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Watch Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen full fight video highlights from UFC 167's co-main event above, courtesy of FOX Sports.
UFC 167 took place November 16, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Light heavyweight contenders Rashad Evans (19-3-1) and Chael Sonnen (29-14-1) collided in the night's co-headlining bout, which aired live on pay-per-view. Catch the video highlights above.
For more on Evans' victory, check out the play-by-play by MMAFighting-com's Luke Thomas.
Round 1: Herb Dean is the referee in charge of the action. Sonnen closes the distance immediately and it's stuffed, but Evans' back is against the cage. The two are jockeying for position along the fence. Evans level changes for a takedown and can't get it, but they're still pummeling for inside control. Evans uncorks a right hand and they clinch again. Evans level changes again and is in Sonnen's half guard. Evans cracks Sonnen with an elbow and Sonnen goes base down. Sonnen goes back down and Evans moves to mount. Now Evans has Sonnen's back and he's unleashing a barrage of punches. That's it as Sonnen is helpless and covering up. Referee Dean stops the fight there.
UFC 167 results: Rashad Evans def. Chael Sonnen via TKO (strikes) at 4:05 of round 1
Video: Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen full fight video highlights - MMA Fighting
UFC 167 took place November 16, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Light heavyweight contenders Rashad Evans (19-3-1) and Chael Sonnen (29-14-1) collided in the night's co-headlining bout, which aired live on pay-per-view. Catch the video highlights above.
For more on Evans' victory, check out the play-by-play by MMAFighting-com's Luke Thomas.
Round 1: Herb Dean is the referee in charge of the action. Sonnen closes the distance immediately and it's stuffed, but Evans' back is against the cage. The two are jockeying for position along the fence. Evans level changes for a takedown and can't get it, but they're still pummeling for inside control. Evans uncorks a right hand and they clinch again. Evans level changes again and is in Sonnen's half guard. Evans cracks Sonnen with an elbow and Sonnen goes base down. Sonnen goes back down and Evans moves to mount. Now Evans has Sonnen's back and he's unleashing a barrage of punches. That's it as Sonnen is helpless and covering up. Referee Dean stops the fight there.
UFC 167 results: Rashad Evans def. Chael Sonnen via TKO (strikes) at 4:05 of round 1
Video: Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen full fight video highlights - MMA Fighting
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As throngs of former collegiate wrestlers, contact sportsmen and current street fighters look to the new beacon of athletic hope that is mixed martial arts, one must recognize the shift in the talent pool. It is a shift that, although gradual, came from a place of desperation once the prospect or at least the perception became apparent that fame and fortune would follow the successful few. The hip-hop generation, particular those of color, were few and far between within MMA.
Sure, you had your unicorns like Kevin "The Beast" Randleman who became a star in Japan via the Pride Fighting Championships promotion and then went on to become UFC Heavyweight Champion in 1999. Or Yves Edwards, one of the most accomplished lightweights in MMA history, who coined his brand of fighting, Thug Jitsu, and is still cited by many in the weight class as the reason why they became a professional fighter. But overall, there was no real mass audience and fanfare for these athletes within the hip-hop community or their subset community of color. Fanfare, as we all know, brings sponsors and raises purse amounts, so the lack of support really pigeonholed these fighters to second-class to no citizenship when compared to their boxing counterparts during the '90s. The allure of MMA was not evident based on these minimally celebrated stars of the underground, yet a shift would happen as dramatic as hip-hop's rise in popularity.
On Jan. 17, 2005, the single most important event in the popularizing of MMA as a sport occurred when The Ultimate Fighter reality show debuted on upstart male-centric network, Spike TV. With it came the exposition of the training regimen, nutrition discipline and robust passion in the cage that are now germane to an MMA fighter's image. As the final episode of Season 1 played out, and a bloodied Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar mercilessly jousted each other from various angles, the word-of-mouth effect began and the public's true fetish for MMA took a firm hold. During a time when boxing was losing its luster, the world craved a doppelgänger to replace or match the action of the sweet science.
The Rampage-Kimbo Effect
In 2001, Pride FC, Japan's largest MMA promotional company, marketed a relatively unknown fighter named Quinton Jackson. He was billed as a homeless fighter from Memphis, Tenn., and was thrown in against extremely fierce, seasoned competitors. After an early loss, Jackson racked up many victories and respectable losses in Pride FC, eventually becoming one of the most recognizable faces in Japan. By the time Jackson, who began donning the moniker Rampage, came back to the states to continue his rise in popularity, he already possessed both the athleticism and showmanship aspect of being a professional fighter.
Influenced by the marketing positioning that started and succeeded from a box-office perspective in Japan, and understanding that one becomes a star by differentiation, Rampage became the howling, chain-wearing professional alter ego of Jackson. This transformation yielded huge dividends at both the arena box office and eventually the silver screen, when Jackson acted out the role of B.A. Baracus in the big budget remake of The A Team. Filling the shoes of Mr. T was not difficult for Rampage, who was already a larger-than-life, brash personality within the cage and ring.
In 2003, the underground street fighting scene of Miami came to the attention of the world via YouTube, courtesy of Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson. Replete with an aggressive beard, gold teeth and admirable mean mug, Ferguson blazed a trail from the backyards of Miami's toughest neighborhoods, and he set his sights on the small screen. Promoters took notice of the deafening Internet buzz, and the first to jump on the Kimbo train was a smaller regional promoter that pitted him in a three-round exhibition against former WBO heavyweight champion, Ray Mercer. Ferguson won via guillotine choke at 1:12 of the first round and then catapulted to the masses with promoter EliteXC and CBS. After a few wins and the eventual collapse of EliteXC, Ferguson made the big jump to the UFC through the Ultimate Fighter franchise. Starting from the bottom again, this time as a reality show contestant, Ferguson earned his shot in the UFC until a few losses cemented his pink slip.
The promoters of Kimbo Slice and Rampage knew that these two personalities were very different from the fighters on their respective rosters at the time. Through the rags-to-riches dichotomy used to catapult both fighters into the mainstream, each promoter and fighter invested in the stereotypes one can assume through pictures and highlight videos. These two seemingly unpolished archetypes from the slums of Miami and Tennessee were there to assert their raw natural power over traditional mixed-martial artists. Right or wrong, that unspoken feeling reverberated into the airwaves and made the current and burgeoning MMA fans salivate like Pavlov's famed dogs. However, from this form of marketing of MMA's new elite, a very distinct rift has occurred with the athlete of color: the assumption of the "accepting bad guy" and the "not so willing to be bad" guy.
Case in point is "Suga" Rashad Evans and Jon "Bones" Jones, two of the sport’s most recognizable faces of color who are either former or current UFC light heavyweight champions. Yet both are at an image crossroads.
MMA and the Hip-Hop Generation: Can the Sport Attract a New Audience? - The Root
Sure, you had your unicorns like Kevin "The Beast" Randleman who became a star in Japan via the Pride Fighting Championships promotion and then went on to become UFC Heavyweight Champion in 1999. Or Yves Edwards, one of the most accomplished lightweights in MMA history, who coined his brand of fighting, Thug Jitsu, and is still cited by many in the weight class as the reason why they became a professional fighter. But overall, there was no real mass audience and fanfare for these athletes within the hip-hop community or their subset community of color. Fanfare, as we all know, brings sponsors and raises purse amounts, so the lack of support really pigeonholed these fighters to second-class to no citizenship when compared to their boxing counterparts during the '90s. The allure of MMA was not evident based on these minimally celebrated stars of the underground, yet a shift would happen as dramatic as hip-hop's rise in popularity.
On Jan. 17, 2005, the single most important event in the popularizing of MMA as a sport occurred when The Ultimate Fighter reality show debuted on upstart male-centric network, Spike TV. With it came the exposition of the training regimen, nutrition discipline and robust passion in the cage that are now germane to an MMA fighter's image. As the final episode of Season 1 played out, and a bloodied Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar mercilessly jousted each other from various angles, the word-of-mouth effect began and the public's true fetish for MMA took a firm hold. During a time when boxing was losing its luster, the world craved a doppelgänger to replace or match the action of the sweet science.
The Rampage-Kimbo Effect
In 2001, Pride FC, Japan's largest MMA promotional company, marketed a relatively unknown fighter named Quinton Jackson. He was billed as a homeless fighter from Memphis, Tenn., and was thrown in against extremely fierce, seasoned competitors. After an early loss, Jackson racked up many victories and respectable losses in Pride FC, eventually becoming one of the most recognizable faces in Japan. By the time Jackson, who began donning the moniker Rampage, came back to the states to continue his rise in popularity, he already possessed both the athleticism and showmanship aspect of being a professional fighter.
Influenced by the marketing positioning that started and succeeded from a box-office perspective in Japan, and understanding that one becomes a star by differentiation, Rampage became the howling, chain-wearing professional alter ego of Jackson. This transformation yielded huge dividends at both the arena box office and eventually the silver screen, when Jackson acted out the role of B.A. Baracus in the big budget remake of The A Team. Filling the shoes of Mr. T was not difficult for Rampage, who was already a larger-than-life, brash personality within the cage and ring.
In 2003, the underground street fighting scene of Miami came to the attention of the world via YouTube, courtesy of Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson. Replete with an aggressive beard, gold teeth and admirable mean mug, Ferguson blazed a trail from the backyards of Miami's toughest neighborhoods, and he set his sights on the small screen. Promoters took notice of the deafening Internet buzz, and the first to jump on the Kimbo train was a smaller regional promoter that pitted him in a three-round exhibition against former WBO heavyweight champion, Ray Mercer. Ferguson won via guillotine choke at 1:12 of the first round and then catapulted to the masses with promoter EliteXC and CBS. After a few wins and the eventual collapse of EliteXC, Ferguson made the big jump to the UFC through the Ultimate Fighter franchise. Starting from the bottom again, this time as a reality show contestant, Ferguson earned his shot in the UFC until a few losses cemented his pink slip.
The promoters of Kimbo Slice and Rampage knew that these two personalities were very different from the fighters on their respective rosters at the time. Through the rags-to-riches dichotomy used to catapult both fighters into the mainstream, each promoter and fighter invested in the stereotypes one can assume through pictures and highlight videos. These two seemingly unpolished archetypes from the slums of Miami and Tennessee were there to assert their raw natural power over traditional mixed-martial artists. Right or wrong, that unspoken feeling reverberated into the airwaves and made the current and burgeoning MMA fans salivate like Pavlov's famed dogs. However, from this form of marketing of MMA's new elite, a very distinct rift has occurred with the athlete of color: the assumption of the "accepting bad guy" and the "not so willing to be bad" guy.
Case in point is "Suga" Rashad Evans and Jon "Bones" Jones, two of the sport’s most recognizable faces of color who are either former or current UFC light heavyweight champions. Yet both are at an image crossroads.
MMA and the Hip-Hop Generation: Can the Sport Attract a New Audience? - The Root
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All 22 UFC Fight Night 32 fighters passed their pre- and post-fight drug tests.
Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission’s medical director Dr. Marcio Tannure revealed to MMAFighting-com that the CABMMA tested every fighter before their bouts on Nov. 9 in Goiania, Brazil.
After the event, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson were tested again, in addition to four other randomly selected fighters.
Belfort and Henderson were granted exemptions for testosterone-replacement therapy. Both tests came back with normal levels after their light-heavyweight bout.
The fight lasted just 77 seconds, and Belfort became the first fighter to finish Henderson with punches.
All UFC Fight Night 32 fighters pass drug tests - MMA Fighting
Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission’s medical director Dr. Marcio Tannure revealed to MMAFighting-com that the CABMMA tested every fighter before their bouts on Nov. 9 in Goiania, Brazil.
After the event, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson were tested again, in addition to four other randomly selected fighters.
Belfort and Henderson were granted exemptions for testosterone-replacement therapy. Both tests came back with normal levels after their light-heavyweight bout.
The fight lasted just 77 seconds, and Belfort became the first fighter to finish Henderson with punches.
All UFC Fight Night 32 fighters pass drug tests - MMA Fighting
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It’s been a rough year for Filipino mixed martial arts to say the least. The opportunities have been plentiful, but the wins are scarce. One man, Honorio “The Rock” Banario, looks to put an end to the drought against a familiar foe, Koji Oishi, the same man who took his title away.
The last time the two fighters met at the center of the cage was back in May at the main event of One FC 9: Rise to Power at the MOA Arena. Banario stood tall against his wily Japanese counterpart in front of throngs of screaming Pinoy MMA fans.
Unfortunately for Banario, it just simply wasn’t his night. Oishi ended the contest at 1:45 of Round 2 with a series of vicious strikes as referee Yuji Shimada called a halt. Oishi became the new Featherweight champion and sent Banario back to the drawing board.
Eric Kelly, Kevin Belingon, Rene Catalan, Brandon Vera, Mark Munoz, Mark Streigl and even Banario himself have all contributed to the extended losing streak that Filipino MMA fighters are on right now.
But in the world of fight sports, all it takes is one win to turn everything around.
This time, Banario and Oishi go at it once again on December 6, back in the same MOA Arena where it all went down the first time. In an event aptly named One FC: Moment of Truth, Banario seeks to avenge his loss and prove to himself and to the whole world what kind of fighter he is.
From all accounts, Banario looks dead set in bringing his A-game.
“Nothing is going to stop me from winning back my championship,” said the man they call "The Rock."
Koji Oishi may have something to say about that, but will most probably do all the talking with his fists.
It’s going to be another war folks. Don't blink.
The Road to moment of truth
Banario first captured the One FC belt back in an all-Filipino title match in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia against compatriot Eric “The Natural” Kelly. Banario dominated the fight with his measured striking and a good, solid gameplan. Kelly was never able to get anything off and as a result, it allowed Banario to cautiously make it to the end of the fight and crowned the new champion.
Banario became the first ever One FC Featherweight Champion and the Philippines’ first world champion in mixed martial arts – an amazing feat, one that will forever be in the books.
The loss to Oishi stung hard for the Pinoy warrior however, as Banario was on his way to winning the fight at the time of the stoppage.
“I wanted to apologize to all the Filipinos watching, but I will come back stronger and better,” vowed the former champion.
The eldest of three highly-talented fighting brothers, Honorio is a budding star with huge upside. His skills are solid and coupled with his unparalleled work ethic, he’s a tough man to be in the cage against. Losing to Oishi only helped him with valuable experience.
Needless to say, if Banario ever finds himself in the same situation, he won’t make the same mistake again.
“I was winning the first bout. Now is my time to get back my title. Oishi, I am coming for you!” said Banario, in a challenge to the now defending Featherweight champion Koji Oishi.
A battle of attrition
If their first fight is what we have to go by, their second meeting should have fans on the edge of their seats.
Both Banario and Oishi employ a high-level striking game, with Banario particularly adept at Wushu. Training out of Baguio City for Lakay MMA Tap Team, Banario is on the cusp of greatness. All he needs is to beat the man they put in front of him.
He’ll have to walk through hellfire and brimstone to get it though, as Oishi is not just any opponent. Oishi is a Japanese and Pancrase MMA veteran who’s been competing at a high level for over a decade, years before Banario even made his professional MMA debut.
He once lost to LaVerne Clark at UFC 25 in a spirited performance, more than 10 years ago.
But with all the mileage on Oishi’s body, he’ll have to contend with Banario’s youth. Nothing is more dangerous than a man who just simply refuses to lose.
“The One FC Featherweight world championship belongs to me and I am coming to take it back,” said Banario, ripped and ready for his moment of truth.
It all comes down to who wants it more. Let the fists fly and may the best man win.
Banario looks to snap Filipino MMA losing streak
The last time the two fighters met at the center of the cage was back in May at the main event of One FC 9: Rise to Power at the MOA Arena. Banario stood tall against his wily Japanese counterpart in front of throngs of screaming Pinoy MMA fans.
Unfortunately for Banario, it just simply wasn’t his night. Oishi ended the contest at 1:45 of Round 2 with a series of vicious strikes as referee Yuji Shimada called a halt. Oishi became the new Featherweight champion and sent Banario back to the drawing board.
Eric Kelly, Kevin Belingon, Rene Catalan, Brandon Vera, Mark Munoz, Mark Streigl and even Banario himself have all contributed to the extended losing streak that Filipino MMA fighters are on right now.
But in the world of fight sports, all it takes is one win to turn everything around.
This time, Banario and Oishi go at it once again on December 6, back in the same MOA Arena where it all went down the first time. In an event aptly named One FC: Moment of Truth, Banario seeks to avenge his loss and prove to himself and to the whole world what kind of fighter he is.
From all accounts, Banario looks dead set in bringing his A-game.
“Nothing is going to stop me from winning back my championship,” said the man they call "The Rock."
Koji Oishi may have something to say about that, but will most probably do all the talking with his fists.
It’s going to be another war folks. Don't blink.
The Road to moment of truth
Banario first captured the One FC belt back in an all-Filipino title match in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia against compatriot Eric “The Natural” Kelly. Banario dominated the fight with his measured striking and a good, solid gameplan. Kelly was never able to get anything off and as a result, it allowed Banario to cautiously make it to the end of the fight and crowned the new champion.
Banario became the first ever One FC Featherweight Champion and the Philippines’ first world champion in mixed martial arts – an amazing feat, one that will forever be in the books.
The loss to Oishi stung hard for the Pinoy warrior however, as Banario was on his way to winning the fight at the time of the stoppage.
“I wanted to apologize to all the Filipinos watching, but I will come back stronger and better,” vowed the former champion.
The eldest of three highly-talented fighting brothers, Honorio is a budding star with huge upside. His skills are solid and coupled with his unparalleled work ethic, he’s a tough man to be in the cage against. Losing to Oishi only helped him with valuable experience.
Needless to say, if Banario ever finds himself in the same situation, he won’t make the same mistake again.
“I was winning the first bout. Now is my time to get back my title. Oishi, I am coming for you!” said Banario, in a challenge to the now defending Featherweight champion Koji Oishi.
A battle of attrition
If their first fight is what we have to go by, their second meeting should have fans on the edge of their seats.
Both Banario and Oishi employ a high-level striking game, with Banario particularly adept at Wushu. Training out of Baguio City for Lakay MMA Tap Team, Banario is on the cusp of greatness. All he needs is to beat the man they put in front of him.
He’ll have to walk through hellfire and brimstone to get it though, as Oishi is not just any opponent. Oishi is a Japanese and Pancrase MMA veteran who’s been competing at a high level for over a decade, years before Banario even made his professional MMA debut.
He once lost to LaVerne Clark at UFC 25 in a spirited performance, more than 10 years ago.
But with all the mileage on Oishi’s body, he’ll have to contend with Banario’s youth. Nothing is more dangerous than a man who just simply refuses to lose.
“The One FC Featherweight world championship belongs to me and I am coming to take it back,” said Banario, ripped and ready for his moment of truth.
It all comes down to who wants it more. Let the fists fly and may the best man win.
Banario looks to snap Filipino MMA losing streak
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The concussion that dashed TJ Grant's title shot continues to plague the lightweight contender.
According to a report from Ariel Helwani on Wednesday's UFC Tonight, while Grant is responding better to his injury than he had been in prior months, he's still less than 100-percent and is unsure when he'll be able to return to the fighting.
Grant is targeting a tentative date of Christmas, after which he hopes to resume training, although that timetable is far from certain. Of late Grant has focused on increasing his heart rate when exercising and not exerting himself too far.
Grant, 29, earned a lightweight title shot against then-champion Benson Henderson earlier this year after stunningly knocking out Gray Maynard in just two minutes at UFC 160. The performance punctuated a five-fight win streak, which also included a first-round stoppage of Matt Wiman and a ‘Fight of the Night' victory over Evan Dunham.
However a mid-July concussion suffered in training forced Grant to abandon his opportunity over to Anthony Pettis, who went on to submit Henderson in the first round at UFC 164. Grant was then rumored to be Pettis' first challenge at UFC on FOX 9, though once again lingering concussion symptoms prevented the bout from coming to fruition.
While Grant admits that the uncertainty of his situation has been frustrating, he believes it's only a matter of time before he fights again. Though when he does, it's likely he'll have to re-earn his spot at the front of the line.
"He's in limbo," UFC President Dana White recently said of Grant. "He might come back and have to fight another fight. We've got to keep this thing rolling."
Frustrated TJ Grant still battling lingering concussion symptoms - MMA Fighting
According to a report from Ariel Helwani on Wednesday's UFC Tonight, while Grant is responding better to his injury than he had been in prior months, he's still less than 100-percent and is unsure when he'll be able to return to the fighting.
Grant is targeting a tentative date of Christmas, after which he hopes to resume training, although that timetable is far from certain. Of late Grant has focused on increasing his heart rate when exercising and not exerting himself too far.
Grant, 29, earned a lightweight title shot against then-champion Benson Henderson earlier this year after stunningly knocking out Gray Maynard in just two minutes at UFC 160. The performance punctuated a five-fight win streak, which also included a first-round stoppage of Matt Wiman and a ‘Fight of the Night' victory over Evan Dunham.
However a mid-July concussion suffered in training forced Grant to abandon his opportunity over to Anthony Pettis, who went on to submit Henderson in the first round at UFC 164. Grant was then rumored to be Pettis' first challenge at UFC on FOX 9, though once again lingering concussion symptoms prevented the bout from coming to fruition.
While Grant admits that the uncertainty of his situation has been frustrating, he believes it's only a matter of time before he fights again. Though when he does, it's likely he'll have to re-earn his spot at the front of the line.
"He's in limbo," UFC President Dana White recently said of Grant. "He might come back and have to fight another fight. We've got to keep this thing rolling."
Frustrated TJ Grant still battling lingering concussion symptoms - MMA Fighting
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An MMA fight in Slovenia was brought to a sudden, jaw-smashing end when Croatian fighter Ivica Truscek leveled a devastating knockout kick to the face of his opponent (skip to the 5:10 mark for the kick).
The ridiculous knockout was spotted by the good people at MiddleEasy-com (h/t Stephen Douglas of The Big Lead).
According to MiddleEasy’s account, the kick occurred at Final Fight Championship 9 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, last Friday. Like all kicks to the head, it resulted in zero percent fun for the victim, Italian fighter Leonardo Zecchi.
The fight was over before either combatant could land a punch. The men bobbed back and forth, sizing each other up and circling. A pair of low kicks were traded, and then Truscek let fly the calamitous head kick.
His foot found Zecchi’s jaw a mere 15 seconds into the first round, and the Italian was left drifting through darkness on the canvas.
There’s no understating the brutality of a head kick delivered by a guy nicknamed “Terror” Truscek. One can only marvel at the durability of the human body after seeing Zecchi take this kick, get up and then wryly mutter what appears to be congratulations to Truscek.
I don’t know what the Italian said, but I can imagine it was something along the lines of “Bro, I did not see that coming. Bravo.”
Even more ridiculous than the head kick was Truscek’s reaction to pulping Zecchi’s mandible. He didn't even blink. The Croatian stepped back and watched calmly as the referee tended to the fallen fighter.
Considering that 14 of Truscek’s 24 victories as an MMA fighter have come by KO or TKO, he's probably landed that kick before and knows the results are no joking matter.
Both men hugged it out, and one of the shortest and most violent MMA matches in recent memory came to a close.
This is why you have to love mixed martial arts. It’s the only sport where someone can get kicked in the face and still exchange pleasantries when the match ends.
Croatian MMA Fighter Ends Match in 15 Seconds with Insane Head-Kick Knockout | Bleacher Report
The ridiculous knockout was spotted by the good people at MiddleEasy-com (h/t Stephen Douglas of The Big Lead).
According to MiddleEasy’s account, the kick occurred at Final Fight Championship 9 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, last Friday. Like all kicks to the head, it resulted in zero percent fun for the victim, Italian fighter Leonardo Zecchi.
The fight was over before either combatant could land a punch. The men bobbed back and forth, sizing each other up and circling. A pair of low kicks were traded, and then Truscek let fly the calamitous head kick.
His foot found Zecchi’s jaw a mere 15 seconds into the first round, and the Italian was left drifting through darkness on the canvas.
There’s no understating the brutality of a head kick delivered by a guy nicknamed “Terror” Truscek. One can only marvel at the durability of the human body after seeing Zecchi take this kick, get up and then wryly mutter what appears to be congratulations to Truscek.
I don’t know what the Italian said, but I can imagine it was something along the lines of “Bro, I did not see that coming. Bravo.”
Even more ridiculous than the head kick was Truscek’s reaction to pulping Zecchi’s mandible. He didn't even blink. The Croatian stepped back and watched calmly as the referee tended to the fallen fighter.
Considering that 14 of Truscek’s 24 victories as an MMA fighter have come by KO or TKO, he's probably landed that kick before and knows the results are no joking matter.
Both men hugged it out, and one of the shortest and most violent MMA matches in recent memory came to a close.
This is why you have to love mixed martial arts. It’s the only sport where someone can get kicked in the face and still exchange pleasantries when the match ends.
Croatian MMA Fighter Ends Match in 15 Seconds with Insane Head-Kick Knockout | Bleacher Report
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Dr. Charles Bernick was never much of a fight fan before he devoted himself to studying the brains of the people who get hit in the head for a living.
He still isn't, if you want to know the truth. Three years into his research at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, he's met hundreds of pro fighters, even has a few favorites ("I watch [Roy] 'Big Country' Nelson," he said), but as far as he's concerned he could just as easily be studying pro football players.
Maybe he would, too, if there were an NFL team around.
"This is Las Vegas," Bernick said with a shrug. "It's the fight capital of the world."
That's a good thing for Bernick's research on brain trauma. As Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer pointed out, while Las Vegas might not be a city normally associated with important scientific studies, it does offer something that university laboratories don't.
"You can't ethically or legally hire a bunch of college students and hit them in the head to see what happens," said Kizer. "But you know that on Nov. 30 there's going to be 22 fighters here for the UFC, and even the winners are going to get hit in the head a few times."
The question Bernick is trying to answer is, what happens to them after that?
For MMA fighters and even fans, the questions are more pointed still. After years of telling ourselves that our sport is safer than boxing or football – both of which have been linked to diseases like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – what if we're wrong? What if MMA is just as bad for your brain (and, as an extension, the rest of your life) as those other sports? What if it's worse?
A 'degeneration of cells'
Bernick's study – officially dubbed the Professional Fighter Brain Health Study – is still in the early stages. Since 2011 he's examined nearly 400 pro fighters – about 60 percent MMA fighters, 40 percent boxers, according to his estimates – using advanced MRI scans, neurological exams, tests to track changes in speech, balance, mood, reaction time, cognitive abilities and more.
While it may be years before he has anything definitive to report, the study has already broken new ground in at least one area: the relationship between fighting and decreased brain volume.
"In general, it's what you'd expect," Bernick said. "The more fights you've got, the lower the [brain] volumes are. But what's really the finding is that it's in very particular parts of the brain."
Using advanced MRI scans, Bernick explained, researchers are able to essentially capture an image that divides the brain into different regions. Then, he added, "You can isolate that region and in some sense measure it."
What Bernick is seeing in the preliminary findings across both boxing and MMA, he said, "suggests that repetitive head trauma does cause degeneration of cells, and the areas shrink."
So what does that mean for the fighters?
"We don't know," Bernick said. "It may not mean anything. Lower volumes are associated with worse performances on cognitive tests, so there's a relationship there. So the thought is, if you progressively lower volumes, that may be an indicator that you are at risk of having worse performance mentally. But the only way we're going to know is to follow that over time."
How to do the right thing … and be hated for it
To hear Kizer tell it, he's been waiting for a study like this since he took over as the executive director of the Nevada commission in 2006. Ever since the revelations about CTE hit the NFL, he said, doctors and researches have been "tripping over themselves to go hang out with [Denver Broncos quarterback] Peyton Manning, but who's knocking on my door?"
Since the study's inception, Kizer said, the NSAC has encouraged fighters to participate. Cleveland Clinic brochures are available at the NSAC office's front desk, he noted, and commissioner Pat Lundvall begins her comments at the start of every meeting with an exhortation to fighters to sign up and be part of the ongoing research.
Partly responsible for Kizer's enthusiasm is his hope that the study could do more than just explain what's happening to the brains of fighters.
"This could not only make the sport safer – it's never going to be totally safe, and there's always going to be inherent risks – but this could also lead to advances in treatment for other head injuries, whether it's car wrecks or falling off a ladder or getting mugged," Kizer said. "It could maybe even go further than that, toward a cure for Parkinson's or Alzheimer's."
The UFC also has been heavily involved in encouraging fighters to participate, according to Marc Ratner, the promotion's vice president of regulatory affairs.
"When we have our fighter meetings where we bring them all in once a year, we get quite a few done then," Ratner said. "It doesn't matter where they're fighting, whether it's Nevada or somewhere else. We want to get that study as big as possible."
Still, it's hard not to wonder if the UFC, which long has bragged about MMA's safety record compared to boxing and football, will necessarily be pleased with the results of a study that looks at MMA's impact on the human brain.
Dr. Margaret Goodman, a Las Vegas neurologist and former ringside doctor for the Nevada commission who calls herself an "admirer" of the Cleveland Clinic's work, pointed out that many promoters and regulators are fond of increased testing and safety standards, at least until they get in the way of a big fight. She was part of the commission that, in 2000, denied boxer Terry Norris a license based largely on noticeable changes in his speech.
"That was the main thing we had," Goodman said. "Because the other tests that we have don't prove it. You can do a thousand MRIs on MMA fighters and you probably won't find out when someone has taken too many shots."
If you do find out – whether through neurological exams or other tests like the on
He still isn't, if you want to know the truth. Three years into his research at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, he's met hundreds of pro fighters, even has a few favorites ("I watch [Roy] 'Big Country' Nelson," he said), but as far as he's concerned he could just as easily be studying pro football players.
Maybe he would, too, if there were an NFL team around.
"This is Las Vegas," Bernick said with a shrug. "It's the fight capital of the world."
That's a good thing for Bernick's research on brain trauma. As Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer pointed out, while Las Vegas might not be a city normally associated with important scientific studies, it does offer something that university laboratories don't.
"You can't ethically or legally hire a bunch of college students and hit them in the head to see what happens," said Kizer. "But you know that on Nov. 30 there's going to be 22 fighters here for the UFC, and even the winners are going to get hit in the head a few times."
The question Bernick is trying to answer is, what happens to them after that?
For MMA fighters and even fans, the questions are more pointed still. After years of telling ourselves that our sport is safer than boxing or football – both of which have been linked to diseases like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – what if we're wrong? What if MMA is just as bad for your brain (and, as an extension, the rest of your life) as those other sports? What if it's worse?
A 'degeneration of cells'
Bernick's study – officially dubbed the Professional Fighter Brain Health Study – is still in the early stages. Since 2011 he's examined nearly 400 pro fighters – about 60 percent MMA fighters, 40 percent boxers, according to his estimates – using advanced MRI scans, neurological exams, tests to track changes in speech, balance, mood, reaction time, cognitive abilities and more.
While it may be years before he has anything definitive to report, the study has already broken new ground in at least one area: the relationship between fighting and decreased brain volume.
"In general, it's what you'd expect," Bernick said. "The more fights you've got, the lower the [brain] volumes are. But what's really the finding is that it's in very particular parts of the brain."
Using advanced MRI scans, Bernick explained, researchers are able to essentially capture an image that divides the brain into different regions. Then, he added, "You can isolate that region and in some sense measure it."
What Bernick is seeing in the preliminary findings across both boxing and MMA, he said, "suggests that repetitive head trauma does cause degeneration of cells, and the areas shrink."
So what does that mean for the fighters?
"We don't know," Bernick said. "It may not mean anything. Lower volumes are associated with worse performances on cognitive tests, so there's a relationship there. So the thought is, if you progressively lower volumes, that may be an indicator that you are at risk of having worse performance mentally. But the only way we're going to know is to follow that over time."
How to do the right thing … and be hated for it
To hear Kizer tell it, he's been waiting for a study like this since he took over as the executive director of the Nevada commission in 2006. Ever since the revelations about CTE hit the NFL, he said, doctors and researches have been "tripping over themselves to go hang out with [Denver Broncos quarterback] Peyton Manning, but who's knocking on my door?"
Since the study's inception, Kizer said, the NSAC has encouraged fighters to participate. Cleveland Clinic brochures are available at the NSAC office's front desk, he noted, and commissioner Pat Lundvall begins her comments at the start of every meeting with an exhortation to fighters to sign up and be part of the ongoing research.
Partly responsible for Kizer's enthusiasm is his hope that the study could do more than just explain what's happening to the brains of fighters.
"This could not only make the sport safer – it's never going to be totally safe, and there's always going to be inherent risks – but this could also lead to advances in treatment for other head injuries, whether it's car wrecks or falling off a ladder or getting mugged," Kizer said. "It could maybe even go further than that, toward a cure for Parkinson's or Alzheimer's."
The UFC also has been heavily involved in encouraging fighters to participate, according to Marc Ratner, the promotion's vice president of regulatory affairs.
"When we have our fighter meetings where we bring them all in once a year, we get quite a few done then," Ratner said. "It doesn't matter where they're fighting, whether it's Nevada or somewhere else. We want to get that study as big as possible."
Still, it's hard not to wonder if the UFC, which long has bragged about MMA's safety record compared to boxing and football, will necessarily be pleased with the results of a study that looks at MMA's impact on the human brain.
Dr. Margaret Goodman, a Las Vegas neurologist and former ringside doctor for the Nevada commission who calls herself an "admirer" of the Cleveland Clinic's work, pointed out that many promoters and regulators are fond of increased testing and safety standards, at least until they get in the way of a big fight. She was part of the commission that, in 2000, denied boxer Terry Norris a license based largely on noticeable changes in his speech.
"That was the main thing we had," Goodman said. "Because the other tests that we have don't prove it. You can do a thousand MRIs on MMA fighters and you probably won't find out when someone has taken too many shots."
If you do find out – whether through neurological exams or other tests like the on
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2006/12/07
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Manny Pacquiao is preparing for a visit to the typhoon-devastated city of Tacloban in the coming days, returning to the Philippines with his boxing career back on the upswing after an impressive victory over Brandon Rios.
Pacquiao said after his win at The Venetian casino in Macau on Sunday that he planned to travel to the epicenter of this month's Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 5,000 people and displaced an estimated 3 million.
"I promised them that after the fight I would go to Tacloban to visit them," Pacquiao said. "As soon as possible we will finalize the date, what day."
Despite the devastation, big screens were set up in the city's plaza to allow fans to watch Sunday's fight, and their spirits received a much-needed boost from the victory for the Filipino star.
When the storm hit, Pacquiao was already in a training camp at the southern city of General Santos, and while the boxer and lawmaker's first instinct was to go to the affected areas to help, he was talked out of it by trainer Freddie Roach and others who advised him that the best thing he could do for the nation's spirits was to win the fight.
"It was very difficult for me, I felt so bad for what happened," Pacquiao said after Sunday's fight. "I wanted to visit there but because of my training I could not, so I was just praying for them and sent my staff to bring them help.
"This fight is for the families and the people affected by the typhoon - I am just happy that God answered my prayer."
While Pacquiao dedicated the victory to his country, it also was a vitally important victory for personal reasons, restoring a career that appeared on the wane after consecutive losses and almost a year out of the ring.
The brutal nature of his knockout loss to veteran Juan Manuel Marquez last December had many questioning whether Pacquiao could get back to the status he enjoyed as one of the world's best fighters around the turn of the decade. He turns 35 next month.
Even trainer Freddie Roach had doubts, saying Pacquiao should retire if he did not win and win convincingly against Rios.
The doubts and the fears quickly subsided as Pacquiao started strongly against Rios in the opening couple of rounds, throwing his trademark combination punches from all angles at a speed that was as quick as ever.
Rios rallied in the third round, and landed some good blows that had the pro-Pacquiao crowd at a sold-out 13,000-seat Cotai Arena groaning and shrieking in anxiety.
Pacquiao reasserted his dominance and went on to a unanimous points victory, with the judges scoring it 120-108, 119-109, 118-110. The Associated Press scored it 119-109.
Roach said "there were no signs of him slowing down whatsoever" even though Pacquiao did not press home his dominance and still has not stopped an opponent since 2009.
Pacquiao said memories of the Marquez knockout were in his mind and he was cautious in the closing rounds, while Roach chalked it up to the "compassion" in his deeply Christian fighter.
"Manny let him off the hook, I wanted the knockout and it was there, but I was very happy with the way he performed," Roach said.
Promoter Bob Arum said Pacquiao's next fight was tentatively scheduled for April 12, likely in the United States. The options include a rematch with Timothy Bradley, who took a contentious points decision against the Filipino last year, another clash with Marquez although the Mexican's camp was setting a high price on a rematch, or Russian Ruslan Provodnikov.
The fight the boxing world wants to see is a clash with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Arum said it was still possible.
"I know it's a fight that should happen and where there is a will there is a way," Arum said, expressing his frustration that the fighters' conflicting affiliations continued to be an impediment. "If all sides cut out the crap, it can be done."
Read More: After victory, Manny Pacquiao to visit hurricane-ravaged Tacloban - MMA - SI-com
Pacquiao said after his win at The Venetian casino in Macau on Sunday that he planned to travel to the epicenter of this month's Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 5,000 people and displaced an estimated 3 million.
"I promised them that after the fight I would go to Tacloban to visit them," Pacquiao said. "As soon as possible we will finalize the date, what day."
Despite the devastation, big screens were set up in the city's plaza to allow fans to watch Sunday's fight, and their spirits received a much-needed boost from the victory for the Filipino star.
When the storm hit, Pacquiao was already in a training camp at the southern city of General Santos, and while the boxer and lawmaker's first instinct was to go to the affected areas to help, he was talked out of it by trainer Freddie Roach and others who advised him that the best thing he could do for the nation's spirits was to win the fight.
"It was very difficult for me, I felt so bad for what happened," Pacquiao said after Sunday's fight. "I wanted to visit there but because of my training I could not, so I was just praying for them and sent my staff to bring them help.
"This fight is for the families and the people affected by the typhoon - I am just happy that God answered my prayer."
While Pacquiao dedicated the victory to his country, it also was a vitally important victory for personal reasons, restoring a career that appeared on the wane after consecutive losses and almost a year out of the ring.
The brutal nature of his knockout loss to veteran Juan Manuel Marquez last December had many questioning whether Pacquiao could get back to the status he enjoyed as one of the world's best fighters around the turn of the decade. He turns 35 next month.
Even trainer Freddie Roach had doubts, saying Pacquiao should retire if he did not win and win convincingly against Rios.
The doubts and the fears quickly subsided as Pacquiao started strongly against Rios in the opening couple of rounds, throwing his trademark combination punches from all angles at a speed that was as quick as ever.
Rios rallied in the third round, and landed some good blows that had the pro-Pacquiao crowd at a sold-out 13,000-seat Cotai Arena groaning and shrieking in anxiety.
Pacquiao reasserted his dominance and went on to a unanimous points victory, with the judges scoring it 120-108, 119-109, 118-110. The Associated Press scored it 119-109.
Roach said "there were no signs of him slowing down whatsoever" even though Pacquiao did not press home his dominance and still has not stopped an opponent since 2009.
Pacquiao said memories of the Marquez knockout were in his mind and he was cautious in the closing rounds, while Roach chalked it up to the "compassion" in his deeply Christian fighter.
"Manny let him off the hook, I wanted the knockout and it was there, but I was very happy with the way he performed," Roach said.
Promoter Bob Arum said Pacquiao's next fight was tentatively scheduled for April 12, likely in the United States. The options include a rematch with Timothy Bradley, who took a contentious points decision against the Filipino last year, another clash with Marquez although the Mexican's camp was setting a high price on a rematch, or Russian Ruslan Provodnikov.
The fight the boxing world wants to see is a clash with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Arum said it was still possible.
"I know it's a fight that should happen and where there is a will there is a way," Arum said, expressing his frustration that the fighters' conflicting affiliations continued to be an impediment. "If all sides cut out the crap, it can be done."
Read More: After victory, Manny Pacquiao to visit hurricane-ravaged Tacloban - MMA - SI-com
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2006/12/07
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29893
Dominick Cruz, of course, couldn't have known that this would happen.
That, mere hours after he expressed admiration for an NBA star, Derrick Rose would leave Portland's Moda Center on crutches, another season undone by a crushing accident.
Who knows how Cruz must be feeling now, down one precious example of mind over knee. Obviously, it does the Alliance MMA-based bantamweight no good to vocalize any existing inner doubt this close to his long-awaited return.
Alone with his truest thoughts, Cruz must remain so to the outside world. Even when Dana White, a man who can't help but speak his mind, continues yapping away.
The latest chatter surrounding Cruz, who hasn't stepped in the Octagon in more than two years, is simply further confirmation: Should the reigning bantamweight champion beat Renan Barao, the division's interim king, at UFC 169 in February, it would rival the most impressive comebacks from ACL surgery in sports.
Georges St-Pierre did it. Adrian Peterson did it. Robert Griffin did it. And, most recently, Rose did it, though his anticipated reappearance was tragically curtailed last week by a meniscus tear in his other knee.
It was, no doubt, an uncomfortable image for Cruz. After all, he has gained a particular sympathy for Rose, who following his injury was not seen in uniform for 16 months, during which the well wishes were eventually drowned out by the jeers.
"I would get tweets," Cruz, speaking to MMAFighting-com's Ariel Helwani last week in New York, recalled, "saying Dominick Cruz is the next Derrick Rose of MMA."
Added Cruz: "You gotta kinda bite the bullet, take the scrutiny and just get yourself healthy to go out there and put on a show. That's what Derrick Rose did, and now look at him: He's playing hard and looking good, and I'm gonna do the same."
Never mind the unfortunate lack of prescience. For Cruz, there are indeed parallels with the most scrutinized ACL in basketball.
Like Rose, Cruz was widely considered the best at his position. Like Rose, Cruz chose the cautious comeback route, absorbing plenty of impatient criticism along the way. Earlier this month, UFC president White told reporters, "I think that Cruz has kind of been stalling" -- a comment that, while sensationalized, probably reflected the feelings of many fans.
Unlike Rose and the others -- and remember, Cruz has been away longer than anyone -- Cruz has undergone a failed surgery among his two. And unlike his brethren in cursed ACLs, Cruz is expected to defend his title as the best from the moment of his return. Such is the nature of the UFC.
Indeed, Barao, who has not lost in 32 fights, is likely the toughest matchup to come back to. Much will depend on Cruz's vaunted footwork, which largely depends on whether his knee is 100 percent, as he claims it is.
In the meantime, Feb. 1 looms more than two months away. Cruz will continue to hear the doubts.
Last week, he admitted he was "fed up with the questions about the time off, because it's like, at what point do you think about what I did before I got hurt?"
Think Renan Barao thinks about that?
MMA: Cruz could make best return yet | UTSanDiego-com
That, mere hours after he expressed admiration for an NBA star, Derrick Rose would leave Portland's Moda Center on crutches, another season undone by a crushing accident.
Who knows how Cruz must be feeling now, down one precious example of mind over knee. Obviously, it does the Alliance MMA-based bantamweight no good to vocalize any existing inner doubt this close to his long-awaited return.
Alone with his truest thoughts, Cruz must remain so to the outside world. Even when Dana White, a man who can't help but speak his mind, continues yapping away.
The latest chatter surrounding Cruz, who hasn't stepped in the Octagon in more than two years, is simply further confirmation: Should the reigning bantamweight champion beat Renan Barao, the division's interim king, at UFC 169 in February, it would rival the most impressive comebacks from ACL surgery in sports.
Georges St-Pierre did it. Adrian Peterson did it. Robert Griffin did it. And, most recently, Rose did it, though his anticipated reappearance was tragically curtailed last week by a meniscus tear in his other knee.
It was, no doubt, an uncomfortable image for Cruz. After all, he has gained a particular sympathy for Rose, who following his injury was not seen in uniform for 16 months, during which the well wishes were eventually drowned out by the jeers.
"I would get tweets," Cruz, speaking to MMAFighting-com's Ariel Helwani last week in New York, recalled, "saying Dominick Cruz is the next Derrick Rose of MMA."
Added Cruz: "You gotta kinda bite the bullet, take the scrutiny and just get yourself healthy to go out there and put on a show. That's what Derrick Rose did, and now look at him: He's playing hard and looking good, and I'm gonna do the same."
Never mind the unfortunate lack of prescience. For Cruz, there are indeed parallels with the most scrutinized ACL in basketball.
Like Rose, Cruz was widely considered the best at his position. Like Rose, Cruz chose the cautious comeback route, absorbing plenty of impatient criticism along the way. Earlier this month, UFC president White told reporters, "I think that Cruz has kind of been stalling" -- a comment that, while sensationalized, probably reflected the feelings of many fans.
Unlike Rose and the others -- and remember, Cruz has been away longer than anyone -- Cruz has undergone a failed surgery among his two. And unlike his brethren in cursed ACLs, Cruz is expected to defend his title as the best from the moment of his return. Such is the nature of the UFC.
Indeed, Barao, who has not lost in 32 fights, is likely the toughest matchup to come back to. Much will depend on Cruz's vaunted footwork, which largely depends on whether his knee is 100 percent, as he claims it is.
In the meantime, Feb. 1 looms more than two months away. Cruz will continue to hear the doubts.
Last week, he admitted he was "fed up with the questions about the time off, because it's like, at what point do you think about what I did before I got hurt?"
Think Renan Barao thinks about that?
MMA: Cruz could make best return yet | UTSanDiego-com
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2006/12/07
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29893
I love Thanksgiving. Who in this modern workaday world of ours doesn't love Thanksgiving? There's the turkey and the football and the family members and the relaxing...it's a terrific grouping of pleasurable activities. Everyone (well, unless you work at Wal-Mart) can participate, and everyone can enjoy it.
But like everything else, there are pros, and there are cons. The biggest con of Thanksgiving is its predictability. Its blandness, if I may be so bold. For example, turkey is great as, like, a symbol. But as a food item, it kinda sucks. Whenever you can use tofu to create a mock version of the food item and that version is met with comments like, "That's really authentic!" you might be dealing with a bland food item.
So with all this in mind, I thought I'd do what I could to splash a few shots of hot sauce on the proceedings.
Here's the concept: We all talk a lot on Thanksgiving about what we're thankful for. But what about those things we're not so thankful for? All the people and things who didn't exactly bring their "A" games over the course of the year? Those are the people and things I want to highlight.
And because I write about MMA, I thought I would draw up a list of the top "turkeys," or goofballs/failures/etc., of the year.
This is a completely new idea conceived entirely by me. We may be on to something big here, people. Very big.
And because it's possible this could become an annual thing, I'm going to begin a running lifetime achievement list. An MMA Turkey Hall of Fame, if you will.
So I'll start with the top 10 of this year, slowly building to the culminating moment when we induct our charter class of turkey immortals. Just one more thing to be thankful for. And you are so, so welcome, you guys.
Pictures: MMA's 10 Biggest Turkeys of 2013 | Bleacher Report
But like everything else, there are pros, and there are cons. The biggest con of Thanksgiving is its predictability. Its blandness, if I may be so bold. For example, turkey is great as, like, a symbol. But as a food item, it kinda sucks. Whenever you can use tofu to create a mock version of the food item and that version is met with comments like, "That's really authentic!" you might be dealing with a bland food item.
So with all this in mind, I thought I'd do what I could to splash a few shots of hot sauce on the proceedings.
Here's the concept: We all talk a lot on Thanksgiving about what we're thankful for. But what about those things we're not so thankful for? All the people and things who didn't exactly bring their "A" games over the course of the year? Those are the people and things I want to highlight.
And because I write about MMA, I thought I would draw up a list of the top "turkeys," or goofballs/failures/etc., of the year.
This is a completely new idea conceived entirely by me. We may be on to something big here, people. Very big.
And because it's possible this could become an annual thing, I'm going to begin a running lifetime achievement list. An MMA Turkey Hall of Fame, if you will.
So I'll start with the top 10 of this year, slowly building to the culminating moment when we induct our charter class of turkey immortals. Just one more thing to be thankful for. And you are so, so welcome, you guys.
Pictures: MMA's 10 Biggest Turkeys of 2013 | Bleacher Report
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2006/12/07
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29893
There are times when reasonable people disagree over who won a particular fight, but in mixed martial arts, there are too many times when it is clear that who “won” the fight is different than what the score reflects.
The judging system used to score mixed martial arts requires evolution. The 10-9 system, developed and used in boxing, is not performing adequately in MMA. To preserve the integrity of the sport and provide equity to athletes, regulators must act. We must develop and implement a scoring system that takes the entire fight into consideration and thoughtfully considers the amount of damage inflicted through effective striking and grappling.
The 10-9 system is not working as well as the market demands. Why? The 10-9 must system used in boxing and MMA scores each round independently. Professional boxing is scheduled in even increments of four, six, eight, 10 or 12 rounds. Professional MMA is scheduled in odd increments of three or five rounds. In addition, MMA rounds are five minutes in duration, where boxing is only three minutes. The fewer number of rounds and increased duration per round in mixed martial arts creates a situation where a judge is required to score an individual round by taking into account significantly more information that yields a much heavier weighted effect on the overall result of the fight. For example, like we have recently seen, one competitor can win two rounds with a much larger margin and the judges see the other competitor winning the other three rounds at a very close margin. The result is the winner on the scorecards is not the winner of the actual fight. Again, I ask why?
A major reason is the lack of objectivity in scoring a 10-8 round in MMA. In boxing, two points are almost always deducted for a knockdown, and the judges in boxing are informed by the referee if the knockdown occurs. The boxing referee rules either a slip or knockdown, letting the judges know whether to deduct the two points. No such objective criterion exists in MMA, nor should it. MMA is much more dynamic, with literally geometrically increasing ways to “effectively strike” and “effectively grapple.” This lack of an objective measure of a true 10-8 round in mixed martial arts has contributed to the “incorrect” decisions in the sport and the hesitation of a judge to write down 10-8 as the score.
Also troubling: the lack of an objective criteria for a true 10-8 round creates an environment where it is possible that one judge scores a fight 10-8, the other two 10-9, and the end result on the final scorecard can create absurd or even bizarre results. If performed by trained and educated judges, the very nature of judging is appropriately subjective. That it requires judges to subjectively assess a 10-8 round based upon “effective striking” and “effective grappling” without a clear objective indicator like the one that exists in boxing is unfair to the judge; more importantly, it is unfair to the athlete being assessed. We can and must do better.
There are probably hundreds of good ideas on how to fix this, and I don’t claim to have a monopoly on them. One thought might be to continue to use the 10-9 system but not as the official determiner of who won a fight. Judges could score each round independently using the 10-9 system, just as the unified rules of mixed martial arts requires. However, at the end of the fight the official judges’ scorecard would not be numerical but rather a question: “Who won the fight?” This final official scorecard would allow the judges to take the entire fight into consideration, and, with trained and educated judges, should yield the correct result at a higher percentage than is currently realized.
Using the 10-9 system in an unofficial capacity would allow regulators and members of the media to continually monitor the judges selected to ensure they are competent and scoring “correctly” using the numerical system. This system would be a merger between the pre-regulation past of scoring the entire fight in totality and the commission-regulated present of using a boxing system to score MMA. Mixed martial artists train hard, make many sacrifices and take risks to their personal health and safety when competing. It is disturbing when a fighter who clearly has performed better than his opponent loses because of a flawed scoring system. It is essential that state athletic commissions select the most qualified officials available and provide a system of scoring that produces the correct result.
Without selecting the most qualified officials available -- officials who have an almost expert knowledge of striking and grappling arts -- any scoring system will fail. I am publicly requesting that the Association of Boxing Commission’s mixed martial arts judging committee call a public meeting so we can begin dialogue about making sensible changes to the judging system used to score MMA. This meeting should include all the stakeholders: regulators, promoters, athletes, media and members of the public.
The market is demanding improvements, and if we don’t produce them, the sport will suffer. People want to know who won the fight, and we need to be able to tell them.
Scoring Overhaul Needed in MMA
The judging system used to score mixed martial arts requires evolution. The 10-9 system, developed and used in boxing, is not performing adequately in MMA. To preserve the integrity of the sport and provide equity to athletes, regulators must act. We must develop and implement a scoring system that takes the entire fight into consideration and thoughtfully considers the amount of damage inflicted through effective striking and grappling.
The 10-9 system is not working as well as the market demands. Why? The 10-9 must system used in boxing and MMA scores each round independently. Professional boxing is scheduled in even increments of four, six, eight, 10 or 12 rounds. Professional MMA is scheduled in odd increments of three or five rounds. In addition, MMA rounds are five minutes in duration, where boxing is only three minutes. The fewer number of rounds and increased duration per round in mixed martial arts creates a situation where a judge is required to score an individual round by taking into account significantly more information that yields a much heavier weighted effect on the overall result of the fight. For example, like we have recently seen, one competitor can win two rounds with a much larger margin and the judges see the other competitor winning the other three rounds at a very close margin. The result is the winner on the scorecards is not the winner of the actual fight. Again, I ask why?
A major reason is the lack of objectivity in scoring a 10-8 round in MMA. In boxing, two points are almost always deducted for a knockdown, and the judges in boxing are informed by the referee if the knockdown occurs. The boxing referee rules either a slip or knockdown, letting the judges know whether to deduct the two points. No such objective criterion exists in MMA, nor should it. MMA is much more dynamic, with literally geometrically increasing ways to “effectively strike” and “effectively grapple.” This lack of an objective measure of a true 10-8 round in mixed martial arts has contributed to the “incorrect” decisions in the sport and the hesitation of a judge to write down 10-8 as the score.
Also troubling: the lack of an objective criteria for a true 10-8 round creates an environment where it is possible that one judge scores a fight 10-8, the other two 10-9, and the end result on the final scorecard can create absurd or even bizarre results. If performed by trained and educated judges, the very nature of judging is appropriately subjective. That it requires judges to subjectively assess a 10-8 round based upon “effective striking” and “effective grappling” without a clear objective indicator like the one that exists in boxing is unfair to the judge; more importantly, it is unfair to the athlete being assessed. We can and must do better.
There are probably hundreds of good ideas on how to fix this, and I don’t claim to have a monopoly on them. One thought might be to continue to use the 10-9 system but not as the official determiner of who won a fight. Judges could score each round independently using the 10-9 system, just as the unified rules of mixed martial arts requires. However, at the end of the fight the official judges’ scorecard would not be numerical but rather a question: “Who won the fight?” This final official scorecard would allow the judges to take the entire fight into consideration, and, with trained and educated judges, should yield the correct result at a higher percentage than is currently realized.
Using the 10-9 system in an unofficial capacity would allow regulators and members of the media to continually monitor the judges selected to ensure they are competent and scoring “correctly” using the numerical system. This system would be a merger between the pre-regulation past of scoring the entire fight in totality and the commission-regulated present of using a boxing system to score MMA. Mixed martial artists train hard, make many sacrifices and take risks to their personal health and safety when competing. It is disturbing when a fighter who clearly has performed better than his opponent loses because of a flawed scoring system. It is essential that state athletic commissions select the most qualified officials available and provide a system of scoring that produces the correct result.
Without selecting the most qualified officials available -- officials who have an almost expert knowledge of striking and grappling arts -- any scoring system will fail. I am publicly requesting that the Association of Boxing Commission’s mixed martial arts judging committee call a public meeting so we can begin dialogue about making sensible changes to the judging system used to score MMA. This meeting should include all the stakeholders: regulators, promoters, athletes, media and members of the public.
The market is demanding improvements, and if we don’t produce them, the sport will suffer. People want to know who won the fight, and we need to be able to tell them.
Scoring Overhaul Needed in MMA
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Shane del Rosario is currently on life support in a California hospital after suffering sudden cardiac arrest in his home on Tuesday.
According to his manager Jason House, del Rosario has a "very, very, very slim chance" of surviving. House said the 30-year-old fighter would need "a miracle."
"Shane had a catastrophic cardiovascular collapse at home on Tuesday morning," House said in a statement issued Wednesday. "He was brought to the hospital in full cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated in the emergency room back to a stable heart rhythm and blood pressure."
Doctors at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, Calif. modulated del Rosario's body temperature by using the Arctic Sun Temperature Management System, which cools down the body to a hypothermic state in an effort to revitalize the brain and organs. Unfortunately at this time, del Rosario has yet to show any activity in his brain.
Doctors wanted to give del Rosario 72 hours to respond to the treatment, which will come to an end Friday morning. If he does not improve, the family is expected to decide whether or not to take him off life support. However, it is important to note that despite multiple initial reports stating del Rosario had passed away, he is still on life support as of Thursday evening.
"My brother friend and teammate is not gone yet no matter what you have heard! Pray for him," UFC flyweight Ian McCall tweeted Thursday evening.
Shane del Rosario on life support, needs 'a miracle' - MMA Fighting
According to his manager Jason House, del Rosario has a "very, very, very slim chance" of surviving. House said the 30-year-old fighter would need "a miracle."
"Shane had a catastrophic cardiovascular collapse at home on Tuesday morning," House said in a statement issued Wednesday. "He was brought to the hospital in full cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated in the emergency room back to a stable heart rhythm and blood pressure."
Doctors at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, Calif. modulated del Rosario's body temperature by using the Arctic Sun Temperature Management System, which cools down the body to a hypothermic state in an effort to revitalize the brain and organs. Unfortunately at this time, del Rosario has yet to show any activity in his brain.
Doctors wanted to give del Rosario 72 hours to respond to the treatment, which will come to an end Friday morning. If he does not improve, the family is expected to decide whether or not to take him off life support. However, it is important to note that despite multiple initial reports stating del Rosario had passed away, he is still on life support as of Thursday evening.
"My brother friend and teammate is not gone yet no matter what you have heard! Pray for him," UFC flyweight Ian McCall tweeted Thursday evening.
Shane del Rosario on life support, needs 'a miracle' - MMA Fighting
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Former ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) featherweight champion Honorio Banario showed off his skills at an open workout held on November 28 at Resorts World Manila. Gearing up for a shot at the title against Koji Oishi on December 6, Banario broke camp and took the trip to Manila where he joined fellow Team Lakay member Kevin Belingon, American Caros Fodor, and heavyweight Alain Ngalani.
Banario was dwarfed by Ngalani while he hit the mitts. Howeverm the Filipino fighter still wowed the crowd with punches, elbows, and kicks, while Ngalani egged him to hit harder.
At times, the ripped heavyweight even allowed Banario to hit him with light kicks directly to his abdomen.
“I learned a lot from Ngalani,” Banario said in Filipino after the open workout. “I hope he also learned a couple of things for me.”
The former champion was candid as he talked to the media. “I was kicking and punching hard but I couldn’t move Alain because he was so big,” he said. “Kicking his abs felt like kicking hollow blocks.”
Ngalani also hit the pads with Banario holding. The sound of his thunderous kick reverberated around the elevated mat while Banario could do nothing else but smile at the force he was absorbing.
“He is very skilled,” Ngalani said of Banario. “I didn’t kick too hard because I didn’t want to hurt him,” he japed.
Ngalani will be facing former football player Paul Cheng of Canada on December 6. He is out to duplicate his first round knockout victory back in Spetember. In his first ONE FC fight, Ngalani stole the show with a spinning heel kick finish against Mahmoud Hassan.
MMA: ONE FC's Honorio Banario trains with heavyweight Alain Ngalani during open workout | Sports | GMA News Online
Banario was dwarfed by Ngalani while he hit the mitts. Howeverm the Filipino fighter still wowed the crowd with punches, elbows, and kicks, while Ngalani egged him to hit harder.
At times, the ripped heavyweight even allowed Banario to hit him with light kicks directly to his abdomen.
“I learned a lot from Ngalani,” Banario said in Filipino after the open workout. “I hope he also learned a couple of things for me.”
The former champion was candid as he talked to the media. “I was kicking and punching hard but I couldn’t move Alain because he was so big,” he said. “Kicking his abs felt like kicking hollow blocks.”
Ngalani also hit the pads with Banario holding. The sound of his thunderous kick reverberated around the elevated mat while Banario could do nothing else but smile at the force he was absorbing.
“He is very skilled,” Ngalani said of Banario. “I didn’t kick too hard because I didn’t want to hurt him,” he japed.
Ngalani will be facing former football player Paul Cheng of Canada on December 6. He is out to duplicate his first round knockout victory back in Spetember. In his first ONE FC fight, Ngalani stole the show with a spinning heel kick finish against Mahmoud Hassan.
MMA: ONE FC's Honorio Banario trains with heavyweight Alain Ngalani during open workout | Sports | GMA News Online
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Holly Holm the fighter has one concern right now: Win her fight Friday night against Angela Hayes.
But Holly Holm the growing brand name in the women’s mixed martial arts world has a much larger task at hand.
“I want to continue to make a point to the UFC (MMA’s elite fighting promotion) to how valuable Holly is,” trainer Mike Winkeljohn said of his 14-time world boxing champion protégé who is now focusing solely on MMA.
“We definitely continue building her – setting her up for the future. Our goal is the super fights. Whoever has the (UFC) title – right now it’s Ronda Rousey – but whoever has it when Holly gets there, that’s what we want.” The UFC wants Holm (5-0) now. That much they’ve made very clear to Winkeljohn and to Holm’s longtime promoter, Lenny Fresquez, who is putting on Friday night’s Havoc, a 10-fight MMA card at Route 66 Casino/Hotel’s Legends Theater headlined by Holm.
And while the Holm camp wants to join the UFC as well (she has two fights remaining on her Legacy Championship Fighting contract, but has a UFC out clause), they also want to get the best possible terms (i.e. pay) in whatever contract they finally agree to with UFC. And the leverage is clearly shifting toward Holm.
In October, after UFC 166 in Houston, UFC President Dana White was asked about signing Holm.
“You’re like the billionth person that’s asked me about Holly Holm,” White told a reporter. “I was on the street the other day and some guy was like, ‘Hey! Sign Holly Holm.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know. Everybody’s telling me.’ I haven’t seen her fight but I keep hearing about her. … Holly Holm, I don’t know what she looks like, I’ve never seen her fight, but I know who she is.”
Still, Holm knows how easy the hype can fade.
“I’m just focusing on this fight,” Holm said. “I don’t want to get wrapped up too far in the future. If you start thinking four fights ahead, well, you’re not really promised that. I have this fight in front of me. From there, we can go to the next step, but this fight is first.”
She added she’s fortunate to have Winkeljohn and Fresquez handling such career decisions, affording her the luxury of focusing solely on training.
Winkeljohn said the dominating finishes Holm has had in her past two fights in particular – a head-kick knockout of Allanna Jones in July and a TKO (kick to the body) of Nikki Knudsen in October – almost put her in a no-win situation now because fans are beginning to expect such outcomes.
“Winning the fight of course is always the priority,” Winkeljohn said. “But if I had my choice to win the fight in any different way, I want her to win in such a way that markets her and she’ll look that much better to the public.”
Holm’s grappling is still her biggest question mark in the MMA world as she has won with strikes in each of her five pro fights. But she wrestles in camp daily with some of the world’s top MMA fighters at Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA gym and her trainer says he has no doubts about whether she’s already the best female fighter in the world.
“She’s already there,” Winkeljohn said. “She’s that good.”
MMA: Holm hopes to impress UFC boss | ABQJournal Online
But Holly Holm the growing brand name in the women’s mixed martial arts world has a much larger task at hand.
“I want to continue to make a point to the UFC (MMA’s elite fighting promotion) to how valuable Holly is,” trainer Mike Winkeljohn said of his 14-time world boxing champion protégé who is now focusing solely on MMA.
“We definitely continue building her – setting her up for the future. Our goal is the super fights. Whoever has the (UFC) title – right now it’s Ronda Rousey – but whoever has it when Holly gets there, that’s what we want.” The UFC wants Holm (5-0) now. That much they’ve made very clear to Winkeljohn and to Holm’s longtime promoter, Lenny Fresquez, who is putting on Friday night’s Havoc, a 10-fight MMA card at Route 66 Casino/Hotel’s Legends Theater headlined by Holm.
And while the Holm camp wants to join the UFC as well (she has two fights remaining on her Legacy Championship Fighting contract, but has a UFC out clause), they also want to get the best possible terms (i.e. pay) in whatever contract they finally agree to with UFC. And the leverage is clearly shifting toward Holm.
In October, after UFC 166 in Houston, UFC President Dana White was asked about signing Holm.
“You’re like the billionth person that’s asked me about Holly Holm,” White told a reporter. “I was on the street the other day and some guy was like, ‘Hey! Sign Holly Holm.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know. Everybody’s telling me.’ I haven’t seen her fight but I keep hearing about her. … Holly Holm, I don’t know what she looks like, I’ve never seen her fight, but I know who she is.”
Still, Holm knows how easy the hype can fade.
“I’m just focusing on this fight,” Holm said. “I don’t want to get wrapped up too far in the future. If you start thinking four fights ahead, well, you’re not really promised that. I have this fight in front of me. From there, we can go to the next step, but this fight is first.”
She added she’s fortunate to have Winkeljohn and Fresquez handling such career decisions, affording her the luxury of focusing solely on training.
Winkeljohn said the dominating finishes Holm has had in her past two fights in particular – a head-kick knockout of Allanna Jones in July and a TKO (kick to the body) of Nikki Knudsen in October – almost put her in a no-win situation now because fans are beginning to expect such outcomes.
“Winning the fight of course is always the priority,” Winkeljohn said. “But if I had my choice to win the fight in any different way, I want her to win in such a way that markets her and she’ll look that much better to the public.”
Holm’s grappling is still her biggest question mark in the MMA world as she has won with strikes in each of her five pro fights. But she wrestles in camp daily with some of the world’s top MMA fighters at Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA gym and her trainer says he has no doubts about whether she’s already the best female fighter in the world.
“She’s already there,” Winkeljohn said. “She’s that good.”
MMA: Holm hopes to impress UFC boss | ABQJournal Online
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MMA's top free agent in Ben Askren (12-0) has yet to announce his plans to sign with a promotion, but he has already found a new home in Asia as the Bellator champ has now joined the famed Evolve MMA team in Singapore.
The camp boasts one of the most stacked roster of world champion coaches and fighters from several disciplines, and having a US Olympian and multiple time NCAA Division I wrestling champ surely boosts their already impressive line up. Apart from having Askren round out his MMA game by training with some of the very best Muay Thai fighters of this generation, this could also be very beneficial to the MMA fighters at the Evolve Fight Team, which includes ONE FC Champ Shinya Aoki, along with other Asian stars and UFC fighters such as Rafael Dos Anjos and Leandro Issa.
As we've been told, Askren will still be a part of Roufusport and will be splitting training with Duke Roufus in the US, and Evolve MMA in Singapore during fight camps. Word of his signing first sprung up on twitter, and BloodyElbow-com has since confirmed the news with Evolve MMA founder, Chatri Sityodtong.
"Without a doubt, Ben Askren is one of the best welterweights on the planet today. I am lucky to call him a friend, and blessed to now welcome him to the Evolve Fight Team," Sityodtong tells us, "Duke Roufus is one of the best MMA coaches on the planet, and together we will do everything in our power to make Ben the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world."
"Evolve MMA has the largest instructor team in Asia and the most number of world champions of any martial arts organization on Earth. Heath Sims and I will make sure that Ben has all the resources he needs to succeed. Welcome to Evolve MMA!"
As for which promotion Askren will be joining, separate sources have informed us that his new promotion will have an announcement in the coming week. The UFC has surprisingly passed on him with Dana White recently stating that he should sign with WSOF instead, but with Askren deciding to join a top Asian camp, it only makes sense to say that the odds for a lucrative ONE FC berth just shot up.
Bellator champ Ben Askren joins Evolve MMA - Bloody Elbow
The camp boasts one of the most stacked roster of world champion coaches and fighters from several disciplines, and having a US Olympian and multiple time NCAA Division I wrestling champ surely boosts their already impressive line up. Apart from having Askren round out his MMA game by training with some of the very best Muay Thai fighters of this generation, this could also be very beneficial to the MMA fighters at the Evolve Fight Team, which includes ONE FC Champ Shinya Aoki, along with other Asian stars and UFC fighters such as Rafael Dos Anjos and Leandro Issa.
As we've been told, Askren will still be a part of Roufusport and will be splitting training with Duke Roufus in the US, and Evolve MMA in Singapore during fight camps. Word of his signing first sprung up on twitter, and BloodyElbow-com has since confirmed the news with Evolve MMA founder, Chatri Sityodtong.
"Without a doubt, Ben Askren is one of the best welterweights on the planet today. I am lucky to call him a friend, and blessed to now welcome him to the Evolve Fight Team," Sityodtong tells us, "Duke Roufus is one of the best MMA coaches on the planet, and together we will do everything in our power to make Ben the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world."
"Evolve MMA has the largest instructor team in Asia and the most number of world champions of any martial arts organization on Earth. Heath Sims and I will make sure that Ben has all the resources he needs to succeed. Welcome to Evolve MMA!"
As for which promotion Askren will be joining, separate sources have informed us that his new promotion will have an announcement in the coming week. The UFC has surprisingly passed on him with Dana White recently stating that he should sign with WSOF instead, but with Askren deciding to join a top Asian camp, it only makes sense to say that the odds for a lucrative ONE FC berth just shot up.
Bellator champ Ben Askren joins Evolve MMA - Bloody Elbow
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The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale was a fairly miserable event from the viewer's perspective, but it wasn't all bad. The main event featured a classic performance from one of the UFC's most colorful personalities, intriguing post-fight content and the debut of an interesting prospect. Yet, the event also featured lifeless action, questionable talent and blowout performances against over matched opponents.
It's time we look at the winners and the losers, the best and the worst and separate the signal from the noise.
Star-divide
Worst UFC Event of the Year: The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale
Look, this card was terrible and the best thing that can be said about the event was that it was largely unremarkable. Far and away, this is the worst live event UFC has put on television in 2013. It's also probably one of the worst UFC events of the modern era.
I'm not going to say much more about it than that. It's beyond clear no one in the Zuffa offices cares what I or other journalists believe with respect to the argument that too much of a good thing is, well, not a good thing. Me trying to complain about over saturation in this space is akin to Don Quijote attacking windmills.
I also recognize UFC will be putting a much better foot forward with UFC on Fox 9 and the sensational UFC 168 to cap off the year. There's quite a bit to look forward to as the year closes. Noting just how bad this finale was is no referendum on the kind of quality UFC events are, generally. Saturday's show, however, was as close to unwatchable as UFC can get. This isn't quite as good as Diaz giving the double middle finger after locking up the triangle choke on Kurt Pellegrino, but it is still rather satisfying and vintage Diaz. What more can one ask for? See the rest of the night's photos here from MMA Fighting's Esther Lin.
Best Return to Competitive Form: Nate Diaz
I was a little worried prior to the event Diaz might've been slipping a tad. Worried, mind you, not convinced. After Saturday's fights, I'm not even the least bit concerned. Now, I'm not suggesting he's going to rocket up to No. 1 contender status with a string of impressive wins in his next four fights. That's certainly possible, but I'm not making a prediction, exactly. What I am suggesting is that Diaz has plenty of life left in him as a professional MMA fighter. I'd prefer to see him stay at lightweight, but he'll probably have some measure of success at welterweight, too.
Sometimes a losing streak or inconsistent performances can be the precursor to overall career decline. Other times it can just be a rough stretch. It's comforting to see Diaz rebound and demonstrate he's still there, ready to knuckle up with the best of them.
Coolest Experiment Attempted: Post-Fight Fox Sports 1 Coverage
Saturday was one of the best college football nights this season, certainly, and perhaps in years. The finish of the Iron Bowl alone was worthy of dedicated coverage. Yet, as TUF 18 finale ended, Fox Sports 1 didn't change over to Fox Sports Live to show highlights. Instead, they had a live interview session with Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Chris Holdsworth and Julianna Pena.
Speaking candidly, the event wasn't really deserving of that kind of treatment, but it's understandable why Fox Sports 1 would want to offer that sort of treatment. After all, the season was historic given the inclusion of women. This was also, of course, a Fox Sports 1 property.
The point is in a night where ESPN was probably chomping at the bit to show Iron Bowl highlights on SportsCenter, Fox Sports 1 kept their commitment to UFC and the show with a deeper post-fight dive. I admire that. If they can do this on shows of greater mixed martial arts significance, they might have something here.
Elephant in the Room Award: Ben Askren
Let's establish something from the outset: the idea that Ben Askren isn't deserving of a UFC contract because of meritocratic issues is plainly laughable. There might be other reasons for keeping Askren out of the UFC. Perhaps UFC brass aren't in love with his style of fighting. Perhaps they want to use Askren to position World Series of Fighting as a superior choice to Bellator for up and coming talent. There are any number of plausible theories. And ultimately, it's their company. They can sign and cut whoever they please. All I'm telling you is trying to portray Askren's situation as one of being a fighter not vetted enough for UFC entry is more a punchline than an argument.
There are any number of ways to demonstrate that, but one need look no further than TUF 18 finale fight card. In fact, the timing of the news that UFC was passing on Askren happening so close to the TUF 18 finale actually highlighted how absurd the meritorious argument is with respect to Askren.
With the exception of the main event, there wasn't a single fighter who competed who has better credentials than Askren. One of them, a TUF finalist, is now 1-4-1 in professional MMA. On what planet of logic is this a fighter who is meritoriously ahead of Askren for a UFC contract even if we account for divisional development?
No, Askren isn't a female bantamweight, but he's certainly worthy of consideration along with the other 84 welterweights already on the UFC roster. And no, I'm not suggesting Askren costs the same as a 1-4-1 bantamweight fighter or middle of the road welterweight. But has anyone heard UFC brass complain the reason Askren isn't in the UFC is because he's too expensive? Not once has that even been suggested. Nor could it be. Askren has virtually no leverage over the UFC to make them budge on price. Anyway, what they've said is he doesn't have the resume to rate a contract, which is flatly nonsensical. The TUF 18 finale fight card was just a parade of evidence that Askren may be kept out of the UFC, but it has nothing to do with whether what he's accomplished is enough to earn a fight contract.
Bright Spot Award: Rani Yahya vs. Tom Niini
It's time we look at the winners and the losers, the best and the worst and separate the signal from the noise.
Star-divide
Worst UFC Event of the Year: The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale
Look, this card was terrible and the best thing that can be said about the event was that it was largely unremarkable. Far and away, this is the worst live event UFC has put on television in 2013. It's also probably one of the worst UFC events of the modern era.
I'm not going to say much more about it than that. It's beyond clear no one in the Zuffa offices cares what I or other journalists believe with respect to the argument that too much of a good thing is, well, not a good thing. Me trying to complain about over saturation in this space is akin to Don Quijote attacking windmills.
I also recognize UFC will be putting a much better foot forward with UFC on Fox 9 and the sensational UFC 168 to cap off the year. There's quite a bit to look forward to as the year closes. Noting just how bad this finale was is no referendum on the kind of quality UFC events are, generally. Saturday's show, however, was as close to unwatchable as UFC can get. This isn't quite as good as Diaz giving the double middle finger after locking up the triangle choke on Kurt Pellegrino, but it is still rather satisfying and vintage Diaz. What more can one ask for? See the rest of the night's photos here from MMA Fighting's Esther Lin.
Best Return to Competitive Form: Nate Diaz
I was a little worried prior to the event Diaz might've been slipping a tad. Worried, mind you, not convinced. After Saturday's fights, I'm not even the least bit concerned. Now, I'm not suggesting he's going to rocket up to No. 1 contender status with a string of impressive wins in his next four fights. That's certainly possible, but I'm not making a prediction, exactly. What I am suggesting is that Diaz has plenty of life left in him as a professional MMA fighter. I'd prefer to see him stay at lightweight, but he'll probably have some measure of success at welterweight, too.
Sometimes a losing streak or inconsistent performances can be the precursor to overall career decline. Other times it can just be a rough stretch. It's comforting to see Diaz rebound and demonstrate he's still there, ready to knuckle up with the best of them.
Coolest Experiment Attempted: Post-Fight Fox Sports 1 Coverage
Saturday was one of the best college football nights this season, certainly, and perhaps in years. The finish of the Iron Bowl alone was worthy of dedicated coverage. Yet, as TUF 18 finale ended, Fox Sports 1 didn't change over to Fox Sports Live to show highlights. Instead, they had a live interview session with Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Chris Holdsworth and Julianna Pena.
Speaking candidly, the event wasn't really deserving of that kind of treatment, but it's understandable why Fox Sports 1 would want to offer that sort of treatment. After all, the season was historic given the inclusion of women. This was also, of course, a Fox Sports 1 property.
The point is in a night where ESPN was probably chomping at the bit to show Iron Bowl highlights on SportsCenter, Fox Sports 1 kept their commitment to UFC and the show with a deeper post-fight dive. I admire that. If they can do this on shows of greater mixed martial arts significance, they might have something here.
Elephant in the Room Award: Ben Askren
Let's establish something from the outset: the idea that Ben Askren isn't deserving of a UFC contract because of meritocratic issues is plainly laughable. There might be other reasons for keeping Askren out of the UFC. Perhaps UFC brass aren't in love with his style of fighting. Perhaps they want to use Askren to position World Series of Fighting as a superior choice to Bellator for up and coming talent. There are any number of plausible theories. And ultimately, it's their company. They can sign and cut whoever they please. All I'm telling you is trying to portray Askren's situation as one of being a fighter not vetted enough for UFC entry is more a punchline than an argument.
There are any number of ways to demonstrate that, but one need look no further than TUF 18 finale fight card. In fact, the timing of the news that UFC was passing on Askren happening so close to the TUF 18 finale actually highlighted how absurd the meritorious argument is with respect to Askren.
With the exception of the main event, there wasn't a single fighter who competed who has better credentials than Askren. One of them, a TUF finalist, is now 1-4-1 in professional MMA. On what planet of logic is this a fighter who is meritoriously ahead of Askren for a UFC contract even if we account for divisional development?
No, Askren isn't a female bantamweight, but he's certainly worthy of consideration along with the other 84 welterweights already on the UFC roster. And no, I'm not suggesting Askren costs the same as a 1-4-1 bantamweight fighter or middle of the road welterweight. But has anyone heard UFC brass complain the reason Askren isn't in the UFC is because he's too expensive? Not once has that even been suggested. Nor could it be. Askren has virtually no leverage over the UFC to make them budge on price. Anyway, what they've said is he doesn't have the resume to rate a contract, which is flatly nonsensical. The TUF 18 finale fight card was just a parade of evidence that Askren may be kept out of the UFC, but it has nothing to do with whether what he's accomplished is enough to earn a fight contract.
Bright Spot Award: Rani Yahya vs. Tom Niini
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Things were going well for Brian Melancon recently, at least as far as his MMA career was concerned.
Sure, his last fight was a loss. A first-round submission defeat, no less, at the hands and arms of Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night 27 in August. But his UFC debut, which had come just a month prior, was a blistering second-round TKO stoppage victory against the experienced and respected Seth Baczynski at UFC 162.
1-1 in the UFC is not the worst place to be. That's something to build on. That's a position many fighters envy. It's a reason to be proud.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, it all came to the most unusual of screeching halts. Melancon, originally scheduled to face Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night 33, wouldn't be competing on that card. In fact, he wouldn't be competing ever again.
"It has been announced, I am sad to say that my fight career is over," Melancon wrote on his Facebook wall in late November. "I have been having kidney problems that have gotten much worse recently and just found out that my kidney function has dropped to 47%. If I continue to train, fight, and cut weight then I run the risk of permanent damage. I have been advised by my Specialist to retire and move on and that is what I will be doing. This is not how I wanted to go out, but I have to believe that God has another path for me. Thanks to all of you who supported me throughout my career."
How could a fighter who had no history of weight cutting problems or a long career spent in the game, and therefore in the sauna, abruptly stop just at the moment his career was at it's peak?
According to Melancon, he always knew something wasn't right. And by the time he discovered exactly what was going wrong, it was all too late.
"Looking back now I see all the signs before that you miss when you're training and pushing through, trying to give your all," the former UFC welterweight told Ariel Helwani on Monday's The MMA Hour. "You have times where you get weak and things like that. You just chalk it up to normal over training or something like that. So, it's been going on for quite a while, but it got progressively worse actually before I fought Kelvin [Gastelum]. About three weeks before that fight, I finished a real hard training day, three sessions that day, and then went home."
"As I was going home," Melancon continued, "my body started cramping up. Literally, everything up my toes to my legs, my ribs, my stomach, my neck, my back; everything was cramping up severely.
I got home, kind of crawled in and I went to the bathroom. I went to lay in hot water and drink fluids to get the muscles to relax. My wife was there helping me. It was about two hours that I was in the tub trying to get this to relax. It was excruciating pain and wouldn't stop, so I had to go to the emergency room and got some IV fluids. Finally, after about another hour there, it started to calm down. They get some blood work and they said my electrolytes were all out of balance and something was going on with my kidneys, but that it could just be from training so hard."
As Melancon would soon discover, his condition wasn't simply from training hard, nor was this his first brush with health issues. He'd had kidney pain during his days of trying to cut from lightweight all the way from his walking around weight of 195 pounds. But things got more serious where he was diagonsed with having had premature ventricular contractions in 2011.
Doctors told him the condition, which disrupts the heart's natural rhythm, was benign, but after taking a break from his time in Strikeforce to focus on his wedding, he noticed his conditioning was unusually bad once he returned to the gym.
He gutted through and even had a successful UFC debut. But in taking the two UFC fights in such close proximity, he was never out of the gym. After the bout with Gastelum, "my conditioning was horrible," said Melancon.
"We normally spar six, five-minute rounds and drill afterward. For this camp, I was getting to where I could only spar two rounds and I had to take a round off because my body just wouldn't go.
"I started having night sweats and was sweating way more than normal. I went to the urgent care center from before. They just said, 'Well, you need to drink more water and you need to train less.'"
That advice wouldn't prove very useful, but Melnacon was insistent on finding the cause. More treatment and tests revealed he had another condition known was rhabdomyolysis, "where you basically break down the muscle tissue from intense training and then it clogs your kidneys, so to speak.
"After that one main incident, back before the last fight, now it's been susceptible to happening again and again. It got progressively worse and worse as I tried to train for this last fight."
Melancon knew the problem was serious, but wasn't ready to give up on fighting just yet. He says he begged and pleased with a specialist he was seeing to give him one more chance to see if they could work around the condition before calling it quits, which is the advice the specialist was giving him.
Melancon and his doctor agreed to baby steps, the first of which was taking a blood sample after a training session to see where kidney function stood before they made any further decisions.
It was a short practice, Melancon recalled. Nothing too strenuous. He was plenty hydrated. He felt fine afterward. Blood work was taken and Melancon hoped this would be the return to the cage. Everything seemed in order to do so.
That is until the results of the blood work were returned.
"[The specialist] said my kidney function had dropped to 47 percent with just a light training session," Melancon said. "He said if I continue to train, it's going to get worse. If I cut weight, for sure it's going to get worse, so I kept trying to say 'Let me get this one in and we'll take some time off and look at it'. I asked him, 'There's nothing like I'm going to die o
Sure, his last fight was a loss. A first-round submission defeat, no less, at the hands and arms of Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night 27 in August. But his UFC debut, which had come just a month prior, was a blistering second-round TKO stoppage victory against the experienced and respected Seth Baczynski at UFC 162.
1-1 in the UFC is not the worst place to be. That's something to build on. That's a position many fighters envy. It's a reason to be proud.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, it all came to the most unusual of screeching halts. Melancon, originally scheduled to face Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night 33, wouldn't be competing on that card. In fact, he wouldn't be competing ever again.
"It has been announced, I am sad to say that my fight career is over," Melancon wrote on his Facebook wall in late November. "I have been having kidney problems that have gotten much worse recently and just found out that my kidney function has dropped to 47%. If I continue to train, fight, and cut weight then I run the risk of permanent damage. I have been advised by my Specialist to retire and move on and that is what I will be doing. This is not how I wanted to go out, but I have to believe that God has another path for me. Thanks to all of you who supported me throughout my career."
How could a fighter who had no history of weight cutting problems or a long career spent in the game, and therefore in the sauna, abruptly stop just at the moment his career was at it's peak?
According to Melancon, he always knew something wasn't right. And by the time he discovered exactly what was going wrong, it was all too late.
"Looking back now I see all the signs before that you miss when you're training and pushing through, trying to give your all," the former UFC welterweight told Ariel Helwani on Monday's The MMA Hour. "You have times where you get weak and things like that. You just chalk it up to normal over training or something like that. So, it's been going on for quite a while, but it got progressively worse actually before I fought Kelvin [Gastelum]. About three weeks before that fight, I finished a real hard training day, three sessions that day, and then went home."
"As I was going home," Melancon continued, "my body started cramping up. Literally, everything up my toes to my legs, my ribs, my stomach, my neck, my back; everything was cramping up severely.
I got home, kind of crawled in and I went to the bathroom. I went to lay in hot water and drink fluids to get the muscles to relax. My wife was there helping me. It was about two hours that I was in the tub trying to get this to relax. It was excruciating pain and wouldn't stop, so I had to go to the emergency room and got some IV fluids. Finally, after about another hour there, it started to calm down. They get some blood work and they said my electrolytes were all out of balance and something was going on with my kidneys, but that it could just be from training so hard."
As Melancon would soon discover, his condition wasn't simply from training hard, nor was this his first brush with health issues. He'd had kidney pain during his days of trying to cut from lightweight all the way from his walking around weight of 195 pounds. But things got more serious where he was diagonsed with having had premature ventricular contractions in 2011.
Doctors told him the condition, which disrupts the heart's natural rhythm, was benign, but after taking a break from his time in Strikeforce to focus on his wedding, he noticed his conditioning was unusually bad once he returned to the gym.
He gutted through and even had a successful UFC debut. But in taking the two UFC fights in such close proximity, he was never out of the gym. After the bout with Gastelum, "my conditioning was horrible," said Melancon.
"We normally spar six, five-minute rounds and drill afterward. For this camp, I was getting to where I could only spar two rounds and I had to take a round off because my body just wouldn't go.
"I started having night sweats and was sweating way more than normal. I went to the urgent care center from before. They just said, 'Well, you need to drink more water and you need to train less.'"
That advice wouldn't prove very useful, but Melnacon was insistent on finding the cause. More treatment and tests revealed he had another condition known was rhabdomyolysis, "where you basically break down the muscle tissue from intense training and then it clogs your kidneys, so to speak.
"After that one main incident, back before the last fight, now it's been susceptible to happening again and again. It got progressively worse and worse as I tried to train for this last fight."
Melancon knew the problem was serious, but wasn't ready to give up on fighting just yet. He says he begged and pleased with a specialist he was seeing to give him one more chance to see if they could work around the condition before calling it quits, which is the advice the specialist was giving him.
Melancon and his doctor agreed to baby steps, the first of which was taking a blood sample after a training session to see where kidney function stood before they made any further decisions.
It was a short practice, Melancon recalled. Nothing too strenuous. He was plenty hydrated. He felt fine afterward. Blood work was taken and Melancon hoped this would be the return to the cage. Everything seemed in order to do so.
That is until the results of the blood work were returned.
"[The specialist] said my kidney function had dropped to 47 percent with just a light training session," Melancon said. "He said if I continue to train, it's going to get worse. If I cut weight, for sure it's going to get worse, so I kept trying to say 'Let me get this one in and we'll take some time off and look at it'. I asked him, 'There's nothing like I'm going to die o
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Less than a month away from one of the biggest rematches in the history of the UFC, Anderson Silva feels ready to get back the middleweight title.
Silva, who suffered his first loss inside the Octagon at UFC 162, when Chris Weidman stopped him with punches, meets the champion at UFC 168 on Dec. 28 in Las Vegas, Nev. He doesn’t regret his behavior during the first fight, blaming "basic mistakes" for his loss.
"My mistakes in that fight, and that’s the first time I’m saying this, were basic mistakes," Silva told Sportv. "I did everything I had to do except hit him. I didn’t counterattack. When I stopped with my feet parallel, I should have hit him and walked one step behind. I didn’t do that. I saw my mistakes and I’m working on that to train for this next fight."
The Brazilian won his 16 previous bouts under the UFC banner with 14 finishes, and expects the rematch to end the same way.
"It’s going to be a tough fight," he said, "and it won’t last too long if it stays standing."
After scoring the upset of the year, Weidman doesn’t expect an easy bout in the rematch.
"I wish I could sit back and relax and I feel like I’ve accomplished my goal, but I gotta win this next fight bad," the undefeated champion said. "Every fight just feels like it's the life changer, feels like the most important fight of your life, and we're still there. This next fight is huge for me, I gotta win."
Anderson Silva explains 'basic mistakes' that cost him UFC title - MMA Fighting
Silva, who suffered his first loss inside the Octagon at UFC 162, when Chris Weidman stopped him with punches, meets the champion at UFC 168 on Dec. 28 in Las Vegas, Nev. He doesn’t regret his behavior during the first fight, blaming "basic mistakes" for his loss.
"My mistakes in that fight, and that’s the first time I’m saying this, were basic mistakes," Silva told Sportv. "I did everything I had to do except hit him. I didn’t counterattack. When I stopped with my feet parallel, I should have hit him and walked one step behind. I didn’t do that. I saw my mistakes and I’m working on that to train for this next fight."
The Brazilian won his 16 previous bouts under the UFC banner with 14 finishes, and expects the rematch to end the same way.
"It’s going to be a tough fight," he said, "and it won’t last too long if it stays standing."
After scoring the upset of the year, Weidman doesn’t expect an easy bout in the rematch.
"I wish I could sit back and relax and I feel like I’ve accomplished my goal, but I gotta win this next fight bad," the undefeated champion said. "Every fight just feels like it's the life changer, feels like the most important fight of your life, and we're still there. This next fight is huge for me, I gotta win."
Anderson Silva explains 'basic mistakes' that cost him UFC title - MMA Fighting
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Nick Newell never asked to be treated differently for having one arm in a sport that’s hard enough with two.
All he wanted was a fair shake.
“To some people, me having one hand is a big deal,” Newell said. “It’s not a big deal to me, though. It never has been. One thing that I’m always gonna have, no matter how far I make it or how big I get in the sport, I’m gonna have my doubters and I’m gonna have the haters, the people that don’t like it and it’s a part of anything.”
The 27-year-old has come a long way from his amateur MMA beginnings, when simply finding opponents was a challenge. Now equipped with a perfect 10-0 record and a contract with the third-largest MMA organization in North America, things have changed for Newell, who faces Sabah Fadai on Saturday at the PNE Agrodome for World Series of Fighting 7.
“It’s not really hard finding people that wanna fight me,” Newell said. “Especially now that I’m fighting on TV, and I’ve made a name for myself beating good guys, I’m fighting real fighters now. It’s not like when I was fighting local; I was fighting guys that just wanted to fight to impress girls or thought they were tough guys.”
But it wasn’t always that way for Newell, who said he thought about quitting early on after a tough start with his high school wrestling team. However, with the support of his family and a mother who never let him give up, he continued to compete and eventually found MMA before making his debut in 2009. “I’ve always been lucky to have a very fantastic family that cares about me and never held me back,” Newell said. “Just because I was born with one hand doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to still try things and go out and be a boy and get dirty and do things that everyone else does.”
Though his inspirational story is certainly unique in MMA circles, fighters and fans are starting to see Newell as less of the novelty he was considered to be in his early days and more as a legitimate contender in the WSOF’s lightweight division — something highlighted by his promotional debut in a first-round submission victory over knockout artist Keon Caldwell.
“I fought a very tough opponent, 9-1 with eight knockouts and one submission,” Newell said. “I was able to stand and bang with him for a little bit and we had a nice little match on the feet — then I took it to the ground and got the finish.”
Earlier this year, UFC president Dana White responded to a question about Newell and said though he admires his heart and determination, it’s tough enough with two hands in the UFC, and he didn’t want to see him get hurt. That was before the Connecticut native received a contract with the WSOF and finished his first fight against Caldwell.
Newell says he’s happy being a part of the WSOF, and with three fights still remaining on his contract, the UFC isn’t even on his radar right now.
In the meantime, Newell says he’s excited for his first fight outside the U.S. and hopes to put on a great show for Vancouver fans.
“I can’t always guarantee that I’ll win, but what I can guarantee is when I go out there I’ll give it 100 per cent the entire fight. It will be exciting, and you’ll definitely be cheering at the end,” Newell said.
“I’ll probably win, too.”
WSOF MAKES CANADIAN DEBUT
World Series of Fighting (WSOF) makes its Canadian debut this weekend when one of the largest MMA promotions in North America rolls into town to host WSOF 7 at the PNE Agrodome on Saturday.
Headlining the event is a featherweight championship bout between undefeated four-time NCAA All-American wrestler Lance Palmer and Bellator veteran Georgi Karakhanyan.
The card also includes the middleweight championship semifinal between Elvis Mutapcic and Jesse Taylor, and a lightweight tilt featuring Nick Newell and Chilliwack’s Sabah Fadai.
The prelims begin at 3 p.m. and will be available to stream on WSOF-com. The main card gets underway at 6 p.m.
One-armed MMA fighter Nick Newell is no novelty
All he wanted was a fair shake.
“To some people, me having one hand is a big deal,” Newell said. “It’s not a big deal to me, though. It never has been. One thing that I’m always gonna have, no matter how far I make it or how big I get in the sport, I’m gonna have my doubters and I’m gonna have the haters, the people that don’t like it and it’s a part of anything.”
The 27-year-old has come a long way from his amateur MMA beginnings, when simply finding opponents was a challenge. Now equipped with a perfect 10-0 record and a contract with the third-largest MMA organization in North America, things have changed for Newell, who faces Sabah Fadai on Saturday at the PNE Agrodome for World Series of Fighting 7.
“It’s not really hard finding people that wanna fight me,” Newell said. “Especially now that I’m fighting on TV, and I’ve made a name for myself beating good guys, I’m fighting real fighters now. It’s not like when I was fighting local; I was fighting guys that just wanted to fight to impress girls or thought they were tough guys.”
But it wasn’t always that way for Newell, who said he thought about quitting early on after a tough start with his high school wrestling team. However, with the support of his family and a mother who never let him give up, he continued to compete and eventually found MMA before making his debut in 2009. “I’ve always been lucky to have a very fantastic family that cares about me and never held me back,” Newell said. “Just because I was born with one hand doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to still try things and go out and be a boy and get dirty and do things that everyone else does.”
Though his inspirational story is certainly unique in MMA circles, fighters and fans are starting to see Newell as less of the novelty he was considered to be in his early days and more as a legitimate contender in the WSOF’s lightweight division — something highlighted by his promotional debut in a first-round submission victory over knockout artist Keon Caldwell.
“I fought a very tough opponent, 9-1 with eight knockouts and one submission,” Newell said. “I was able to stand and bang with him for a little bit and we had a nice little match on the feet — then I took it to the ground and got the finish.”
Earlier this year, UFC president Dana White responded to a question about Newell and said though he admires his heart and determination, it’s tough enough with two hands in the UFC, and he didn’t want to see him get hurt. That was before the Connecticut native received a contract with the WSOF and finished his first fight against Caldwell.
Newell says he’s happy being a part of the WSOF, and with three fights still remaining on his contract, the UFC isn’t even on his radar right now.
In the meantime, Newell says he’s excited for his first fight outside the U.S. and hopes to put on a great show for Vancouver fans.
“I can’t always guarantee that I’ll win, but what I can guarantee is when I go out there I’ll give it 100 per cent the entire fight. It will be exciting, and you’ll definitely be cheering at the end,” Newell said.
“I’ll probably win, too.”
WSOF MAKES CANADIAN DEBUT
World Series of Fighting (WSOF) makes its Canadian debut this weekend when one of the largest MMA promotions in North America rolls into town to host WSOF 7 at the PNE Agrodome on Saturday.
Headlining the event is a featherweight championship bout between undefeated four-time NCAA All-American wrestler Lance Palmer and Bellator veteran Georgi Karakhanyan.
The card also includes the middleweight championship semifinal between Elvis Mutapcic and Jesse Taylor, and a lightweight tilt featuring Nick Newell and Chilliwack’s Sabah Fadai.
The prelims begin at 3 p.m. and will be available to stream on WSOF-com. The main card gets underway at 6 p.m.
One-armed MMA fighter Nick Newell is no novelty
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DeBlass, of Forked River, dominated the brief fight, drilling Lambert with several hard punches, opening a cut on the bridge of his nose and finishing him with a big left hook at the 1:45 mark of Round 1.
DeBlass, 31, improved his record to 9-2. Lambert, meanwhile, fell to 26-13.
The Ledger's special report -- titled "Blood, Sweat and Fears" -- documented DeBlass's internal struggle over whether or not to continue cage fighting, among many other topics. Although he considers MMA the ultimate form of competition, DeBlass admitted to grappling with concerns about potential long-term health risks from the physical sport.
DeBlass dropped Lambert with a hard left hook early in the first round and then knocked him down again moments later. DeBlass could have rained more blows but he held off, waiting for the referee to stop the fight.
Afterward, DeBlass pumped his fists and blew kisses to the crowd, which included about 300 of his fans.
MMA fighting: New Jersey's Tom DeBlass scores KO victory over Jason Lambert at Bellator 108 | NJ-com