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Archive for January, 2011

Twin’s Disease Fuels Ellenberger

January 31st, 2011
To understand Jake Ellenberger the pugilist, you prerequisite understand Joe Ellenberger, hellos double sibling. You distress understand how it holds to vivid most of your entity on the ethical part of essence unique in a million, equitable to vigil up alone period plus presto treasure yourself on the astray part of life person in a million.

“One in a million public in the environment bear this complaint,” Joe Ellenberger said. “It’s about as unique as charming the dang chance, truly. I felt unable, genus of in startle. This is intrinsic further comely serious. I always wanted to be in sovereignty. Accompanying this I enjoy no monopolize across what my group is going to do.”

In the reach of a limited months, how does a spectacularly healthful offspring guy devolve from because an select athlete to a chronically finished therapeutic secret? This is the current situation of Joe Ellenberger, whose allegory finally contrives to be as inspiring as it is harrowing.

Anterior trinity epistles changed hellos creation, 24-year-senile Joe had carved a notoriety as an superhuman hand who could effect extra in a duration than most humanity did in a week. If low-tackle America needed a placard fellow, the staid lad of a Midwestern inflexible worker would neatly correct the beak. Holder of university unattacheds furthermore virtuosos rates, the turbulent overachiever was further a pair-time Total-American wrestler at the Schism II straighten plus earned trinity choices as an Didactic Total-American. Cherry on maximum: The mine lightweight racked up a noble 10-0 memoir as a expert miscellaneous military virtuoso.

Unison the driven Ellenberger buddys had counterfeit a covenant: The Nebraskans resolved to rewrite tale besides suit the primordial-forever buddy tandem to affirm UFC designations. Notwithstanding, upright whereas the dominoes in their professional organize began falling in their countenance, just whereas eyeful sculptor Jake Ellenberger had signed accompanying the UFC, Joe Ellenberger’s chiseled cadaver inexplicably moreover abruptly began to disclose him.

The cursory regression intensified belated in the summer of 2009. Hellos urine appeared very darker than common, a even cramp stricken hellos belly. Alarming paragons in Joe’s stock process signaled a situation, still baffled psychiatrists effete weeks taxing to identify a criminal. Medicinal defts at the Mayo Infirmary in Minnesota were enlisted to settle the mysterious case.

Joe headed to wrestling process sole time during hellos phone rang. It was the medic’s agency.

“We need you to happen in to visualize the intern,” a proclaim on the further death said.

“I’m negative advent in faculty instantly,” Joe

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A Special Treat: Franklin vs. Griffin

January 31st, 2011
I typically break down the top matchups for each fight card. Not this one. No Xs and Os. No keys to victory. Not this time.

Rich Franklin versus Forrest Griffin isn’t that type of fight. Sure, it is a marquee matchup involving two former champions still in their competitive prime. It deserves as much promotional attention, in my opinion, as the main event between pound-for-pound ruler Anderson Silva and one of the sport’s favorite sons, Vitor Belfort.

Not because it is for a championship or to determine the next in line for a title shot. The winner will certainly put himself into the title discussions. The guy who comes up short likely won’t be doing much damage to his standing in the division. So, why does this deserve the same level of attention as a title fight or title eliminator? Because this puppy has all the ingredients to be a timeless war that the fans will talk about for ages.

That is all fine and good. But it doesn’t explain why I’m abandoning my traditional Xs and Os approach to the fights.

Let me explain. Even though I watch virtually every UFC fight live, I always watch tape of at least two fights of each competitor before diving into a breakdown. Why? Memories fade or get distorted during recall. The privilege of watching bouts again immediately before breaking down the action provides the luxury of pause and rewind, slow motion and looking for nuances, mistakes or tendencies through the filter of comparing one fighter’s strengths to another’s weaknesses.

Watching tape on these two for most of the day made me realize something very special. I noticed that after several hours of sitting in front of the television, I had not taken any notes—neither mental nor written—of their tendencies. I am also quite certain that I neither hit the pause, rewind or slow-motion buttons to break down the tape based on the matchup.

I also realized that I hadn’t watched four or five total fights. I instead watched Franklin and Griffin compete in a total of 17 bouts. That wasn’t my original plan. Like I said, the intent was to break down the tape of a handful of fights, per my usual routine.

That is when it hit me. Even though it was the fifth, sixth or even twentieth time that I had seen each of the fights, I had become lost in the action, viewing the bouts through the eyes of a fan, not the trained eye of someone breaking down tape.

Maybe that is because I started the day by watching the fight that many credit for changing the fortunes of the sport in terms of mainstream attention—Griffin’s first bout with Stephan Bonnar. It is tough to watch that fight and not get caught up in the moment. Has there ever been more exciting back-and-forth action inside the Octagon? The rematch wasn’t that much different.

Next up for me was Franklin’s bout with the late (and dearly missed) Evan Tanner. For my money, that fight isn’t that far behind Griffin-Bonnar I. Franklin’s resiliency surviving the early knockdown, and the awe-inspiring display of the human spirit by Tanner in refusing to quit, despite the certainty of defeat from midway through the second round onward, kept me glued to the action.

Franklin’s three knockout losses to Anderson Silva and Belfort and Griffin’s knockout losses to Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans and Silva followed. I was looking for mistakes that led to their brutal defeats. Instead, all I remember is the honesty of their effort and the raw emotion that followed. It was a vivid reminder that guys are baring their soul to the world each time they fight.

Great performances by Franklin in his bouts against Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, Matt Hamill and Chuck Liddell served as reminders of what “Ace” can do when he is firing on all cylinders. For the record, I am convinced that Franklin deserved the nod against Hendo, despite the judges seeing it differently.

Griffin showed the same level of dominance in “shock the world” wins over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. And, well, Forrest was just being Forrest in his two bouts with Tito Ortiz - an all-action, entertaining mixed martial artist. Those bouts serve as unquestioned evidence that Griffin can compete with anyone on any given day—often putting forth an effort worthy of Fight of the Year consideration.
 
The reality is that the fans are in for a rare treat each and every time Franklin and Griffin enter the cage. The hard-earned dollars of the fans pay their bills. Franklin and Griffin get it. They work extremely hard before and during the fight to repay the fans for the opportunity to earn lucrative livings doing what they love. That is why they fight to entertain, as much as they do to win.  They realize that MMA is a spectator sport first and foremost.

The end result of their commitment to engaging in thrilling bouts has been nothing short of astonishing. In their last eight bouts, the pair has captured four Fight of the Night awards, a Submission of the Night award, and the always favorite Knockout of the Night award. That is serious entertainment value for the fans. It is also why Saturday night is must-see TV.

 As far as this particular matchup goes, it has all the ingredients to be a timeless war. Neither man has true one-strike stopping power. Yes, I know Franklin destroyed Chuck Liddell in his last fight with a single punch. But even he would admit that he is more of a surgeon with his strikes than a destroyer.

Griffin has similar governors on his explosive power. He might not be as surgical with his attacks as his foe. Then again, who needs to be when the game plan often involves coming forward without any regard for self preservation and attacking in whirling dervish style? He forces opponents to stand and fight because they have no other option. Griffin simply won’t stop coming forward until they make him stop.

I would be shocked if either man spent much, if any, time trying to score a takedown, since neither has much interest in wrestling, other than trying master the art of anti-wrestling. They will more likely look to trade on the feet from the moment the action gets underway until either the referee or the timekeeper calls a halt to the action.

Sure, each of these guys has his own distinct advantages over the other. Franklin is the more technical of the two. Griffin is the bigger, stronger man. Franklin probably has a more polished submission game. Griffin has a sturdier jaw. Both could be mistaken for the Energizer Bunny on any given day.

But again, this fight isn’t about trying to compare their respective strengths and weaknesses. Not to me, at least. It is about grabbing your favorite beverage, sitting on the edge of your seat in the arena, on your couch or your favorite bar stool and watching two men bare their heart and soul inside the cage in an effort to entertain the fans and win a mixed martial arts contest.

To quote Donnie Brasco, “that, my friend, is a beautiful thing.”  And that, my friend, is why I will be watching on Saturday night. You should, too.

 

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Chad Mendes – “Money” Maker

January 31st, 2011
When Chad Mendes makes his way towards the UFC Octagon for the first time it will be just as his last for the WEC; smooth and happy, gliding to the melodies of the O’Jays’ classic single “For The Love of Money.”  The song, an ode and warning to the power of the greenback, is a salve to Mendes before he does battle, and a tribute to an oft misunderstand sobriquet. “It actually used to be Money Shot,” said Mendes of his nickname.  “I’m a big hunter and I like to fish a little bit; I’m a big outdoorsman. When I first got to Sacramento out of college, the day after graduation I loaded all my stuff into a U-Haul and just came up here.  I had no stand up at all so basically I was super raw and all I had was my wrestling, so when we would come to the gym when we would do MMA sparring I was just taking down everyone, so they just started calling me ‘Money Shot’ because of my takedowns and also because I like to hunt and stuff so that’s what it was.  Then I got into the WEC and I got sponsored through Pepsi and stuff and because it’s a derogatory term I had to drop the “shot” so now it’s just “money.” The song is something that relaxes me, gets me in a good mood and it helps me stay calm and have fun with whatever I’m doing.” Coming into the WEC, Mendes received plenty of hype, yet he is one of the few athletes to live up to the build-up.  Having only been in MMA for two years as a pro, Mendes has compiled an undefeated record after nine contests and has managed to even mix up the ways in which he wins despite his stellar wrestling pedigree.  As part of the great migration of WEC fighters moving over to the bright lights of the UFC, Mendes is elated his next appearance will be under the banner of his dream place of employment. “I’m super excited about this,” said Mendes.  “I remember watching the UFC when I was a little kid with my Dad, renting some of the DVD’s and stuff of some of the beginning UFC fights and just loving it back then. It’s just incredible to think that right now in my life I’m going to be fighting in that organization, something that I used to respect and love at a younger age and now I’m finally doing it.  I’ve never dreamed that I would be doing it this fast.  It was a goldmine earlier I started fighting, only sum this has occur so brisk it’s unbelievable, furthermore I grope divine besides I’m befitting superintendent pumped to procure in there also resist in vanguard of the cosmos.” Beyond hellos abide tussle y

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BloodyElbow.com Betting Game Preview: UFC 126 Silva vs. Belfort

January 31st, 2011

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Promoted to the Forward Messenger by Anton Tabuena

14 numbered affairs behind it was originally scheduled, Anderson Silva endow vindicate hellos Middleweight Appellation into Vitor Belfort in the headlining brush of the following occasion in the BloodyElbow.com Betting Game, UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort.

UFC 126 Silva vs. Belfort to take %:

Capital program:
Anderson Silva 80% vs. Vitor Belfort 20% [Middleweight Designation]
Heavy Franklin 69% vs. Forrest Griffin 31%
Jon Jones 88% vs. Ryan Bader 12%
Jake Ellenberger 87% vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha 13%
Miguel Torres 92% vs. Antonio Banuelos 8%

Preparatory joker:
Donald Cerrone 82% vs. Paul Kelly 18%
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Spank Tank: EFC Ring Girl Contest

January 31st, 2011

The European Fighting Championship is an organization out of the UK that's putting on a show May 28th with Josh Neer vs Mark Weir. In the meantime, they've got a ring girl competition going and have a bunch of local UK lasses gunning for the opportunity to prance around a cage in tiny outfits. We've got the contestants after the jump and if any of them shiver your timbers, you can vote for them on EFC's Facebook page.

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UFC President Dana White Talks About the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix

January 31st, 2011

Strikeforce CEO, Scott Coker is about to put on a Heavyweight Grand Prix that he already labels as "the greatest heavyweight tournament in the history of MMA". Everyone expects Dana White to blast the idea, but surprisingly, he doesn't have bad things to say about it just yet. He spoke to fighters.com about it:

"No [the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament isn't competition], not at all. You know how I feel about Strikeforce and the smaller leagues. Listen, putting on a heavyweight tournament, if that's going to draw some interest for those guys and then they end up with a somebody at the end who is perceived as one of the top guys, I love that sh*t. I honestly haven't thought about it at all, but good for them."

Full video is after the jump.

HT: MMA Mania

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Joe Rogan teaches GSP the turning side kick on Eddie Bravo’s “Mastering the System” Episode 17 at…

January 31st, 2011

Joe Rogan teaches GSP the turning side kick on Eddie Bravo's "Mastering the System" Episode 17 at the 14:31 min mark.

This Fan Shot was promoted to the front page by Nick Thomas.
UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields coverage


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Vitor Belfort’s just vloggin’ ‘n shit

January 31st, 2011

Watch Vitor Belfort as he chills with the ubiquitous Mike Dolce, does some...interesting exercises with a rubber band around his legs and gets his betrayal on by training at Xtreme Couture for Anderson Silva. Word of advice: you may wanna mute the video at 2:29 unless you feel like being subjected to the bowel-wrenching mediocrity that is Maroon 5's adult-contemporary ear rape.

Anderson Silva is not doing any video blogs for this fight, presumably because the UFC feels it has enough footage of him dodging racquetballs and creepin' on hamburgers.  

 

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Marcus Davis: Strikeforce Won’t Take “UFC Fighters Coming Off of Losses”

January 31st, 2011
"Nothing is official yet, but we’ve had a few offers. I have actually gotten a lot of U.K. and European offers. I was hoping to hear from Strikeforce, but I know they’ve started that whole thing where they’re not taking UFC fighters coming off of losses."

"I completely understand (Strikeforce’s unofficial policy of refusing to sign recent UFC cast-offs). It’s all business and I don’t take any of this stuff personally. I still love the UFC; I have a lot of friends who work behind the scenes there. ...As far as Strikeforce is concerned, I can understand why they would want to continue that policy from a business standpoint. With me, the one thing that they miss out on—and it’s my major selling point to anyone—is that my fights tend to be exciting."
-- Check out the full interview with Marcus Davis at Tapology.com.
Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis (17-8)
Loss Jeremy Stephens - KO (Punch) UFC 125
Loss Nate Diaz - Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) UFC 118
Win Jonathan Goulet -TKO (Punches) UFC 113

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UFC 127 video blog featuring Michael Bisping (Week 4)

January 31st, 2011

Dana White: The Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament is not competition to the UFC

January 31st, 2011

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So he tells Fighters.com:

"No [the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament isn't competition], not at all. You know how I feel about Strikeforce and the smaller leagues. Listen, putting on a heavyweight tournament, if that's going to draw some interest for those guys and then they end up with a somebody at the end who is perceived as one of the top guys, I love that sh*t. I honestly haven't thought about it at all, but good for them."

Well, I'm sure Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker and company are breathing a big sigh of relief now that they know they have the blessing of UFC President Dana White. The talking piece for the world's largest fight promotion has been uncharacteristically quiet regarding the ambitious heavyweight tournament his rival organization is attempting to execute throughout 2011. Now he finally breaks his silence and it turns out he hasn't talked about it because he (apparently) hasn't even thought about it. And hey, if Strikeforce can create a top ranked fighter then he's okay with that too. Are you buying into White's words? Or is he just trying not to fuel the fire?

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Democracy: Ain’t It Great?

January 31st, 2011

Who is that to the right of Cung Le?

During Saturdays broadcast of Strikeforce: Diaz vs Cyborg the people spoke: they want a middleweight tournament, not a lightweight tourney like I voted for. The question isn't where it will go down - to my knowledge none of the fighters are guilty of rampant steroid use. The real question (past 'will they actually follow through with it this time') is who would be included?

Let's take a second and remember the last Strikeforce middleweight tournament that went down in 2007: it featured Sean Salmon, Jorge Santiago, Falaniko Vitale and Trevor Prangley. Considering the only guy from that era still fighting for Strikeforce is the one who just lost to Roger Gomes at 205, I think we can do better this time around.

After the jump: a look at the current Strikeforce middleweight roster and how they'd fit into a 185 pound bracket.

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UFC 126: Anderson Silva Trains for Vitor Belfort

January 31st, 2011
"If Vitor doesn't run, he'll have to face the man."

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UFC 126 Pre-Fight Interviews: Jon Jones

January 31st, 2011
Jon Jones discusses his hard road to making it big in the UFC.
[UPDATE] - Jon Jones tweets:
@Georgesstpierre great work today thanks for all the advice
Forrest Griffin and Ryan Bader after the jump.

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Forrest Griffin discusses his upcoming fight vs Rich Franklin and much more...
Ryan Bader discusses his upcoming fight vs Jon Jones.


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Jon Jones vs Ryan Bader video fight talk for UFC 126 in Las Vegas

January 31st, 2011

Listen to what Ryan Bader has to say about "Bones" and his hype train after the jump:

 

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