Jason "Mayhem" Miller Flips Out at EA Sports

Mayhem flips his wig when he discovers the stats for his character in the new EA Sports Game.

LA Times: Vitor vs. Anderson Jan. 2nd

The LA Times is reporting that the UFC has a verbal agreement with both Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva to face each other in Las Vegas on Jan. 2nd. We'll see. Right now they are negotiating with Dan Henderson and everything is subject to change until somebody fights.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/09/anderson-silva-vitor-belfort-ufc.html

Ultimate Fighter - The Aftermath - Size Does Matter

UFC

Shared via AddThis

Official: Fedor vs. Rogers - Nov. 7 - Chicago

Its now official Fedor Emelianenko will be fighting Brett Rogers at the Sears Center in Chicago on November 7th.

Brett, you're a dangerous guy, but Fedor is going to eat you for a snack.

From the Strikeforce website:

http://www.strikeforce.com/news/news.asp?story_id=216

Rampage Jackson Retires from Fighting

Well it appears that Rampage is quitting the fight game. He feels that his loyalty to the UFC was betrayed.

Thats too bad for any real fight fan as he was a great fighter. Hopefully he will stop and reconsider this decision.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Quinton+Rampage+Jackson+retires+from+mixed+martial+arts+after+spat/2021645/story.html

"So I feel like my second career could be in jeopardy.. so I'm done fighting. I've been getting negative reviews from the dumb ass fans that don't pay my bills or put my kids though college. So I'm hanging it up. I'm gonna miss all my loyal fans but hopefully they'll follow me to my new career & I will gain more loyal fans along the way. & all you hater fans out there can kiss my big black hairy ass! & anybody that don't like what I just said can come try to kick my ass!"

Strikeforce Signs...Herschel Walker?

Y'know I like Herschel Walker, he was one of the greatest football players ever. But he's 47 and has never had an MMA fight. I know he has a martial arts background, will that be enough? Scott C0ker is no dummy and I don't think he would just sign someone for freakshow/celebrity value, but will Walker be successful? We'll see.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=9632&zoneid=13

"Former NFL and NCAA football superstar Herschel Walker will enter a new chapter in his career as a professional athlete when he makes his debut as a heavyweight in the world’s fastest growing sport – mixed martial arts (MMA) - as part of a multi-fight contract he has signed with world championship promotion Strikeforce."

Vitor Is Back!

Vitor just gave us a glimpse of his former greatness. And Dana hints that he maybe getting a titleshot in the near term.

The UFC 103 post fight presser:

Simpleology

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Join Us At The PCH Sports Bar and Grill for UFC 103

Join Us! for a great night of fights. http://pchsportsbarandgrill.com/

UFC Countdown Clock

UFC Ultimate Fight Night 19 is Rolling

The Card

Sam Stout vs. Phillipe Nover

Ryan Jensen vs. Steve Steinbeiss

Brock Larson vs. Mike Pierce

Jeremy Stephens vs. Justin Bucholz

Jay Silva vs. CB Dolloway

Chris Wilson vs. Mike Pyle

Steve Cantwell vs. Brian Stann

Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur

Carlos Condit vs. Jake Ellenberger

Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta

Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard

Dana White Is Pissed At Rampge

Dana is angry with Rampage for taking the role in the A-Team movie. I can understand why, he's invested alot in him and Rampage is screwing up Dana's plans for a big show with Rashad.

But I would say that Dana should look at the big picture here. If this movie does well, and Rampage doesn't stink it up, then this has the chance to bring in even more people who might never have bothered with MMA.

Ultimate Fighter 10 Sneak Peak

This looks to be a very interesting season. Its pretty clear that Rashad and Rampage won't stop jawwing at each other, and Kimbo has a bullseye on his back.

Judo Gold Medalist vs. Judo Gold Medalist

It seems like its been forever since I've been hearing about Satoshi Ishii headed to fight MMA. After he won his Judo gold medal for Japan he flirted with the UFC. Then trained with Machida in Brazil and finally signed with Sengoku.

Now we finally get to see him perform. He will be fighting Hidehiko Yoshida on Sengoku's New Years Eve card.

http://nightmareofbattle.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/sengoku-new-year-event-the-battle-of-gold-medalists/

Unfortunatly for him too many people are putting all their hopes on him to save/revive Japanese MMA. Putting so much on one guy is a bad idea, but they do it anyway. Hopefully he doesn't disapoint.

At least he's been smart and trained extensivly with top people like Machida and the crew at Xtreme Couture.

Couture vs. Vera set for UFC 105

So it looks like Couture will be fighting again at 205 against "The Truth". I think that will be an interesting match up. I hope Randy puts on a good showing, but Vera is very fast and as they say speed kills.

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=22403

El Guapo Gets Kids to Exercise On Cartoon Network

I think this is perfect. Bas Rutten has tons of personality, and is basically a big kid himself. And not enough kids are getting exercise these days. Its a perfect match.

Alistair Overeems Manager Says M1 A Bunch of Crooks

From Steve Cofields Blog at Yahoo! Sports

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/M-1-called-crooks-by-Overeem-s-management?urn=mma,189374

"It hasn’t escaped my notice that we are dealing with a bunch of crooks who wish to brand their name onto someone who has managed to build up a successful organization on his own with a good network deal," said Overeem's manager Bas Boon."

I don't know if I would call them crooks, but I certainly think its just a bridge too far for the UFC to co-prmote with them.

I mean seriously, M1 couldn't promote their last show in California because they didn't get their paperwork in on time, but they want to split a promotion 50/50 with the UFC? And this is to get one fighter, namely Fedor?

Is Brock Lesnar Good for MMA?

As a fan of the sport I frequently ask myself: Is X good for MMA? Or is X bad for MMA. Lesnar stirs alot of passion both from people who like him and people viscerally hate him. And I've been asking myself this question with regard to him.

I didn't like how fast he got the title shot, especially since he is so well known for his pro-wrestling background. Granted he also had a signifcant legitimate sporting background, and he clearly is a phenominal athlete.

But for me the issue was the credibility of the sport. We are not that far removed from the "human cockfighting" dark ages where MMA was an outlaw sport on the run from the political authorities and one show away from being dead. Many people still think of MMA in those terms. So we are fighthing for acceptance and respect.

I also was not wild about his antics after he beat Frank Mir. They were a bit too much. I tend to prefer fighters who are respectful.

Having said that, there can be no denying what Lesnar brings to the table. Not only does he bring a whole new fanbase that might never have bothered with MMA, but he gets attention and is a showman.

The article discusses this and overall I tend to agree with the author that, on the whole Lesnar is good for the sport.

I've quoted a piece, click on the link and read the whole thing....

http://mmapayout.com/2009/09/why-brock-lesnar-is-gold-and-respect-is-worth-about-14-that/

"Why Brock Lesnar is Gold and Respect is Worth (About) 1/4 That

September 10, 2009

UFC 100, Lesnar/Mir, 1,700,000+ buysUFC 102, Couture/Nog, 435,000 buys (initial estimates as reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

I guess this piece could end right there, but I should elaborate.

Anderson Silva is my favorite fighter. He also provides for perhaps the finest example of the respect ethos in Mixed Martial Arts; as Joe Rogan has commented, it’s as if Silva has stepped out of a movie into the Octagon. And until UFC 101 when he was booked against ultra-popular Forrest Griffin (est. 850,000 buys), Silva showed no signs of being a ppv draw.

I make no apologies for my choice for second favorite fighter: it’s the (irrationally) hated Brock Lesnar. I love Lesnar, particularly because such a large segment of hardcore fans hold a perplexing visceral hatred for this incredible athlete."

http://mmapayout.com/2009/09/why-brock-lesnar-is-gold-and-respect-is-worth-about-14-that/

Kimbo Slice In A Norton Anti-Virus Commercial

Its good to see MMA become more and more mainstream. An increasing number of sponsors is seeing the value of the sport. This raises all boats in the harbor.

Big John McCarthy Schools New Refs

BJM is showing new ref wannabes what time it is.

Gegard Mousasi: Paulo Filho is a donkey on steroids

Well thats a mashup of the quotes, but he's not happy with Filho. Mousasi says he will fight Filho anywhere there will be a steroid test.

Kimbo Slice on MMA Live

Love him or hate him, Kimbo = Ratings. And he is the reason that this season of TUF will be one of the biggest.

Bob Arum: I like Dana and Lorenzo but hate MMA

Crusty old boxing guy and noted hater Bob Arum doesn't think much of MMA as a sport, but at least he gives some respect to the promotional skill of Dana White and Lorenzo Fertita. He even says that they are trying to borrow some of their promotional tactics.

Wanderlei Silva Discusses His Recent Facial Surgery

It looks like Wanderlei had some work done to prevent cuts. Cuts around the eye are unfortunatly common and can force the referee to stop the fight on the ring doctors advice. I believe that Nick Diaz had a similar procedure done because he was constantly bleeding in his fights and lost to KJ Noons from a cut.

Wanderlei also discusses getting a new tattoo, and building his fight team. He goes into teach his philosphy and growing the sport.

UFC 104 Pre-Pre-Fight Press Conference Notes

The UFC held a very early press conference ramp up the marketing for UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun at the Staples Center today.

Jennifer Wake, communications director with the UFC, fills in for Dana White because of travel issues.

They will be doing another press conference the week of the fight and Dana will be there.

Ben Rothwell talks about how great it is to be in the UFC and how even with all his experience it was just training to be in the UFC. He is very complimentary towards Lyoto Machida, says that he is one of the best pound for pound.

Cain Velasquez tells us how great it is to be fighting in LA and especially in front of alot of Latino fans, then he speaks some Spanish.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua gets up and thanks the crowd in English then does so in Portugese.

Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida says that his opponent is a very tough opponent and that he will keep training and doing his homework.

Blackbelt magazine asks why Brazilians seem to dominate the sport right now and for Shogun if he wins this fight will he study English more?

Shogun says he has been working on his English, and gets cheers from the crowd when he says that he has been more concerned with training because fighting is what the fans want to see!

MMA Weekly asks if there is a rivalry between fighters from Belem and Curitiba Brazil similar to the East Coast/West Coast rivalry here in the states.

Lyoto says no, they are great friends.

Shogun is asked why he chose to prepare in Sao Paulo for the Liddell fight, and why is he training out of Curitiba for this fight.

He says its because each fight is different, for the Liddell fight they felt he needed to emphasize boxing, and Sao Paulo has the best boxing training.

CBS Sports asks if Lyotos recent success has caused more people to ask for training in Machida Karate.

Machida responds that they did not have gym in the US but soon they will be opening one so that everyone can learn Machida Karate.

VC Online asks about the rivalry of styles between Machida Karate and Shogun's Muay Thai

Shogun says that its a great point. Lyoto is a counter striker, and he is an aggressive Muay Thai standup fighter. He wants to press the action and prove that MT can be a good answer to Machidas Karate.

Machida says that he will do everything he can to force Shogun into his style.

Question to all fighters: Win by submission or win by striking, which gives you more personal satisfaction?

Machida: Win by strike

Rothwell: Either one as long as I get the bonus.

Shogun: For me what matters is the win, whether by submission, knock out, or decision, this is the most important fight of my life.

Cain: For me its the same as Shogun, but as a wrestler I want to prove something about my striking.

The fighters square off and the press conference ends.

Pilot Built Training Centers Welcomes Chris Cordeiro

We here at the Pilot Built Training Center would like to welcome Chris Cordeiro to our team. For those who don't know Chris is the former matchmaker for both the King of the Cage, and Cage Rage promotions.

He has alot of experience promoting fights both inside the United States and Internationally. We are confident that his experience and brilliance in many areas of the fight game will be part of the formula that takes us to the top and helps us achieve all of our goals here.

Welcome Chris!