Radio (audio). "He's basically going into this fight completely one-dimensional.""Randy will do what he wants to do to him," said Davis. "There's five ranges of
fighting - kicking, punching, trapping, grappling and ground fighting. Those are five different ways a fight can be fought at and all Randy
has to do is shutdown the punching range. That's it! And that's easy
to do especially for somebody when this is all that they ever do." Davis knows first hand what it's like to bring so few weapons to the Octagon. It was so bad for him on TUF 2 and then the TUF 2 Finale, he was close to walking away from the sport. And that was against MMA prospects. Toney is facing a 13-year veteran of the sport. "His first professional MMA fight, his first one, is going to be against one of the greats," said Davis. "That's like me just jumping into professional basketball and playing a game of one-on-one against Michael Jordan. It's just not gonna happen."That's a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point. Toney has also talked about facing Brock Lesnar if he wins on Saturday night and says that he's still balancing a boxing career. Davis said that's not possible. Then host Mauro Ranallo threw out Strikeforce fighter K.J. Noons as an example. Noons (10-2 MMA) has also boxed professionally 13 times. Davis wasn't impressed. "If he came to the UFC in the 155-pound division, he would be eaten up and spit out. He wouldn't make it here," said Davis. "He wouldn't be able to come in here and box and fight MMA, wouldn't happen."Aside from pro boxing careers, Davis and Toney share one other thing in common, they both celebrated a birthday on Tuesday. Davis, 37 said he expects a better birthday gift on Saturday night than Toney, 42, will be getting.
fighting - kicking, punching, trapping, grappling and ground fighting. Those are five different ways a fight can be fought at and all Randy
has to do is shutdown the punching range. That's it! And that's easy
to do especially for somebody when this is all that they ever do." Davis knows first hand what it's like to bring so few weapons to the Octagon. It was so bad for him on TUF 2 and then the TUF 2 Finale, he was close to walking away from the sport. And that was against MMA prospects. Toney is facing a 13-year veteran of the sport. "His first professional MMA fight, his first one, is going to be against one of the greats," said Davis. "That's like me just jumping into professional basketball and playing a game of one-on-one against Michael Jordan. It's just not gonna happen."That's a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point. Toney has also talked about facing Brock Lesnar if he wins on Saturday night and says that he's still balancing a boxing career. Davis said that's not possible. Then host Mauro Ranallo threw out Strikeforce fighter K.J. Noons as an example. Noons (10-2 MMA) has also boxed professionally 13 times. Davis wasn't impressed. "If he came to the UFC in the 155-pound division, he would be eaten up and spit out. He wouldn't make it here," said Davis. "He wouldn't be able to come in here and box and fight MMA, wouldn't happen."Aside from pro boxing careers, Davis and Toney share one other thing in common, they both celebrated a birthday on Tuesday. Davis, 37 said he expects a better birthday gift on Saturday night than Toney, 42, will be getting.
Rossi?s opinion of the Lorenzo negotiations
This quote comes from the Spanish language website elmundodeportivo.es. The message and the sentiment are clear: “You aren’t worth what I get paid Jorge”.
From elmundodeportive.es, translation by Fans.Moto.GP (Thanks!):
What Jorge is looking for seems presumptuous to me: Arrive at Yamaha, and in his second year ask that he be given the same treatment as me. [...]
From elmundodeportive.es, translation by Fans.Moto.GP (Thanks!):
What Jorge is looking for seems presumptuous to me: Arrive at Yamaha, and in his second year ask that he be given the same treatment as me. [...]
Victoria Pratt Victoria Silvstedt Vinessa Shaw Virginie Ledoyen
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Lashley must get by Griggs to land high-profile fight
Scott Coker certainly wants to see Chad Griggs engage in a good fight against Bobby Lashley. But Coker must be thinking, "don't get too froggy Mr. Griggs." After all, he's taken Lashley, a big free-agent signee back in early 2009, along a slow path with the destination hopefully being some mega-money fights for the former pro wrestling star. The payoff for Strikeforce could come in the form of Lashley against another former WWE star Dave Batista or one of the big boys on top of the promotion's heavyweight division. The tough part for Lashley is avoiding looking ahead of the little known Griggs. "The hardest thing about him (Griggs) is I don't know much about the guy at all," said Lashley. "It's another opponent. He has a very impressive record. It's going to pose a good challenge for me coming back from the long break."Lashley (5-0) last fought in January making quick work of Wes Sims. Some MMA fans and bloggers have been frustrated by the slow path Lashley's taken. Coker and Lashley seem happy with where he's at. From the Las Vegas Sun: "I always said to myself, 'what is Bobby going to look like in 18 months?'" Coker said. "With his athletic ability and wrestling, the sky is the limit. "One guy he has to get through is Chad. That's got to be the first thing that's on the top of his mind. As you all know, (Strikeforce) has a few of the top heavyweights in the world, and Bobby will fit right in there."And now Lashley is talking about moving into Strikeforce's top five. He's gotten a jolt of confidence from working with UFC title contender Cain Velasquez and fellow Strikeforce heavyweight prospect at the well-regarded American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. "Cain is probably the best heavyweight there is right now," Lashley said. "You've got to be ready training with him. The guy has got great conditioning and it's been good mixing it up with him and [...] Cormier."We've had some great practice sessions, and I know my conditioning is not going to be a factor."That's good to hear. Because much like another thickly muscled fighter Shane Carwin, there have been questions about Lashley's cardio if fights go into the second and third rounds. Lashley has only been to the second round one time in five fights.What's next? Should Strikeforce push a Lashley-Batista promotion just to cash in? Or at age 34, should Lashley be more concerned with furthering his legitimate MMA career?
Johnny and the Brat Pack
A 45 day trip yields a lengthy montage with some seriously gnarly Australian shredding.
Emmanuelle Vaugier Emmy Rossum Erica Leerhsen Erika Christensen
Strikeforce Houston: KJ Noons Knocks Out Jorge Gurgel
by Michael David Smith
KJ Noons knocked out Jorge Gurgel in the second round of Saturday night's Strikeforce Houston card with the help of two illegal strikes, one a left hook at the end of the first round and one an illegal knee on the ground as the referee was starting to stop the fight in the second. The referee awarded the fight to Noons by knockout even though it easily could have gone to Gurgel by disqualification.
At the end of the first round, Noons floored Gurgel with a huge left hook an instant after the bell rang, and Gurgel was wobbly as he tried to get back to his corner. The punch clearly landed after the round had ended, and the referee easily could have disqualified Noons, or at least taken a point away. Instead, the referee did nothing.
More Coverage: KJ Noons vs. Jorge Gurgel Live Blog | Strikeforce: Houston Results
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
KJ Noons knocked out Jorge Gurgel in the second round of Saturday night's Strikeforce Houston card with the help of two illegal strikes, one a left hook at the end of the first round and one an illegal knee on the ground as the referee was starting to stop the fight in the second. The referee awarded the fight to Noons by knockout even though it easily could have gone to Gurgel by disqualification.
At the end of the first round, Noons floored Gurgel with a huge left hook an instant after the bell rang, and Gurgel was wobbly as he tried to get back to his corner. The punch clearly landed after the round had ended, and the referee easily could have disqualified Noons, or at least taken a point away. Instead, the referee did nothing.
More Coverage: KJ Noons vs. Jorge Gurgel Live Blog | Strikeforce: Houston Results
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Shania Twain Shanna Moakler Shannon Elizabeth Shannyn Sossamon
Cormier on verge of fighting for third time in four weeks
What have you done this month? Strikeforce heavyweight and two-time Olympian Daniel Cormier has fought on two continents, won two championship belts, prepared for his third bout and moved into a new apartment. As he gets ready for the third bout, he laughed at the idea that he was crazy. "Not crazy because of the way the first two went," Cormier told Cagewriter. "If I had gotten all cut up, then maybe. But these first two fights were a combined six and a half minutes. People keep asking if I've lost my mind, but we wrestled 2-3 times a week in college, and not easy wrestling matches. I've been trained to do this over the course of my wrestling career." Cormier won the XMMA heavyweight championship in Australia on July 31 with a TKO of Lucas Brown. Two weeks later, he earned the King of the Cage belt with a quick TKO of Tony Johnson, Jr. This weekend, he'll face Jason Riley on the undercard of the Strikeforce: Houston card, a bout that will be aired online. At King of the Cage bout, referee Cecil People made waves after an odd statement before Cormier's fight. When the two fighters came forward for pre-fight instructions, Peoples called the KOTC belt "the most prestigious in the world," an overreach at best.Cormier says that he didn't hear what Peoples said at the time, and was surprised when he heard it after the fight. The normally talkative Cormier had trouble putting words to his reaction."I read comments the afterwards, and what do you say about that? I didn't hear it. What do you say? Maggie, have you ever heard me at a loss for words? Maybe he believes that. It's his opinion."He has no trouble speaking when answering the question of whether or not he will fight his friend and the Strikeforce light heavyweight champ, Mo Lawal. Though Lawal said he's willing to fight at heavyweight, Cormier will not fight his friend."It won't happen. Mo and I wrestled a lot. You can't talk, you can't communicate. What people don't realize is that our relationship spans a decade. It's more than MMA. When he transferred to OSU, Mo was my guy. He's family to me, and I'd never take food out of his mouth. That's what happens when you fight, and I'd never try to hurt him."But before he gets to that discussion, he has a fight to focus on, and then a new home to hang out in. He spent the weekend between fights moving into a San Jose apartment with American Kickboxing Academy teammate Luke Rockhold, though he did cave in and decide to hire movers.Now, Cormier is looking forward to winning his bout and relaxing in that new place."Hopefully, I can get one more win and then I'll be 5-0 in a year. After this, I'm looking forward to taking a few days to just relax. Most people say they want to go to the beach, or go on vacation. I just want to lay on my couch and play video games."He won't have to look far for reminders of his success. Cormier said that the two belts are on his entertainment center, next to the X-Box.
Diaz cuts Davis then submits him at UFC 118
Fighting in front of a hostile crowd, Nate Diaz submitted hometown fighter Marcus Davis with a guillotine at 4:02 in the third round of their bout at UFC 118 in Boston on Saturday night. Diaz taunted Davis, and Davis answered it with a series of punches that briefly knocked Diaz to the ground. Diaz survived the exchange, and though Davis won the exchange, he sustained a cut just below his left eye brow. The two continued tight stand-up as the round went on. Davis' eye bled profusely throughout the round.Davis' eye was checked between rounds, and the doctor let the fight continue.In the second round, Davis continued boxing as well as he could with buckets of blood in his eye. Diaz kept his distance, using his reach advantage to stay far away from Davis' dangerous punches. Near the end of the round, Davis took Diaz down but was immediately reverse.Between rounds, Davis' eye was shown on the big screen and caused a large groan at the TD Garden. The cut continued to bleed, and Davis eye was nearly swollen shut.Diaz continued to batter Davis' face in the third and final round, and took him down with 90 seconds left in the fight. Diaz sunk in a guillotine that was so tight, it put Davis to sleep. Referee Yves Levigne saw that Davis was out and called the fight over with less than a minute to go.This is Diaz's second win at welterweight, but he said he still wants to move back down to lightweight. "I want to fight back at 155 with guys like Gray Maynard. They think they're hot shots," Diaz said after the fight.Diaz's last loss was in January to Maynard.
Indy tipping contest scores
In another lean week top scorers, two names shot ahead from the pack to challenge the leaders - @tailzer and @harleymac1. Pulling off an impressive Brit-centric Minella to gain 6 points, @tailzer took second place in the overall standings. Well done sir! @harleymac1 also made impressive gains with his 6 point Minella.
Honorable mention goes to [...]
Honorable mention goes to [...]
Giveaway: Gravis Dylan Oxblood Limited
Gravis is hooking you up with one of the 300 pairs of the Dylan Oxblood Limited. This slip on has been very controversial in the skate world. Definitely the most punk shoe you can be seen in today. Agree, Disagree or just ramble why you want these over on our Facebook. Most convincing/clever point wins. Contest ends Monday 8/30 at midnight.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
No Clip But Clips
No skate clip today, but the Mostly Skateboarding twitter feed is always going off and I started a tumblr blog last week with skate and non-skate stuff I think looks cool.
Ward, Vega and Oleinik move on in Bellator tourneys
Bellator's third season chugged along, making a stop in Kansas City on Thursday night for women's, bantamweight and heavyweight tournament bouts. Lisa Ward earned a spot in the semifinals of Bellator's women tournament with unanimous decision over Aisling Daly. She won all three round on all three judges cards. Ward took Daly down early in the first round, and controlled the fight throughout the round. Ward used her positioning to rain down punches at every opportunity. This pattern continued throughout the rest of the fight, with Ward using her wrestling skills to control Daly's every move. With that win, Ward joins Megumi Fujii, Zoila Frausto and Jessica Aguilar in the semifinals of the Bellator tournament. Vega takes out Tims Jose Vega moved on in the Bellator bantameight tournament with a unanimous decision win over Danny Tims, with the judges seeing it 29-28, 30-27, 29-28 for Vega. Their fight featured non-stop action. Tims knocked Vega down early in the first round, but couldn't keep Vega down. Vega reversed position, and controlled and inflicted damage on Tims. Any time Tims looked like he could gain an advantage, Vega would use his wrestling to take it away.Vega is the first fighter to make the Bellator bantamweight semifinals. Oleinik survives bloody battle Alexey Oleinik took the final spot in the heavyweight tournament with a split decision win over Mike Hayes. Oleinik took the bloody decision 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.Oleinik spent much of the fight on his back, but controlled Hayes' wrists and caused damage from the bottom. However, he wasn't able to finish off Hayes. This task became more difficult after Hayes sustained a cut on his eyelid in the third round. Oleinik will likely face Neil Grove in the semifinals, while Cole Konrad will fight Damian Grabowski.In a non-tournament bout, Steve Carl somehow lasted a through a tight Tyler Stinson triangle choke to win by a technical submission. After getting out of triangle, Carl sunk in a guillotine that choke Stinson unconscious at 2:30 of the first round. This bout was non-tournament, but Carl likely earned himself a spot in Bellator's next welterweight tournament with the win.
MMA Marketplace: Is James Toney really wearing that shirt?
It takes a special kind of narcissism to wear a shirt with a picture of yourself on it. Luckily for MMA fans, James Toney is exactly that kind of narcissist. Just look at that thing. Not only is Toney wearing a shirt with a picture of himself on it, but check out his likeness on the shirt. His gloves say "MMA" while his body looks slightly more svelte than in recent pictures of the boxer-turned-mixed martial artist. Even with all that, the most ridiculous aspect of the shirt is the price. If you want it, you'll have to cough up $49.98 for it.
Head injuries in sports: Dana White says he's terrified of his kids playing football
Any fighter who watched the HBO "Real Sports" piece on the possible connection between head trauma and concussions to ALS had to shutter with fear. Bernie Goldberg's story indicated that there may be a link between athletes that often get their heads smashed -- football, soccer and boxers -- and the dreaded disease. Referencing the story, WEEI's "Dennis and Callahan" show asked UFC president Dana White about safety issues in mixed martial arts. White launched right into his defense of mixed martial arts and the moves to make it safer. He also added his personal feelings about the safety of football by using his sons as an example. "Both of my sons, they're 8 and 9, train in mixed martial arts. Not that I want them to be fighters I just think as a dad you should teach your kids how to fight," White told the Boston radio show. "My oldest son, who is 9, is a really good quarterback. He's only lost one game in two years. He plays flag football ... I don't know how he got into football but he likes it. But I'm terrified for this kid to play football."To the average American sports fan that sounds crazy, right? With evidence emerging that ALS cases are popping up at an alarming rate amongst former football players, parents may want to think twice about what sports their kids should play.Listen to the entire interview here. Gerry Callahan sounded like he was lukewarm on MMA, but John Dennis was well-informed and even talked about possibly attending UFC 118. We know Dennis is a scrapper. A few years ago he was ready to throwdown on Ryen Russillo, a host from another Boston radio station. Dennis called Russillo's cell phone one day in 2005 and left one of the best phone messages (audio - NSFW) we've ever heard. Russillo now does middays for ESPNRadio nationally based out of Bristol, Conn., but he must look over his shoulder anytime he visits Boston.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Dill on The Chrome Ball
In need of some quality time? Dill has an epic interview over at The Chrome Ball Incident. Enjoy.
Salma Hayek Samaire Armstrong Samantha Mathis Samantha Morton
Gabreil Zuffery Safari Welcome Video
I dig the pole cam filming in the intro to Gabreil Zuffery's welcome video from Safari.
Dill on The Chrome Ball
In need of some quality time? Dill has an epic interview over at The Chrome Ball Incident. Enjoy.
Michelle Malkin Michelle Obama Michelle Rodriguez Michelle Trachtenberg
Ben Spies to Factory Yamaha Team
As expected, Ben Spies and Yamaha have announced that the current World Superbike Champion and MotoGP rookie will move up to the factory Yamaha team (noticeably not called Fiat-Yamaha in the press release) for the 2011 season. Spies’ move to the factory squad has lovingly been referred to as the “second worst-kept secret in MotoGP,” [...]
Nelson sidelined by knee surgery, calls out 'Big Nog'
Roy Nelson's a tough dude but even he can't fight on an injured knee. "Big Country" suffered the knee injury during his fight with Junior Dos Santos at UFC 117. In a slugfest, Nelson was outhit 130-38 and only attempted four takedowns. Part of his issue was the injury to his knee that he thinks he suffered in the first round. Monday morning Nelson threw on his favorite moo-moo and got the knee repaired. On Sunday, he mentioned the injury to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. A recurring hip issue has forced, "Big Nog" to pull out of his fight next month against Frank Mir at UFC 119. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is reportedly the fill-in. Where is the new-found passion for a fight against Nogueira coming from? Apparantly, there was a little dust-up behind the scenes at UFC 117 between Blackhouse MMA and Team Nelson. One of the team's banners went missing and all hell broke loose. Those crazy kids!
Palaszewski TKOs Micklewright to start WEC 50
Wearing a brightly colored, off-kilter mohawk, Bart Palaszewski TKOed Zack Micklewright 31 seconds into the second round to kick off the main card of WEC 50 in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. Micklewright got the better of Palaszewski during the a standup-filled first round. Both showed off crisp striking, with Micklewright employing an effective left hook, but that didn't matter in the second round. Palaszewski came out swinging in the second and threw a series of punches that pushed Micklewright back into the cage. He add a body kick and then finished him off with a huge right hand that knocked Micklewright to the ground. Referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the bout. Since losing to Anthony Njokuani at WEC 40 last spring, Palaszewski has been on a tear. He's beaten Tyler Combs, Anthony Pettis and Karen Darabedyan before taking out Micklewright.
Carwin steroid story still escaping the spotlight
The media around UFC 118 is wrapped up in the event and the fights but there is a pretty big story brewing in the background. It was less than two weeks ago that Shane Carwin was named by a federal prosecutor as a customer of a steroid-dealing pharmacist. Carwin has chosen to stay mum on the topic and UFC Dana White doesn't feel comfortable speaking on the subject without more facts. "I don’t know enough about it to go into it in depth," White told Fanhouse's Ariel Helwani. "But, I know he came up on
like a BALCO-type list. On a list of guys who did it. But, this guy’s [Carwin]
fought in the UFC a long time, under regulation and has never tested positive
for anything. We’ll see how
this whole thing plays out."Yahoo! Sports' Dave Meltzer says using recent testing results, to give athletes accused of using steroids a pass, doesn't wash anymore.The current testing system means nothing in most states and in the states
like Nevada where it is legit, you still know well ahead of time the day you are
being tested. They do have the power to test you off season, but it's rarely
done, and if you aren't a top guy headlining a show in the next two months,
there is no fear of it happening. California was very real before, but when you
go from people failing tests nearly every weekend to nobody failing tests for
months, either everyone smartened up at once or something has changed. Meltzer wrote in Pro Wrestling Observer that he's always had suspicions about Carwin (pictured in early 2008 when he initially signed with the UFC). When I met (Shane Carwin) in 2006, he was 289 ripped and when I asked him if
he could cut to 265 (the weight he'd need to be for UFC), he laughed and said
there was no way he could. Two years later, he was in UFC and fighting at 254
without cutting and physically he looked like a completely different person.
Meltzer said fighters believe that many of the top competitors in the sport are using some of sort of performance enhancing drug. My feeling from talking with someone who
directly distributed is that the people who say everyone or 90% of the top
fighters are on them are people covering up for their own insecurities and
justifying usage. That said, the percentage is significant. Dennis Hallman was on Inside MMA (video - 38:00 mark) a
few weeks ago and said it was no less than 50 percent. When going through fighters
at one prominent gym from someone who knew, person by person, we did end up
right at 50 percent and again, some who did and didn't from that list would surprise
you.
Meltzer thinks anyone who says steroids or PED's make little difference is being foolish. But the point is, steroids do
change the game (one fighter who is very sophisticated on use noted to me about
certain opponents that he's trained with both on and off and he mentioned one
guy as almost a world beater on when he trained with him and he was `nothing'
off, and talked about being genuinely scared of another fighter-keep in mind
this was in a non-drug tested environment--who was a very dangerous and actually
legendary striker at any weight and had in a very short period of time had
suddenly packed on 20 extra pounds of muscle and completely changed his
body.We're never going to get resolution on the Carwin story. He'll come back, address it quickly and the story will get buried just like it has with James Toney, who is fighting on the card this weekend. Toney tested positive after his win over John Ruiz back in 2005 and served a 90-day suspension. Most MMA fans have no idea of Toney's history with PED's.Hopefully down the road, more comprehensive testing for steroids and HGH (that means everyone on the card) will be put in place and the worries, about who's on and who's not, will be alleviated. It's certainly made a difference in baseball. The 50 home run, 145 RBI seasons have been replaced by very 70's-like 32 HR, 110 RBI seasons. It must be the improvement in pitching, right? Baseball finally instituted real testing and up next is a reliable test for HGH. MMA and boxing need to follow suit. Meltzer tip via Bloody Elbow
like a BALCO-type list. On a list of guys who did it. But, this guy’s [Carwin]
fought in the UFC a long time, under regulation and has never tested positive
for anything. We’ll see how
this whole thing plays out."Yahoo! Sports' Dave Meltzer says using recent testing results, to give athletes accused of using steroids a pass, doesn't wash anymore.The current testing system means nothing in most states and in the states
like Nevada where it is legit, you still know well ahead of time the day you are
being tested. They do have the power to test you off season, but it's rarely
done, and if you aren't a top guy headlining a show in the next two months,
there is no fear of it happening. California was very real before, but when you
go from people failing tests nearly every weekend to nobody failing tests for
months, either everyone smartened up at once or something has changed. Meltzer wrote in Pro Wrestling Observer that he's always had suspicions about Carwin (pictured in early 2008 when he initially signed with the UFC). When I met (Shane Carwin) in 2006, he was 289 ripped and when I asked him if
he could cut to 265 (the weight he'd need to be for UFC), he laughed and said
there was no way he could. Two years later, he was in UFC and fighting at 254
without cutting and physically he looked like a completely different person.
Meltzer said fighters believe that many of the top competitors in the sport are using some of sort of performance enhancing drug. My feeling from talking with someone who
directly distributed is that the people who say everyone or 90% of the top
fighters are on them are people covering up for their own insecurities and
justifying usage. That said, the percentage is significant. Dennis Hallman was on Inside MMA (video - 38:00 mark) a
few weeks ago and said it was no less than 50 percent. When going through fighters
at one prominent gym from someone who knew, person by person, we did end up
right at 50 percent and again, some who did and didn't from that list would surprise
you.
Meltzer thinks anyone who says steroids or PED's make little difference is being foolish. But the point is, steroids do
change the game (one fighter who is very sophisticated on use noted to me about
certain opponents that he's trained with both on and off and he mentioned one
guy as almost a world beater on when he trained with him and he was `nothing'
off, and talked about being genuinely scared of another fighter-keep in mind
this was in a non-drug tested environment--who was a very dangerous and actually
legendary striker at any weight and had in a very short period of time had
suddenly packed on 20 extra pounds of muscle and completely changed his
body.We're never going to get resolution on the Carwin story. He'll come back, address it quickly and the story will get buried just like it has with James Toney, who is fighting on the card this weekend. Toney tested positive after his win over John Ruiz back in 2005 and served a 90-day suspension. Most MMA fans have no idea of Toney's history with PED's.Hopefully down the road, more comprehensive testing for steroids and HGH (that means everyone on the card) will be put in place and the worries, about who's on and who's not, will be alleviated. It's certainly made a difference in baseball. The 50 home run, 145 RBI seasons have been replaced by very 70's-like 32 HR, 110 RBI seasons. It must be the improvement in pitching, right? Baseball finally instituted real testing and up next is a reliable test for HGH. MMA and boxing need to follow suit. Meltzer tip via Bloody Elbow
Does James Toney look like he's in shape for UFC 118?
James Toney has been fighting the battle of the bulge for most of his time at heavyweight in boxing. He's simply a bad body guy. So how much do you read into the latest photos featuring Toney going through his MMA conditioning? He faced 47-year-old Randy Couture next weekend at UFC 118. When he weighed between 234 and 237 pounds for some of his 2006 and 2007 fights, his cardio was shaky at best. Toney, 41, fought down at 217 1/2 in his last boxing match. He looks to be around that number with less than two weeks before he makes his MMA debut.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
UFC 118 not sold out yet; White surprised
MMA is on the rise, but it's not free from the affects of a lousy economy. UFC finally landing in Boston is a huge coup for the sport, but even a city hungry for fighting hasn't opened its wallets without some hesitation. Dan Duggan from the Boston Herald reports that UFC 118 needs a late push to sellout: Tickets went on sale June 25 and as of last weekend about 11,000 tickets had been sold. The Garden’s capacity for the event will be 15,500. UFC president Dana White, a Boston-native is surprised: "I was shocked that we didn’t sell out,” White told the Herald Monday. "Everybody is telling me that things are rough back there." [...]"We think it’s going to sell out," White said. "I think we’re like a couple thousand away from it. But when we get down to a thousand, we consider that a sell out. We’ll do that from walkup (sales)."White is happy with the way the event has been marketed. "Everything is great," White said. "The fight card, the lead-up and now going there is all good stuff."He's probably got good reason to be confident that the card will sell out. The Boston media showed up in force Wednesday to cover the UFC 118 prefight press conference. Papers like the Herald and Boston Globe still have muscle in New England.
'Showtime' Pettis ready for Roller and MTV
WEC lightweight Anthony Pettis is an unassuming guy. He doesn't walk into his gym, Roufus Training Academy, as the star. Instead, he's the eager-to-learn fighter who soaks up everything he can from his coaches. Still, MTV has chosen to spotlight Pettis on "The World of Jenks," a new show that will immerse the viewer in different types of people's lives. It followed Pettis the week that he KOed Danny Castillo at WEC 47. "I was coming off a loss, so I didn't know what was going to happen. It could have gone either way," Pettis told Cagewriter. "If I lost again, I was cut from the WEC. But I won, and I won twice, and now I'm that close to a title shot. It was crazy to have the cameras in your face everywhere. It was a cool experience. I'm really interested to see how it turns out." He doesn't consider himself a star, but it's that eager-to-learn attitude that makes Pettis an interesting fighter to watch and a perfect fit for MTV. Out of his 11 wins, only one fight has gone to decision. Because of the MTV series, he got the chance to see how his mother reacted to his fights. "She walked out of the arena, and had her head down, and all she heard was a big commotion. That's when I got my headkick. She said, 'What happened, what happened?' Someone said, 'He won!' And she was happy about it. She can't take it at all."Family is an extremely important part of Pettis' life. He trains with his younger brother, Sergio, and Anthony says that his MMA career would make his father proud. "He was the competitive type. With the exposure that I've gotten, I've gone in Milwaukee from no one knowing me to the whole city knows me. Everywhere I go, I have people supporting me. He had a lot of friends, so he'd like that. He was the one who had us in tae kwon do tournaments, so he'd support us." Pettis' father was murdered in 2003, when Anthony was just 15 years old. Martial arts served as a refuge for him, and kept him focused when he could have easily gone down the path to drugs and gangs, as some of his family did."I had the worst of the worst happen to me, and I could have chosen to go anywhere. I could have chosen to give up on anything, be bad, live the street life, go to jail. All my cousins are in gangs. My dad's brother has three boys, and their dad also died in a house robbery, seven years before my dad, and they all joined gangs. They're 34 years old now, and they're lost. Martial arts gave me focus and gave me something to do. If I couldn't come here every day and do this, I'd be lost."For WEC 50, Pettis has his focus trained on Shane Roller, an All-American wrestler. To get ready for him, Pettis has worked with a slew of top wrestlers. Two-time national champion Ben Askren stopped by Roufus Sport to work with Pettis.Pettis knows that Roller will want to take the fight to the ground, so he has been working on takedown defense. Though Pettis is more comfortable on his feet, he believes in all the parts of his game."I'm confident that my skills are better than his, standing up, on the ground, and I'm going to stuff his takedowns."
Victoria Beckham Victoria Pratt Victoria Silvstedt Vinessa Shaw
Noons destroys Gurgel but did he land several illegal shots?
Jorge Gurgel has had a bad habit of striking with strikers. A brilliant jiu-jitsu practitioner, he hadn't suffered devastating consequences until tonight. Gurgel played K.J. Noons' game and almost had his head knocked off. In the first three minutes of the fight, Gurgel was tagged by 20-of-44 shots. It only got worse from there. Noons nearly knocked out Gurgel with a left hook at the end of the first. Then at the start of the second, he finished it quickly when landed a nasty combination with straight right followed by a left hook. Referee Kerry Hatley stopped the fight at 0:19 of the second giving Noons the victory but it wasn't without controversy. Once Noons dropped Gurgel, he looked to Hatley to save Gurgel. The ref hesitated so Noons unloaded with three more lefts on the helpless Gurgel. Then as the overmatched official listlessly moved in to stop the fight, Noons delivered a right knee. One problem, Gurgel was still on the ground. The blow was clearly illegal. Showtime color voice Mauro Ranallo screeched in protest. Texas officials apparently decided the knee was legal or simply didn't see it. When Showtime's Gus Johnson entered the cage he probed Noons with four questions but shied away from asking him about the illegal blow (pictured). "Jorge is great opponent," said Noons (9-1). "He was staying away from my hands trying to get me into his gameplan but I have that killer instinct."There was also a question on the left hook that nearly knocked out Gurgel (13-7) at the end of the first. Showtime never showed a replay with sound. It appeared that the punch landed as the bell sounded. Ranallo and others thought it may have come just after the bell. In all, Noons landed 41-of-80 strikes while Gurgel was just 21-of-67. Clearly, Noons landed the heavier shots. Gurgel was bleeding around both eyes and his nose. He could barely stand at the end of the fight. Noons' face was unmarked.
Michelle Obama Michelle Rodriguez Michelle Trachtenberg Mila Kunis
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
WEC 50: Bart Palaszewski KOs Zach Micklewright
by Michael David SmithBart Palaszewski earned his fourth consecutive victory Wednesday night at WEC 50, using a great stand-up display to knock out the overmatched and far less experienced Zach Micklewright.
"I'm an entertainer first and a fighter second," Palaszewski said afterward. "I'm always here to put on a show. ... I just said, 'Screw it, let's just slug it out.'"
More Coverage: WEC 50 Results | WEC 50 Fighter Salaries | Latest WEC News
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
"I'm an entertainer first and a fighter second," Palaszewski said afterward. "I'm always here to put on a show. ... I just said, 'Screw it, let's just slug it out.'"
More Coverage: WEC 50 Results | WEC 50 Fighter Salaries | Latest WEC News
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Bridget Moynahan Britney Spears Brittany Daniel Brittany Lee
'Jacare' wins Strikeforce middleweight belt with decision over Kennedy
In the fight that decided the winner of the vacant Strikeforce middleweight belt, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza won a unanimous decision over Tim Kennedy, with the judges cards reading 49-46, 48-47, 48-47. Jacare, known as one of the world's best in jiu-jitsu, kept the first round standing, landing effective strikes in the first round. Kennedy counterpunched, but Jacare had an answer for every offensive move that Kennedy made. That continued into the second round. Jacare wore down Kennedy, though Kennedy did stuff Jacare's takedown attempt.In the third round, Jacare opened up a cut over Kennedy's left eye with a big right hand. Not long after his face started bleeding, Kennedy took Jacare down, but surprisingly, Jacare did not want to stay there. He got out from under Kennedy and brought the fight back to its feet for the rest of the round.In the fourth, Kennedy seemed to land more punches, but they did not cause much damage. With about a minute and a half left in the fourth round, Kennedy landed an indavertent blow to Jacare's groin. Jacare was given time to recover, with while Kennedy's eye continued to bleed. The fight was delayed longer because of a problem with the fight clock. Kennedy's striking improved in the final round, but in the last 30 seconds of the round, Jacare landed two flush strikes that wobbled Kennedy. Kennedy answered with a takedownm bringing Jacare to the ground for a millisecond before Jacare leapt to his feet. After the decision was announced, Kennedy was confused and upset with the call from the judges. "The best grappler in the world couldn't get me down, and I took him down a few times," Kennedy said. "I've said it before. I don't like judges. I won't be here again." The fight was as close as prognosticators expected, but Jacare's striking was effective throughout the match. The grappling expert showed that he is just as comfortable on his feet as he is on the ground, and because of that, he is the newly crowned Strikeforce middleweight champ.
Bellator opens season three with impressive wins from Fujii, Lombard
Bellator's third season kicked off in Hollywood, Fla., on Thursday night with action in the women's and heavyweight tournaments, as well as a non-title bout for the middleweight champ.Arguably the world's best female fighter, Megumi Fujii won with a second-round submission. Carla Esparza took the fight on short notice and hung with Fujji for most of the first round, matching Fujii punch-for-punch. Fujii grabbed a toe hold late in the first round, but could not finish. She did not take as long in the second round, using her smooth grappling to grab an armbar out of nowhere. Esparza was forced to tap at 0:57, giving Fujii the bout.That not only moves "Mega-Megu" onto the semifinal round of Bellator's 115-pound female tournament, but it also gives her an unprecedented 21st straight victory.Jessica Aguilar, who still has not told her mother that she's a fighter, came away with a win and a spot in the semifinals. Aguilar used outstanding grappling to control Lynn Alvarez, finishing her off with an arm-triangle at 4:01 in the first round.In the first fight of the Bellator heavyweight tournament, Neil Grove TKOed Eddie Sanchez in just 1:32. Grove knocked Sanchez down early and beat on his head. Twice, Sanchez fruitlessly tried for armbars, but Grove easily maneuvered out and returned to his feet to beat on Sanchez more. With his left eye swollen nearly shut, Sanchez had trouble returning to his feet. The referee asked if Sanchez could continue. When Sanchez asked for a minute, the referee stopped the fight.Middleweight champion Hector Lombard took on Whisper Goodman, a former NFL running back, in a non-title fight. It would not have mattered if the bout was scheduled to go five rounds, as Lombard knocked out Goodman in 38 seconds. Lombard came out swinging and overwhelmed his opponent, throwing a final right that took Goodman out.After the bout, Lombard inexplicably called out heavyweight Josh Barnett, who was at the fights to corner Fujii. "I don't care how much weight you are," said Lombard, an Olympic judo player for Cuba. "Josh Barnett, come over." In other Bellator news, the promotion announced that the next bout for champion Eddie Alvarez would not be taking on Pat Curran, the lightweight tourney champ, as planned. Curran sustained an injury, so Roger Huerta will be stepping in for a non-title bout in October.
Mostly Turned Five on Sunday
I always for get MostlySkateboarding's birthday, but I noticed today that the blog turned five years old on Sunday. Thanks to everybody who looks at the blog, makes comments, and especially to everyone who makes skate videos for me to post. Number by Alexander Crispin.
Pulver can't stop losing streak, falls in 67 seconds
The rough times continued tonight for former UFC lightweight champ Jens Pulver. Known for his knockout power, Pulver simply can't catch up the new breed of well-rounded fighters. 'Lil' Evil' got beat on the feet and was once again submitted. Diego Garijo, in just his fifth career fight, finished things via guillotine choke at 1:07 of the first round at "War on the Mainland" in Irvine. Ca. Pulver (22-14-1) has now lost six straight fights. There was nothing to be embarrassed about with losses to guys like Leonard Garcia, Josh Grispi, Javier Vasquez and Urijah Faber but this one is tough to swallow. Garijo (5-1) came out with no fear of standing toe-to-toe with Pulver. He landed a straight left that floored Pulver and immediately worked for the finishing choke.
Norton Returning to MotoGP Racing
German magazine Speedweek is reporting that Norton will be back in GP racing for the 2012 season with a two-man team. Speedweek's highly respected Austrian journalist Gunther Wiesinger has received word that Norton has requested two spots on the 2012 MotoGP grid, and has signed a request to join the series when it returns to the 1000cc format. It's unclear at this time if Norton will be entering as a claiming rule team (CRT), or be listed as a factory prototype, which could have a dramatic affect on the team's success in the series.
Tate takes first Strikeforce women's tourney
She certainly had the marketability and wins to earn a rematch against the champ Sarah Kaufmann but Miesha Tate wasn't just handed a shot at the Strikeforce 135-pound women's title. Strikeforce chose a different route for the northern California-based fighter. They made her the centerpiece of a one-night, four-women tournament. It was all or nothing, and she came up big. Tate got two wins, including a hard-fought grapplefest against the very dangerous Hitomi Akano to earn her shot at Kaufman at Strikeforce Challengers 10 in Phoenix. Marloes Coenen get the first shot against Kaufman sometime in the fall. "My submission defense is one of my strong points. (Akano) was the one I wanted to fight the most
in the tournament," said the proud Tate. "Sarah you're amazing. I can't wait to fight you again."Kaufman can defend her title successfully against Coenen, it'll be Tate's second chance at the Canadian. The 23-year-old Tate lost a decision to Kaufman last October.
"It’s a dream come true. I came here on a
mission and I accomplished my goal," said Tate.She could've very easily missed out on her shot. The tournament required Tate (11-2) to fight twice in one night. That's a format that has a long history in Japan but most U.S. commissions are hesitant to allow fighters to fight twice in one night. Arizona was game but one change was made. The rounds were shortened from five minutes to three minutes and the first round of the tournament, the fights were only two rounds. It was done to minimize damage but it also made it risky in the opening round for the favorites Tate and Akano. Tate met the inexperienced Maiju Kujala. A native of Finland, Kujala (4-2) was tough to take down and at times landed the better shots on the feet. Tate escaped with a decision win and didn't take much damage. Akano (16-8) had to work much harder in her match against Carina Damm. The fight hit the deck early and often, and Damm was the physically stronger fighter. The "Girl Fight Monster" scored the takedowns but had trouble controlling the bigger Brazilian. But Akano's technique was brilliant as she often used Damm's strength against her. In the middle of the second round, Damm had top control but got reversed by Akano, who locked on a modified triangle and got the win via armbar at the 1:48 mark."I just used Carina's strength into my reversal technique," said Akano, through her interpreter Shu Hirata. "I went with her flow and got her into the
armbar. When I fight Miesha, I will submit her."Akano, 36, was very dangerous in the final but was a little too small for Tate. Tate scored takedowns in all three rounds and quickly took control of her back. She worked for chokes in the second and third rounds but Akano's submission defense was very solid.
in the tournament," said the proud Tate. "Sarah you're amazing. I can't wait to fight you again."Kaufman can defend her title successfully against Coenen, it'll be Tate's second chance at the Canadian. The 23-year-old Tate lost a decision to Kaufman last October.
"It’s a dream come true. I came here on a
mission and I accomplished my goal," said Tate.She could've very easily missed out on her shot. The tournament required Tate (11-2) to fight twice in one night. That's a format that has a long history in Japan but most U.S. commissions are hesitant to allow fighters to fight twice in one night. Arizona was game but one change was made. The rounds were shortened from five minutes to three minutes and the first round of the tournament, the fights were only two rounds. It was done to minimize damage but it also made it risky in the opening round for the favorites Tate and Akano. Tate met the inexperienced Maiju Kujala. A native of Finland, Kujala (4-2) was tough to take down and at times landed the better shots on the feet. Tate escaped with a decision win and didn't take much damage. Akano (16-8) had to work much harder in her match against Carina Damm. The fight hit the deck early and often, and Damm was the physically stronger fighter. The "Girl Fight Monster" scored the takedowns but had trouble controlling the bigger Brazilian. But Akano's technique was brilliant as she often used Damm's strength against her. In the middle of the second round, Damm had top control but got reversed by Akano, who locked on a modified triangle and got the win via armbar at the 1:48 mark."I just used Carina's strength into my reversal technique," said Akano, through her interpreter Shu Hirata. "I went with her flow and got her into the
armbar. When I fight Miesha, I will submit her."Akano, 36, was very dangerous in the final but was a little too small for Tate. Tate scored takedowns in all three rounds and quickly took control of her back. She worked for chokes in the second and third rounds but Akano's submission defense was very solid.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
August 27th Last day to see "LOOK" at Subtext Gallery
Get on down and see "Look", photos and posters by Grant Brittain and Josh Higgins.
See flier for details, ignore the dates, viewing by appointment, contact gallery.
See flier for details, ignore the dates, viewing by appointment, contact gallery.
First bouldering at Stanage Plantation, Derbyshire, UK
Location: Stanage Plantation
Date: Sunday 27 July
Sunday shone this weekend. A planned trip to the gym was quickly canned and instead we made a trip out to a new bouldering spot. After a recommendation that Stanage plantation had some good climbing (thanks Jonny!) we checked my bouldering guide book and set out.
If you’re reading this wondering [...]
Date: Sunday 27 July
Sunday shone this weekend. A planned trip to the gym was quickly canned and instead we made a trip out to a new bouldering spot. After a recommendation that Stanage plantation had some good climbing (thanks Jonny!) we checked my bouldering guide book and set out.
If you’re reading this wondering [...]
Christina Aguilera Christina Applegate Christina DaRe Christina Milian
Analog, Lakai, Expedition, and Nike Videos
Analog has a quick gnarly team montage. Lakai has a trailer for their Getting Nordical tour video. Expedition has footage from their demo at Big City Skatepark in Bakersfield. Nike's NYC video by Quartersnacks is sick.
www.rock-climbing-blog.com claimed on Technorati
I’m pleased to claim this blog officially on Technorati so that more people will read it
This link to my Technorati Profile is all it takes.
This link to my Technorati Profile is all it takes.
Analog, Lakai, Expedition, and Nike Videos
Analog has a quick gnarly team montage. Lakai has a trailer for their Getting Nordical tour video. Expedition has footage from their demo at Big City Skatepark in Bakersfield. Nike's NYC video by Quartersnacks is sick.
AMA Urges NHTSA to Abandon Funding Motorcycle-Only Checkpoint Program
According to the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), the the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration�(NHTSA) is offering law enforcement agencies funding incentives to setup checkpoints that target only motorcyclists. Based off a controversial program used by the New York State Police, the NHTSA is offering $350,000 in grants to five law enforcement agencies to run the [...]
Monday, August 23, 2010
Extreme Pita For Mira Mesa Skatepark
Eat at Extreme Pita today through the 25th and 20% of all proceeds go to build a skatepark in Mira Mesa. Print out the flyer, grab some grub and help out the skatepark.
Indy tipping contest scores
In another lean week top scorers, two names shot ahead from the pack to challenge the leaders - @tailzer and @harleymac1. Pulling off an impressive Brit-centric Minella to gain 6 points, @tailzer took second place in the overall standings. Well done sir! @harleymac1 also made impressive gains with his 6 point Minella.
Honorable mention goes to [...]
Honorable mention goes to [...]
Michael Michele Michelle Behennah Michelle Branch Michelle Malkin
Strikeforce Houston: Jacare Beats Tim Kennedy
by Michael David SmithRonaldo "Jacare" Souza fought Tim Kennedy for five tough rounds Saturday at Strikeforce Houston, walking away with a unanimous decision victory that made him the new Strikeforce middleweight champion.
"I'm stoked that I won and I'm the champion," Jacare said through his translator after the fight.
The Strikeforce middleweight belt was on the line because it was relinquished by former champion Jake Shields, who left the promotion to sign with the UFC. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
"I'm stoked that I won and I'm the champion," Jacare said through his translator after the fight.
The Strikeforce middleweight belt was on the line because it was relinquished by former champion Jake Shields, who left the promotion to sign with the UFC. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
KTM 125 Teaser Video
KTM is hard at work on its new 125cc streetbike (which still needs a name) geared to young riders. Debuted at the EICMA show in Milan last year, KTM hopes to bring young riders into the “Ready to Race” brand at an early age. Accordingly, KTM released two concepts last year which centered around a [...]
Leo Heinert part
Once you get through the painfully long intro, this Leo Heinert part is pretty good.
Battle lines being drawn over Fitch's fighting style
The guy's won five straight fights and 21 of 22. He's an amazing 13-1 in the UFC. Yet Dana White won't commit to giving Jon Fitch his second welterweight title shot against the winner of Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck. What's the hold up? Is White worried about selling Fitch in another title fight? Maybe. Since his loss to GSP at UFC 87, he's won all five fights via decision. That makes it seven of his last eight that have gone the distance. One MMA observer was so livid about seeing yet another decision at UFC 117 that they defaced Fitch's Wikipedia page. Is Fitch's style simply too boring? Fellow fighter Jason High says you're a fool if you call Fitch boring. Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole says Fitch could really help himself by finishing more fights.Without a commitment before or after UFC 117 from White, Fitch has clearly opened the door for the winner of Jake Shields-Martin Kampmann to grab the next title shot.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
WEC 50 Post-Fight Press Conference Video
by Michael David SmithWhen the bantamweight title fight between Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez is over, the action at WEC 50 won't be completely finished: Following the event comes the post-fight press conference, which you can watch here at MMAFighting.com.
Hear the fighters talk about their fights, see whose faces bear the scars of battling inside the cage, and find out who won the Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night bonuses by watching the WEC 50 post-fight press conference, which will be available here shortly after midnight Eastern. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Hear the fighters talk about their fights, see whose faces bear the scars of battling inside the cage, and find out who won the Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night bonuses by watching the WEC 50 post-fight press conference, which will be available here shortly after midnight Eastern. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Piper Perabo Poppy Montgomery Portia de Rossi Rachael Leigh Cook
2010 Czech GP MotoGP Infographic
Infographic by�Peter Lombardi for Asphalt & Rubber /�Creative Commons ? Attribution 3.0
Does James Toney look like he's in shape for UFC 118?
James Toney has been fighting the battle of the bulge for most of his time at heavyweight in boxing. He's simply a bad body guy. So how much do you read into the latest photos featuring Toney going through his MMA conditioning? He faced 47-year-old Randy Couture next weekend at UFC 118. When he weighed between 234 and 237 pounds for some of his 2006 and 2007 fights, his cardio was shaky at best. Toney, 41, fought down at 217 1/2 in his last boxing match. He looks to be around that number with less than two weeks before he makes his MMA debut.
Bridget Moynahan Britney Spears Brittany Daniel Brittany Lee
Jay Leno Will Be the Grand Marshal of the Indy GP
Actor, comedian, and motorhead Jay Leno will serve as the Indianapolis GP’s Grand Marshal later this month when MotoGP makes its last stop in the United States for the year. Leno’s duties include presenting the Winner’s Trophy at the end of the race, and we have it on good authority that his chin will be [...]
First time climbing at Froggatt Edge
I’ve only just got chance to post about last week’s trip to Froggatt Edge. Friends tell me that a crisp spring morning is better for climbing grit but if you ask me sunshine is the way forward. I headed to Froggatt Edge (just south of Sheffield) with a few friends for my first ascents on [...]
Milla Jovovich Minka Kelly Minki van der Westhuizen Miranda Kerr
Noons destroys Gurgel but did he land several illegal shots?
Jorge Gurgel has had a bad habit of striking with strikers. A brilliant jiu-jitsu practitioner, he hadn't suffered devastating consequences until tonight. Gurgel played K.J. Noons' game and almost had his head knocked off. In the first three minutes of the fight, Gurgel was tagged by 20-of-44 shots. It only got worse from there. Noons nearly knocked out Gurgel with a left hook at the end of the first. Then at the start of the second, he finished it quickly when landed a nasty combination with straight right followed by a left hook. Referee Kerry Hatley stopped the fight at 0:19 of the second giving Noons the victory but it wasn't without controversy. Once Noons dropped Gurgel, he looked to Hatley to save Gurgel. The ref hesitated so Noons unloaded with three more lefts on the helpless Gurgel. Then as the overmatched official listlessly moved in to stop the fight, Noons delivered a right knee. One problem, Gurgel was still on the ground. The blow was clearly illegal. Showtime color voice Mauro Ranallo screeched in protest. Texas officials apparently decided the knee was legal or simply didn't see it. When Showtime's Gus Johnson entered the cage he probed Noons with four questions but shied away from asking Noons about the illegal blow. "Jorge is great opponent," said Noons (9-1). "He was staying away from my hands trying to get me into his gameplan but I have that killer instinct."There was also a question on the left hook that nearly knocked out Gurgel (13-7) at the end of the first. Showtime never showed a replay with sound. It appeared that the punch landed as the bell sounded. Ranallo and others thought it may have come just after the bell. In all, Noons landed 41-of-80 strikes while Gurgel was just 21-of-67. Clearly, Noons landed the heavier shots. Gurgel was bleeding around both eyes and his nose. He could barely stand at the end of the fight. Noons' face was unmarked.
Strikeforce undercard: Cormier rolls in third fight in four weeks
Daniel Cormier is taking the right path to becoming an elite heavyweight. He's working out of a high-level MMA gym and staying as active as possible. He just won the King of the Cage heavyweight title last weekend and made quick of work of Jason Riley tonight in the final fight on the non-televised undercard at Strikeforce: Houston. In the opening seconds, Cormier (5-0) charged Riley looking for a single-leg takedown. He didn't get it but his aggressiveness put Riley on the defensive. When the fighters stood apart for a few seconds, Cormier leapt into an overhand right and hurt Riley badly. Riley hit the deck and that's where Cormier turned on the jets. He pounded away with a half-dozen left hands. Riley covered up and took the abuse for a few more seconds before tapping due to strikes at 1:02 of the first. Cormier, an Olympic level wrestler out of Oklahoma State, is a little short for the division at 5-foot-11 and 249 pounds but he manhandled the much bigger Riley. His work with guys like UFC heavyweight Cain Velasquez at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose is paying off. His conditioning looks better and his hands are improving with each fight. His next fight is scheduled against Soa Palelei in Australia. Odds are he'll take a few more fights between now and Nov. 21. Riley has dropped 3-of-4 fights including losses to Tim Sylvia and Devin Cole. Jorge Patino took his fight against Andre Galvao on short notice and did all he could to steal the fight in the first round. Galvao weathered the storm and was able to wear down the fill-in. Galvao scored a takedown early in the third and wailed away with shots to Patino, who couldn't improve position. After dozens of elbows and punches to Patino, who was just covering up, Galvao got the stoppage at the 2:45 mark of the third round. Patino did a great job in the opening round attempting several punch-kick combos. The 37-year-old would charge Galvao, fire off a left and a right followed by a head kick. He shocked Galvao by landing a huge left with 1:40 left in the round. Galvao scrambled and was hurt badly when he got drilled by another left on his knees. Patino poured it on but just couldn't get the finish. The effort probably sapped Patino a bit for the rest of the fight. Galvao was able to score takedowns throughout the second to take back control of the fight.The 27-year-old Galvao (5-1) is a highly decorated world champion in jiu-jitsu. His ground control was impressive and so was the toughness he exhibited in withstanding a dangerous situation in the first.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Want to see Silva-Sonnen II immediately? Silva's manager is iffy
For some reason in mixed martial arts, immediate rematches are usually frowned upon. The younger demographic likes new blood in the cage, especially when it comes to title fights. So when will we see Chael Sonnen get another shot at Anderson Silva? Sonnen was leading 4-0 (40-35, 40-34, 40-36) and on his way to winning the fifth round when he got caught in a triangle choke. The prefight hype was amongst the best in UFC history and the fight was dynamite. Sonnen's willingness to put himself on the line with what seemed like outrageous guarantees, will likely pay dividends in the form of pay-per-view buys that could be in excess of 750,000. The second fight will be even bigger. So can the UFC afford to slip in another contender before Sonnen and Silva meet? And isn't it incredibly risky to make Sonnen fight someone else in the interim? Yahoo! Sports' MMA expert Kevin Iole thinks there's only one choice for the UFC and we could be waiting a while before we see the rematch.Update: Silva's manager Ed Soares sounds like he's already lining up against giving Sonnen an immediate shot. Soares told FightHype: "I mean, I don’t necessarily think an immediate rematch is legitimate. It’s not like he won by decision. You got submitted man. You were on top of him for 23 minutes of the fight and couldn’t finish him. Anderson got a few bumps and bruises, but let’s be realistic, you’re on a guy 23 minutes and you couldn’t finish him? Why should he get a rematch?" As expected, initial reaction to this post was all over the map on Twitter @stevecofield.
Nelson sidelined by knee surgery, calls out 'Big Nog'
Roy Nelson's a tough dude but even he can't fight on an injured knee. "Big Country" suffered the knee injury during his fight with Junior Dos Santos at UFC 117. In a slugfest, Nelson was outhit 130-38 and only attempted four takedowns. Part of his issue was the injury to his knee that he thinks he suffered in the first round. Monday morning Nelson threw on his favorite moo-moo and got the knee repaired. On Sunday, he mentioned the injury to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. A recurring hip issue has forced, "Big Nog" to pull out of his fight next month against Frank Mir at UFC 119. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is reportedly the fill-in. Where is the new-found passion for a fight against Nogueira coming from? Apparantly, there was a little dust-up behind the scenes at UFC 117 between Blackhouse MMA and Team Nelson. One of the team's banners went missing and all hell broke loose. Those crazy kids!
Silva shows champion's guts in pulling off miracle comeback
The talk was so non-stop and over the top, some starting believing even Chael Sonnen had to know his guarantees couldn't be executed. He spoke about bringing the fight to Anderson Silva, taking him Silva for 25 minutes and pounding a hole in his head. Ridiculous, right? Wrong, Sonnen did exactly what he said he would do but he only did it for 22. Leading 4-0, Sonnen relaxed for a few seconds in Silva's guard and got caught by a big right. That stopped Sonnen long enough to allow Silva to throw his legs up and lock on a triangle choke. Sonnen couldn't hold out, he tapped and Silva retained his UFC middleweight title with a miracle comeback at 3:10 of the fifth round in the main event at UFC 117 in Oakland. Sonnen is always brutally honest and had no excuses just seconds after the fight."It was a tough fight. He's a tough guy," Sonnen told UFC analyst Joe Rogan. "I came in second. They gave me my chance and I came up short."Update I: Anderson Silva got a Submission of the Night award ($60,000). He and Sonnen got the Fight of the Night bonus as well. ($60,000 each) Update II: Compustrike claims Sonnen landed an MMA record 289 strikes during the fight. That included 218-11 to over the first three rounds and 51-2 in the first. FightMetric says the count was 320-64 overall in favor of Sonnen. He can still be proud. He was leading the fight, 40-34, 40-36, and 40-35, on the scorecards. Coming in, Silva had won all 11 of his UFC fights, barely losing a few rounds. He was so dominant that opponents were afraid to engage with him, making for some ugly, boring fights. Sonnen wasn't intimidated at all. He blew threw Silva (27-4, 12-0 UFC) in the opening seconds of each round to score takedowns. On the ground, Silva was helpless. He couldn't improve his position and couldn't get off his back. But Sonnen (24-11-1, 4-4 UFC) didn't close it out. That's why championship fights are five rounds. When asked if he wanted an immediate rematch, Sonnen was still stunned. "I'm only here to be No.1. If I'm not the best I'm gonna move on in life," said Sonnen. "But for now I got the silver medal." Silva almost seemed shocked from the start. No one ever comes right at the lethal striker. That's exactly what Sonnen did and he got off the first big shot of the fight. Sonnen landed a huge left that stunned Silva. The champ retreated, dropped his hands and was taking more shots on the feet. That's when Sonnen scored his first takedown with 3:22 left in the round.In the second, it hit the deck just 11 seconds in. The next round Silva was on the mat in 24 seconds. In the fourth, Silva scored a takedown but then looked like an amateur as Sonnen easily reversed him. On the ground, Sonnen pounded away with an array of elbows and punches to the body and head. Both fighters were bruised badly at the end of the fight.
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