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Dubya
September 3rd, 2010, 4:08 PM
I'm gonna use this thread kinda like IB used to do in the Wrestling forum. Highlight a new fighter every day or so.. and discuss them, their fights, styles, accomplishments, best moments, etc..

The first spotlight will be on:

The Iceman
Chuck Liddell
http://tkohub.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/chuck-liddell.jpg

Fighting out of: San Luis Obispo, California
Born: Dec.17, 1969 in Santa Barbara, California
Light Heavyweight - 205 lbs - 6 foot 2

Styles: Kickboxing (22-2 record); Wrestling (NCAA Div.I); Kenpo Karate (5th degree black belt); Koei-Kan (black belt); Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (purple belt)

MMA Record: 21-8 (KO:13, Sub:1, Dec:7)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Wanderlei Silva, Tito Ortiz(2x), Renato "babalu" Sobral(2x), Randy Couture(2x), Jeremy Horn, Vernon White, Alistair Overeem, Vitor Belfort, Jeff Monson, Kevin Randleman, and Guy Mezger.

Championships and Awards:

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
(successfully defended the title 4 times)
UFC Hall of Fame Member
UFC Fight of the Night and World MMA Awards Fight of the Year
(against Wanderlei Silva, UFC 79)
Sherdog 2006 Fighter of the Year

YouTube- The BEST Chuck Liddell Highlight

Dubya
September 3rd, 2010, 4:47 PM
Chuck was honestly one of the guys that got me BACK into MMA. I watched a lot of the early events and when they started to become harder to find, I kinda stopped following. I started seeing Chuck Liddell's name/face and the UFC logo more and more and started getting back into it more and more. The first PPV I actually ordered (the old ones were all seen on tape) was UFC 47 and it was awesome to watch Liddell destroy Tito. Been a huge fan of his and the sport ever since. It's been horrible to watch his fights lately. I don't wanna see him become like Jens Pulver and lose 6 straight.

OD50
September 3rd, 2010, 5:11 PM
Same here, I watched the three or four first UFC shows on VHS back in 1995, but then for some reason they became impossible to find around here anymore. Years later (2000 or 2001) when we had the internetz me and a friend downloaded some UFC shows and I remember seeing Pedro Rizzo/Randy Couture and Jeff Monson/Chuck Liddell.

Never been a Chuck fan actually. I have rooted for him once and that was in that fight with Jeff Monson, and it was pretty much only because I trained in Muay Thai/Sanshou and HATED wrestlers/grapplers winning all the time against strikers. Chuck made me happy by pummeling Jeff with lowkicks for pretty much the entire match, nearly finishing via headkick in the final round.

Legend though, no question. I'm still pissed that him and Wanderlei never fought in 2003-2004 when they were in their primes instead of in 2007.

Dubya
September 3rd, 2010, 6:23 PM
Yeah, it was a good fight nonetheless .. but in their prime .. that's a whole other fight. Similiar result too in my opinion.. Just the other way around.

Dubya
September 5th, 2010, 11:57 AM
Today's spotlight is on:


FORREST GRIFFIN

http://www.celebritysmackblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/forrest_griffin_ufc_114.jpg

Fighting out of: Las Vegas, Nevada
Born: Columbus, Ohio
Light Heavyweight - 205 - 6 ft 3 in

Styles: Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (brown belt), Freestyle Fighting

Team: Throwdown Training Center

MMA Record: 17-6 (KO:3-Sub:7-Dec-7)

Has beaten notable fighters such as: Tito Ortiz, Quinton Jackson, Shogun Rua, Stephan Bonnar, Chael Sonnen, Travis Fulton, Jeff Monson

Last fight: beat Tito Ortiz @ UFC 106
Next fight: tba

Championships and Awards:
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion (1x)
Ultimate Figher Season One - 205 lb. Winner
UFC Fight of the Night (3x)
(against Rashad Evans @ UFC 92, Quinton Jackson @ UFC 86, Stephan Bonnar @ TUF 1 Finale)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Fight of the Year (2x)
(against Stephan Bonnar @ TUF 1 Finale, Quinton Jackson @ UFC 86)
Fighting Spirit Magazine Fight of the Year
(against Tito Ortiz @ UFC 59)

YouTube- Forrest Griffin UFC highlights

Kdestiny
September 5th, 2010, 1:12 PM
Forrest is really a class act to be real. His classic with Bonnar was one big reason for me getting into MMA quite a bit. I just hope he is able to bounce back from that Silva KO that was pretty embarrassing. I like the guy.

Mik
September 5th, 2010, 1:55 PM
I dont think that he's anything more than a gatekeeper now. Its highly possible that Jones might retire him. It's a horrible match up for Griffin really.

Dubya
September 5th, 2010, 5:14 PM
In all honesty, I don't disagree with you .. but he's still probably just 2 good wins away from a title shot. He does have a win over the current champion. The 205 division is kinda screwy cuz all the top 5 contendors have at least one loss to another one of the top 5 contendors. A few have 2.

Forrest is, at the very least, a very exciting fighter. I think he's underrated pretty much everywhere, but its almost like the awesome bloody wars he gets in overshadow his overall talent. He's got a very good submission game.

When he comes back, there's more than a few fights I'd love to see him in:

Forrest/Rampage 2
Forrest/Lil' Nog
Forrest/Franklin
Forrest/Shogun 2
Forrest/Rashad 2
Forrest/Tito 3 .. both fights were good and however you scored it, its 1-1.

OD50
September 5th, 2010, 5:31 PM
Jones is fighting the winner of Nog/Bader, not Forrest. There's no point in that fight anyway, Jones would buzzaw him in under two minutes.

YouTube- Forrest Griffin talks about Anderson Silva fight

I think even Forrest knows that. :D

Mik
September 5th, 2010, 5:39 PM
Haha. Good old Forrest.

Vice
September 5th, 2010, 5:51 PM
Ahahhahahahhaha fuck I love Forrest. What a great man.

Dubya
September 5th, 2010, 7:00 PM
LOL classic .. "i felt like some kid trying to wrestle his dad"

OD50
September 5th, 2010, 7:02 PM
Forrest is a funny guy. I wish more MMA fighters would be so sincere instead of coming up with excuses for every loss.

Dubya
September 5th, 2010, 7:06 PM
And that right there is one of the main reasons that people love him. He's honest and humble. Very intelligent and well spoken too. He's an every man kinda guy.. and win or lose, he leaves it in the cage and makes no excuses.

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 10:09 AM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

The Axe Murderer
WANDERLEI SILVA
http://mma-live.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/wanderlei-silva-2.jpg
Fighting out of: Las Vegas, Nevada
Born: Curitiba, Brazil
Middleweight / Light Heavyweight - 185-205 - 5 ft. 11 in.

Styles: Muay Thai, Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu (black belt under Carlos Gracie, Jr.)
Team: Wand Fight Team

MMA Record: 33-10-1 (KO:22-Sub:4-Dec:7)

Has beaten notable fighters such as: Michael Bisping, Ricardo Arona, Rampage Jackson(2x), Kazushi Sakuraba(3x), Dan Henderson, Guy Mezger, Keith Jardine, Ikuhisa Minowa

Last fight: beat Michael Bisping @ UFC 110
Next fight: tba

Championships and Awards:

International Vale Tudo Light Heavyweight Champion
Pride FC Middleweight Champion (2001-2007)
2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Winner
-3rd Place in 2005/2006
Most Wins & KO's in Pride FC History
UFC Fight of the Night (2x)
-against Rich Franklin @ UFC 99 and Chuck Liddell @ UFC 79
2004 Sherdog Fighter of the Year
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Fight of the Year (3x)
-2001 Fight of the Year (against Kazushi Sakuraba)
-2003 Fight of the Year (against Hidehiko Yoshida)
-2004 Fight of the Year (against Rampage Jackson)

YouTube- ufc/pride wanderlei silva highlight

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 10:28 AM
Love me some Wandy. He's declined quite a bit the past few years but he's still one of my favorites.

If Leben gets him I will have no idea who to cheer for and hopefully instead of fighting they just hold hands and sing songs.

PMBR
September 7th, 2010, 10:31 AM
Wanderlei faced some heavy competition when he got to the UFC and it made a lot of people think that he had lost it. He had a FOTY candidate with Liddell and then got KO'd by the best 205'er at the time. He murdered Keith Jardine. He had a ridiculously close split decision with Franklin that I thought should have gone his way. The Bisping fight was close, but thankfully he pulled it back at the end.

I don't think he will ever be a champion again, but Wanderlei is always going to be one of the most exciting guys to watch. I'll pay to see him fight anybody in the top 20. Hopefully they won't match him up with wrestlers like Sonnen or Okami. I'm still crossing my fingers that he fights Leben or Akiyama sometime soon. Who knows, maybe he will fight Anderson if Chael wrestles the title away.

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 10:34 AM
And sorry for being late but I must say Forrest is a quality guy.

Back on topic, what exactly was the story with Wand's hatred of Rampage? He always seems like a nice guy but not when he and Rampage were getting ready to fight for the third time.

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 10:46 AM
I think Wandy should've dropped to 185 when he first joined the UFC and he could have a slightly different win/loss record right now. He's pretty undersized compared to pretty much every UFC 205 lb'er.

OD50
September 7th, 2010, 10:55 AM
YouTube- Wanderlei vS Rampage (BEEF)

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 11:03 AM
So it's all because Rampage challenged him to a fight? Don't all MMA fighters do that?

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 11:10 AM
OD could probably explain the beef better than I could, but they really don't like each other. Wandy has said that another (4th) fight with Rampage would be the only fight he would consider going back to 205 for.

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 11:14 AM
Ya I remember you or somebody posting an interview where he said that. Hope it doesn't happen though, I really have no desire to see them fight again.

UncannyIowan
September 7th, 2010, 11:28 AM
Let me speed through this so I can catch up...

Iceman=My favorite fighter of all time, win or lose, I'll never stop liking him or forget that it was his kick to Babalu's face at UFC Vendetta (sham v. ortiz I) that really made me stick with watching. His look, his style, his personality, if I was an MMA fighter, he'd be one of the guys I'd mimic my approach to MMA on.

Forrest Griffin=Awesome, one of the best 205ers, still has plenty to offer. A loss to Anderson and a loss to Rashad is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in terms of recent set backs, a war with Tito Ortiz and countless other solid performances earn him cool points for life. Irony, the first spotlight was my favorite fighter, the 2nd spotlight was my son's favorite fighter. Nice job Dub.

Wanderlai=Jesus, another great fighter who I feel could be champion at 185 if Anderson isn't the champ lol. He embodied what Pride was all about and his style is still entertaining. Would love to have seen him and the Iceman or Couture back in 2003-2005, but it's all good cuz the Silva/Liddell fight was a dream war.


So it's all because Rampage challenged him to a fight? Don't all MMA fighters do that?

The shit talk between those 2 was/is legendary. I think fighters from Brazil take things we Americans do such as shit talk, challenge, they take it as like you raped their daughter and broadcast it on the internet. Anderson will kick your ass like you killed his family just for saying you're going to armbar him for the victory.

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 11:30 AM
Well unless you're Chael Sonnen. :p

UncannyIowan
September 7th, 2010, 12:08 PM
Well unless you're Chael Sonnen. :p

Chael actually got it the worst, he was the one bragging about how he wasn't going to train any BJJ and this and that, and look what happened, all his hard work was for NOTHING and Anderson finished him off with BJJ, the one thing Chael shit talked the most about aside from Anderson supposedly never fighting in the cage, it was the shit talk on the BJJ of Silva and his trainers. I'll be waiting to see if God allows a human a 2nd mircale performance when they rematch early next year.

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 12:12 PM
Well I was only being half-serious, hence the :p smiley.

Everyone knew going in Chael was probably getting tapped, but I certainly wouldn't go as far as to say he got his "ass kicked".

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 12:17 PM
I bet he gets his ass kicked in the rematch.

PMBR
September 7th, 2010, 12:27 PM
I bet he gets his ass kicked in the rematch.

I'll take that bet. People who think Anderson is going to dominate the rematch are pointing to "now he'll know what to expect from Chael". Really? He didn't know going into that fight that Chael was going to take him down and throw an assault of ground and pound? Chael told us his gameplan and Anderson wasn't ready for it. Why should we expect Anderson to dominate this time?

OD50
September 7th, 2010, 12:28 PM
The rivalry between the two fighters reportedly began around the Pride Middleweight (205 lb) Grand Prix. In an attempt to set up a "tune-up" bout for Kazushi Sakuraba, who had just been defeated by Silva, Pride brought in Quinton Jackson, a relative unknown at the time, to face the Japanese fighter. The fight did not go as planned, with the much bigger Jackson overpowering Sakuraba and landing several punches. Sakuraba was eventually victorious via submission, but Jackson established himself as a legitimate contender to Wanderlei Silva's Pride Middleweight Championship in the process.

Following this success, Jackson began to direct several personal insults at Silva, a gesture that infuriated the champion. Silva was in the midst of what would be a 17-fight unbeaten streak. He captured the championship from Sakuraba at Pride 17, and defeated him a total of three times. Jackson continued his negative comments towards the champion, and directed his latest insult at Silva's training camp at the time, the Chute Boxe Academy. <<<<<<<<<<

These insults culminated in an altercation between the two on March 16, 2003, at Pride 25. Following a victory over Kevin Randleman, Jackson was given the microphone and started talking directly to Silva, who was sitting at ringside, saying "I want you boy. It's gonna be me and you." Silva immediately jumped to his feet and made his way into the ring. He was now face-to-face with Jackson, who continued by saying, "You have my belt, you're keeping it warm for me." Silva responded by giving Jackson a forceful shove. Jackson, visibly upset, advanced towards Silva as dozens of Pride officials intervened. Jackson stood still as he was surrounded by officials, while Silva had to be constantly restrained from charging at Jackson. Jackson later stated that he was instructed by Pride executives to make these comments. He added that Silva's shove infuriated him, and he was ready to fight Silva immediately.
Since then, Jackson has further clarified the origins and the nature of the bad blood between the two. According to Jackson, the rivalry exists because he was one of the few fighters in Japan who was not afraid of Silva outside of the ring. Jackson stated that fighters were afraid to eat or be in an elevator with Silva, but he was not one of them. He added that the bad blood is only coming from Silva's end. Silva, on the other hand, cited Jackson's apparent insults towards him on the internet to account for the bad blood in an interview prior to the UFC 92 fight.

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 12:29 PM
I'll take that bet. People who think Anderson is going to dominate the rematch are pointing to "now he'll know what to expect from Chael". Really? He didn't know going into that fight that Chael was going to take him down and throw an assault of ground and pound? Chael told us his gameplan and Anderson wasn't ready for it. Why should we expect Anderson to dominate this time?

I think dubya might have been referring to how Andy was supposedly injured going into the fight. But I agree with you.

That said I would never in a million years bet money against Anderson Silva.

Torn
September 7th, 2010, 12:30 PM
According to Jackson, the rivalry exists because he was one of the few fighters in Japan who was not afraid of Silva outside of the ring. Jackson stated that fighters were afraid to eat or be in an elevator with Silva

Ahaha surely this isn't true? He's like the nicest bloke in MMA.

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 12:31 PM
Because he probably won't have hurt ribs this time. Making it a lot easier to try to stop a takedown, to move around faster, to breathe .. and yea he did have hurt ribs. Stitch Duran was on junkie radio talking about how he worked his corner that night and his corner was talking about his ribs throughout the rounds cuz they were messed up. He said it seemed like he was almost accepting the takedowns cuz he didn't have the strength to try to stop them with his ribs like that.

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 12:32 PM
Ahaha surely this isn't true? He's like the nicest bloke in MMA.
I love Rampage but that comment clearly came straight out of his ass.

PMBR
September 7th, 2010, 12:37 PM
Didn't Stitch also say that Anderson informed his corner of his ribs after Round 1? Wouldn't that imply that Chael broke Anderson's rib during the fight?

Kdestiny
September 7th, 2010, 12:37 PM
Wandy is great. I enjoy the guy as he seems to be entertaining as well as a nice guy. Still a good fighter as he showed against Bisping. I hope he faces Leben and KTFO of him.

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 12:40 PM
It's possible. He made it seem like his ribs were hurt going in, but it makes sense that Sonnen did further damage to them. Either way, its gonna be hard to stop takedowns, espescially from Sonnen, with hurt ribs. I think Silva will win more decisively next time.

Mik
September 7th, 2010, 2:35 PM
When I first got into MMA the second time around, I just didnt like Wandy. His style, to me, was everything that unsettled me about MMA the first time. It was too violent, too aggressive, too bloodthirsty. It used to make me squeamish. You see that attack against Rampage? Its brutal, probably the most brutal sustained striking attack I've ever seen in MMA (and insane that Rampage didnt go down and stay down from it), it's so persistant that it simply doesnt seem like fair fighting, compared to the noble art of boxing.

Its taken me a long time before I had realised what an great guy and fighter Wandy is. I appreciate him a good bit more now.

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 2:47 PM
It's crazy watching non-fight videos of him and he seems like a genuinely friendly person. And then watching him fight.

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 2:48 PM
Yeah, it's like he's FESTUS .. the bell rings and he goes mental. Maybe that character is secretly modeled after Wandy.

OD50
September 7th, 2010, 2:48 PM
Ahaha surely this isn't true? He's like the nicest bloke in MMA.

He is now, but he wasn't back then. Bas interviewed Cro Cop and when asked about Wand he said pretty much the same thing, that Wand was acting like a madman backstage and stuff. It's from Pride 20: 'Armed and Ready'.

I can't go get the exact quote right now because my VLC player is busy with Ken Shamrock vs. Sabu from NWA:TNA.. :D

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 2:49 PM
That's not too hard to believe really. People grow up and mellow out.

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 4:43 PM
YouTube- Wanderlei Silva Knockouts

YouTube- Wanderlei Silva Boston UFC Fan Expo 2010 Jakks Pacific Interview Toy MMA Action Figures Round 5

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 4:47 PM
http://leongrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/mma-s204.jpghttp://www.mmadig.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/img_5253.jpg

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 4:48 PM
YouTube- the God of War- Wanderlei Silva-by KahL-One

This is one thing I wish UFC would pick up from Pride/WWE. Titan trons!

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 4:49 PM
I think they avoid it on purpose to seperate themselves from WWE and Strikeforce, to be honest.

Mark Hammer
September 7th, 2010, 4:51 PM
Makes sense but it still sucks. Trons and extravagent entrances would be awesome.

OD50
September 7th, 2010, 5:03 PM
YouTube- Tito Ortiz

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 5:12 PM
Yeah, they used to do it every now and then, back in the day .. lol fuckin Tito would come out to Limp Bizkit

OD50
September 7th, 2010, 5:28 PM
Hey, LB was the SHIZNIT back in the day. I always used to rock the red cap backwards, circa 2000-2001.

The UFC stopped with those entrances because they were too expensive. Today they could afford it of course but like mentioned earlier, they want to avoid, primarily being confused/compared with WWE.

Dubya
September 7th, 2010, 5:50 PM
Oh yeah sure they can definitely afford it, but they can also just make more money by not doing it. They do some cool shit with the lights during the main events .. lol. If you build a big stage, thats less tickets sold .. if you have a buncha fireworks, thats less profit .. when you really don't need any of that shit.

Dubya
September 8th, 2010, 9:54 AM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:


MAURICIO
SHOGUN
RUA
http://mmafrenzy.com/files/2010/05/Mauricio-Shogun-Rua.jpg

Fighting out of: Curitiba, Brazil
Born: Curitiba, Brazil
Light Heavyweight - 205 lbs. - 6 foot
Styles: Muay Thai, Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu (black belt under Nino Schembri)
Currently studying: Wrestling and westeren boxing.
Team: Universidade da luta

MMA Record: 19-4 (KO:16-Sub:1-Dec:2)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Lyoto Machida, Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman, Alistair Overeem(2x), Kevin Randleman, Ricardo Arona, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Rampage Jackson, Akihiro Gono,

Last fight: beat Lyoto Machida @ UFC 113 for Light Heavyweight Title
Next fight: vs. Rashad Evans @ tba

Championships and Awards:
Pride FC 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Winner
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion (current)
UFC Fight of the Night
-against Mark Coleman @ UFC 93
UFC KO of the Night (2x)
-vs. Chuck Liddel @ UFC 97
-vs. Lyoto Machida @ UFC 113
Former Brazilian Jiu Jitsu South American Champion
2003 STORM Muay Thai Middleweight Winner

Shogun is also the only person to defeat to UFC Hall of Famers back-to-back and One of 2 people (the other being Mark Coleman) to have won a Pride FC Grand Prix and a UFC Championship.

YouTube- Mauricio Shogun Rua highlight
YouTube- Mauricio shogun rua

Dubya
September 8th, 2010, 8:52 PM
I didn't really know much about Rua when he first came into the UFC and I wasn't too impressed with his first couple fights in the octagon. I didn't really think he deserved the title shot when he got it, but I was pissed when he didn't leave with the belt and cheered him that much more in the rematch. I've since gone back and watched his wars in PRIDE. The fight with Lil' Nog is one of my favs. I'd still love to see him and Lyoto have a rubber match for the hell of it. Would like to see him rematch Forrest as well.

Dubya
September 8th, 2010, 9:27 PM
awesome picture from one of my fav fights
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa135/jmac90/shogunsuperman.jpg

UncannyIowan
September 9th, 2010, 12:46 AM
Shogun is amazing. One of the few fighters who I believe will truly be a LEGEND. That word gets tossed around, but I see Shogun being the most dominant LHW ever. His style is like playing Street Fighter at the arcade, he does everything you dream of doing and has all the skills of a complete MMA fighter.

I think the first fights I saw of his were on Fox Sports, but I remember ordering the Pride ppv with Fedor/Coleman and Shogun/Randellman, I knew Shogun was going to blow through Kevin and he did. I agree, his first 2 fights in the Octagon were not the Shogun I was used to seeing either. When Griffin beat him, it was an upset because if you look @ Shogun's level of competition versus Griffin's record....not even on the same level at the time.

There are many fights I'd like to see. Up next could either be Rashad or if they do have a LHW interim title fight the winner of that. Who would Rashad fight though? The winner of Rampage/Machida in Detroit? It'd be a good rematch for Rashad either way. I'd also like to see Shogun fight Anderson Silva maybe at the end of the 2011 summer if both are still champion, Shogun v. Rampage II, v. Couture, Jon Jones, and another fight with Griffin/Machida=awesome.

Dubya
September 10th, 2010, 4:54 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

DAN
Hendo
HENDERSON
http://www.mmabay.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Dan-Henderson-003.jpg

Fighting out of: Temecula, California
Born: Downey, California

Weight: 185 and 205 - Middleweight and Light Heavyweight
Height: 5 ft. 11 in.
Reach: 74 in.

Styles: Greco-Roman Wrestling (olympics, NCAA div.1), Boxing, Kickboxing
Team: Team Quest

MMA Record: 25-8 (KO:11-Sub:1-Dec:13)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin, Rousimar Palhares, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Renato Sobral, Gilbert Yvel, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Renzo Gracie, Akihiro Gono, Murilo Bustamante (2x), Carlos Newton

Last fight: Lost to Jake Shields @ Strikeforce on CBS
Next fight: tba

Championships and Awards:
Pride FC Middleweight (205 lb.) Champion (1x - last to hold title)
Pride FC Welterweight (185 lb.) champion (1x - 1st and last to hold title)
2005 Pride FC Welterweight (185 lb.) Grand Prix winner
UFC 17 Middleweight Tournament winner
UFC KO of the Night
-against Michael Bisping @ UFC 100
UFC Fight of the Night
-against Anderson Silva @ UFC 82
RINGS King of Kings 1999 Tournament winner
Brazil Open Fight 1997 Lightweight Tournament winner
World MMA Awards, Inside Fights and FIGHT! Magazine 2009 KO of the Year
-against Michael Bisping @ UFC 100

Wrestling Championships and Awards:

1990 Espoir Nationals champion
1990 Junior Nationals double champion
1990–91 U.S. Olympic Festival champion
1991 & 1993–94 University Nationals champion
1992 Final Olympic Wrestle-off champion
1992 Olympic Team Trials champion
1992 Western Regional Olympic Trials champion
1993–94 World Team Trials champion
1993–94 U.S. Nationals champion
1996 West Regional Olympic Trials champion
1988 Espoir Nationals (2nd)
1995 World Team Trials (3rd)
1991 U.S. Nationals (3rd)
1992 U.S. Nationals (5th)
1989 Espoir Nationals (5th)
1996 U.S. Nationals (6th)
1990 U.S. Nationals (7th)
1990 University Nationals (4th)
1995 Sunkist International Open champion
1994 World Cup (2nd)
1994 Pan American Championships (2nd)
1991 Concord Cup (3rd)
1995 Pan American Games (3rd)
1994 German Grand Prix (4th)
1993 German Grand Prix (7th)
1992 Olympics (10th)
1994 U.S. World team member


YouTube - Dan Henderson Highlights
YouTube - Dan Henderson Tribute
YouTube - Dan Henderson K.O Michael Bisping

Mik
September 10th, 2010, 6:48 PM
Think you should've left it on Shogun for longer mate.

Dubya
September 10th, 2010, 8:13 PM
I left it on Shogun for 2 days and no one said anything ...

feel free to still talk about any of the previous fighters though. anyone that's been spotlighted is fair game for discussion.

Kdestiny
September 10th, 2010, 8:44 PM
Didn't know much of Hendo because I got into MMA a little later. He KTFO of Bisping and I fell in love. I looked his shit up and definitely stacks up to the best of the best.

Mark Hammer
September 10th, 2010, 8:57 PM
HUGE fan of Hendo, I just wish he was still with UFC.

Dubya
September 11th, 2010, 6:34 PM
I do too, espescially since he's going back to 205. There's a lot more match-ups at 205 in the UFC that I'd rather see than there is in Strikeforce.

Dubya
September 12th, 2010, 6:13 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

GEORGES
Rush
ST. PIERRE
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XLvDDW0j53c/S7AguhCVuGI/AAAAAAAAHHE/aZ-RO_Ettl4/s400/ST.+PIERRE+2.jpg

Fighting out of: Montrel, Quebec, Canada
Born: Saint-Isidore, Quebec, Canada
Weight: 170 lb - Welterweight
Height: 5 ft. 10 in.

Styles: Kyokushin (3rd degree black belt), Wrestling, Gaidojutsu (black belt), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (black belt), Muay Thai, Boxing
Team: Jackson's Submission Fighting, Zahabi MMA

MMA Record: 20-2 (KO:8-Sub:5-Dec:7)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Matt Hughes (2x), BJ Penn (2x), Matt Serra, Thiago Alves, Jon Fitch, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, Jason miller, Jay Hieron, Karo Parisyan

Last fight: beat Dan Hardy @ UFC 111 (defended UFC welterweight championship)
Next fight: vs. Josh Koscheck @ UFC 124 (for UFC Welterweight championship)

Championships and Awards:
UFC Welterweight Champion (current)
-2x, successfully defended 4x
UFC Interim Welterweight Champion (1x)
UFC Fight of the Night
-against Jon Fitch @ UFC 87
UFC Submission of the Night
-against Matt Hughes @ UFC 79
World MMA Awards, MMAPayout, Sports Illustrated, Inside MMA, and MMAjunkie.com 2009 Fighter of the Year
Spike TV Award for 2010's Most Dangerous Man of the Year
Wrestling Observer Newsletter 2008 & 2009 Fighter of the Year
Rogers Sportsnet 2008 & 2009 Figher of the Year
Fighters Only 2008 Submission of the Year
TKO Major League MMA Welterweight Champion (1x)

YouTube - George &quot;Rush&quot; St. Pierre Highlights

Dubya
September 12th, 2010, 8:12 PM
In my humble opinion, the p4p top fighter in the world. He may not finish fights as often as most would like, but he's consistantly fought and beat (finish or not) more top level fighters in his division than pretty much anyone else in their respective divisions.

Mark Hammer
September 12th, 2010, 8:25 PM
It's a privelage just to watch him fight. No disrespect at all for BJ but GSP is a true, genuine prodigy. I still struggle to wrap my head around the fact that he's the best wrestler at 170 despite never even competing in it. Not even in high school. :wtf:

I really don't see any WW on the UFC roster being able to beat him at his best.

Mark Hammer
September 12th, 2010, 8:27 PM
Also sorry for being late with this one but how long exactly is Hendo's contract with Strikeforce? Has he ever mentioned returning to UFC in the future?

Dubya
September 12th, 2010, 10:00 PM
I'm interested to see if Jake Shields can work his way to a title shot and how he'd do against GSP. Similar styles really.. I think GSP has better takedowns, but I think Shields is a better grappler.. stand-up would have to go to GSP.

On Hendo .. I don't think he's mentioned anything like that yet, but thats not something you usually say when you leave a company for another company.. had he been released, that would be one thing .. but he left for Strikeforce when his contract came up. He was on a 3-fight win streak in the UFC so its not like they didn't want him. I think he was upset because he beat Bisping and it was said that if Bisping won, he'd get a title shot.. then when Hendo KO'd him .. Dana said he'd rather see him fight Marquardt first.. which, at the time was somewhat fair but probably pissed him off.

Mark Hammer
September 12th, 2010, 10:03 PM
Wishful thinking on my end I know. :(

UncannyIowan
September 13th, 2010, 1:35 AM
Think you should've left it on Shogun for longer mate.

Nothing is stopping you from adding more to the Shogun spotlight other than the above.


Hendo:
He is by far one of the best fighters of all time, not exactly a big big name like Iceman or GSP, but he's got a resume that stands on it's own. I think the first fight I ever saw was again, on Fox Sports with Pride, but it was the first time he fought Wanderlai. It was a war and then I saw his KO of Renzo Gracie and wow, destroyed him. I was very excited for his win against Wanderlai and in the process held 2 titles simultaneously, that shit is RARE in combat sports.

When he came to the UFC, even though he lost both of his title fights I think they're 2 of the UFC's top 20 fights. Especially Hendo/Rampage, what a fight! Personally believe his biggest mistake-and Jake Shields greatest performance/victory-was going to Strikeforce. Deeper divisions in the UFC and while I do agree he probably should've been given the next fight against Silva considering Bisping would have been given the title win as well....He should've stayed. Nuff said.

GSP:
GSP is awesome. Always flip flop between Silva, GSP, and Penn as who I think are the greatest fighters in the world. GSP could possibly go down as the greatest fighter of all time if he keeps going another 3-4 years. Like people always say, his wrestling skill is amazing considering he has no background in grappling. He shuts down all his opponents, he has shown vulnerability in the past which is why his fights are so intriguing....

First time I saw GSP, it was his fight with Matt Hughes when he got armbarred. I really liked his other fights with Heiron, Mayhem, and Trigg, then he killed Sherk and the war with BJ Penn made me a dedicated fan. I know people question his style nowadays, but it's the future. Guys with awesome grappling, awesome striking, being able to take the fight wherever they want. GSP was never a guy who just threw punches and kicks for the hell of it, he's always been methodical and that's why he's the champ will remain champ for awhile.

Who could beat this guy? No one stands out at the moment. Shields coming in with that big win over Hendo shouldn't let you forget about his performance against Mayhem Miller. Is GSP better than Hendo? Yes. Am I saying GSP could beat Hendo......I'm saying that if they were in a video game GSP would be 98 and Hendo would be 94.

Tyson
September 13th, 2010, 2:07 AM
Love GSP, he's my dude; am currently dreaming about a GSP/Anderson Silva MW title fight next summer. Hard-on worthy, fact.

Bet it happens before Mayweather/Pacquiao. Fuck boxing.

PMBR
September 13th, 2010, 7:36 AM
If GSP/Anderson goes down, let Jake Shields have the winner as long as he gets past Kampmann. Jake Shields fights in both divisions and I think it was a mistake risking him against Kampmann. Kampmann is no joke, and if he loses, that shine is gone.

Mark Hammer
September 13th, 2010, 11:49 AM
GSP/Anderson isn't happening anytime soon. They're both pre-occupied at the moment.

Dubya
September 14th, 2010, 11:16 AM
Agreed. After Koscheck, GSP has either Fitch or the winner of Shields/Kampmann waiting for him ..

After Sonnen II, Silva has the winner of Belfort/Okami waiting for him.

.. after that, though .. who knows.

Mark Hammer
September 14th, 2010, 11:19 AM
:lol: I'll give you GSP but you're awfully sure Andy's walking away with another W over Sonnen aren't you?

Torn
September 14th, 2010, 11:30 AM
I think he's just assuming they will both win for the purposes of seeing how possible the superfight is.. as if they don't win, then it won't happen. As you said it's not going to happen anytime and to be honest I don't see a need for them to fight.

Mark Hammer
September 14th, 2010, 11:34 AM
I agree, I was partially ribbing him for being so adamant Anderson only came so close to losing because of an injury.

Dubya
September 14th, 2010, 11:37 AM
You're both right .. actually

and for the record .. I'd put my avatar FOR A YEAR on the line betting on Silva in the Silva / Sonnen II fight.

Dubya
September 14th, 2010, 11:40 AM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

JOSH
KOSCHECK
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_44-PnK6Qgjo/Swwl9589wBI/AAAAAAAAACQ/tWlnRR9nZr8/s1600/josh-koscheck-1.jpg


Born: Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 32
Fighting Out of: Fresno, California
Weight: 170 lbs - Welterweight
Height: 5 ft. 10 in.
Reach: 73 in.

Styles: Wrestling (ncaa division I), Kickboxing
Team: American Kickboxing Academy

MMA Record: 15-4 (KO:4-Sub:5-Dec:6)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Paul Daley, Anthony Johnson, Frank Trigg, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Chris Lytle, Dustin Hazelett, Diego Sanchez, Jonathan Goulet

Last fight: beat Paul Daley @ UFC 113
Next fight: against Georges St. Pierre @ UFC 124 (for welterweight championship)

Championships and Awards:
UFC Fight of the Night
UFC Submission of the Night
-both against Anthony Johnson @ UFC 106
UFC Knockout of the Night
-against Yoshiyuki @ UFC Fight for the Troops

Amateur Wrestling Awards:
2001 Division 1 National Champion
4x Division 1 All-American (4th, 2nd, 1st and 3rd)
4x Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Champion
3x P.S.A.C. Wrestler of the Year
2x Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Year

YouTube - Josh Koscheck Highlight

UncannyIowan
September 14th, 2010, 12:19 PM
Kos. One of those dudes like Tito Ortiz who backs up that shit talk and asshole persona, and it pisses me off lol. Like Forrest Griffin said about Tito, aint nothin worse than a guy who talks shit and can back it up. That's Kos.

Could possibly be a Modern day Dan Henderson.

But I'll be real, hate this dude's personality and his acting. I've hated him since TUF 1, and I hated him even more when he beat Leben. I'm more angry with Florian cutting Leben, derailing the Diego/Leben fight in the finale! Anyway, Kos, he looks like a douchebag, acts like a douchebag, but his talent is unmatched by a lot of guys at 170.

I hope GSP knocks him out.

MikeHunt
September 14th, 2010, 12:20 PM
in one word - arsehole.

Dubya
September 14th, 2010, 12:39 PM
in two words - tough arsehole
in three words - well rounded arsehole
in four words - knock out power arsehole

Lazurus
September 14th, 2010, 12:41 PM
In two words - Arse hole

Dubya
September 14th, 2010, 12:48 PM
If that's really 2 words, then it really fucks up my post.

I think Koscheck is a good figher, no doubt. He's come a long way from just using his wrestling. Granted, that's how he got this title shot .. but that was probably smart against a striker like Daley. His 3 wins before that were stoppage wins. He did give GSP a bit of trouble with the wrestling in the last fight. Didn't stop GSP from taking him down, but he got a takedown or two himself if I'm remembering correctly. They're both much more complete fighters this time around. It comes down to whether or not Kos can go 5 rounds and whether or not he can stop GSP's takedowns .. if he can, he has a good chance.. but thats a big IF lately.

Vice
September 14th, 2010, 1:04 PM
I despise Koscheck. Quite possibly my least favorite fighter of all time.

Whether it's him being a straight up douchebag, or faking "injuries" or just sitting on his opponent, I don't think I've ever really enjoyed one of his fights. If this was wrestling, he'd be an absolutely brilliant heel.

To me there would probably be nothing worse than Koscheck's team getting a bunch of victories over GSP in TUF and then beating him for the title. I don't think either will happen, but.. it's possible. And it would make me rather sad.

PMBR
September 14th, 2010, 1:28 PM
Josh Koscheck claims that he plays an asshole on TV just to make more money. Personally, because of the phony injuries, I choose not to believe that. It seemed like he faked injuries against both Rumble and Semtex and I think that's extremely low. Some reports claim that Daley slugged him late after Koscheck repeatedly called him "a stupid Nigger" while holding him down.

Losing to Paulo was the worst thing for him in terms of entertainment value. He isn't likely to take chances anymore. I expect him to try and wrestle his way to a title and future victories.

That said, he is an incredibly talented guy who I think is smart enough to know how to play the game. Calling out Dan Hardy in hopes of sneaking in and getting a title shot first was a brilliant move because it put a big spotlight on him and set him up for a #1 contender fight only 2 fights after being KO'd by a (at the time) nobody.

Mark Hammer
September 14th, 2010, 1:35 PM
Some reports claim that Daley slugged him late after Koscheck repeatedly called him "a stupid Nigger" while holding him down.

Not so sure I even believe this, sounds like people lying for Daley so he doesn't look like such a bitch (which he is) for his cheap shot.

PMBR
September 14th, 2010, 1:49 PM
In the post-fight interview with Ariel Hewani (however the fuck you spell it), he admitted to saying some "not quite gentlemanly" things, but he didn't say specifically what it was.

Dubya
September 14th, 2010, 1:55 PM
I think he said it.

I think he'll make a pretty good coach, to be honest. Whether or not he wins his fight, I dunno.

Mark Hammer
September 14th, 2010, 2:02 PM
GSP will maul him.

Matty C
September 14th, 2010, 2:05 PM
I hate Koscheck. If he beats GSP I might actually cry.

I also get the feeling that he will make a decent coach. He has a good base, comes from a good camp and always seemed like a hard working guy. He's just a complete asshole.

I hope GSP out wrestles him again for two rounds and then knocks him out, just to prove a point.

UncannyIowan
September 14th, 2010, 2:07 PM
In the post-fight interview with Ariel Hewani (however the fuck you spell it), he admitted to saying some "not quite gentlemanly" things, but he didn't say specifically what it was.

That doesn't mean he "repeatedly called him a stupid N...." He could've been calling Daley a fag, a pussy, a cunt, a dirty bitch, sticky anus, good fighter, I think Kos is an asshole too, but isn't dude half black?

One thing about Kos I respect is that he called out Tito and Tito never accepted....

Mark Hammer
September 14th, 2010, 2:09 PM
I think Kos is an asshole too, but isn't dude half black?


Somebody answer this because I was thinking the same thing.

OD50
September 14th, 2010, 2:23 PM
Got to be.

Torn
September 14th, 2010, 3:00 PM
Here is the answer from the man himself

YouTube - Jon Fitch.mov

Dubya
September 14th, 2010, 3:20 PM
I'd hate blacks if I was a half black too.

Dubya
September 16th, 2010, 1:57 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:


COLE MILLER
http://www.mmabay.co.uk/img/Cole%20Miller%20001.jpg

Born: Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
Age: 26
Fighting out of: Boca Raton, Florida
Weight: 155 lbs. - Lightweight
Height: 6 ft. 1 in.

Styles: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (brown belt)
Team: American Top Team

Cole Miller's brother, Micah Millar, is also a professional MMA fighter.

MMA Record: 17-4 (KO:3-Sub:12-Dec:2)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Leonard Garcia, Jorge Gurgel, Dan Lauzon, Ross Pearson, Junie Browning, Andy Wang

Last fight: beat Ross Pearson @ UFC Fight Night 22
Next fight: tba

Championships and Awards:
UFC KO of the Night
-against Andy Wang @ TUF Finale 5
UFC Submission of the Night (3x)
-against Jorge Gurgel @ UFC 86
-against Dan Lauzon @ UFC 108
-against Ross Pearson @ UFC Fight Night 22

YouTube - Magrinho - Cole Miller Documentary

Dubya
September 16th, 2010, 2:00 PM
I was very impressed with Miller last night. His BJJ has always been top notch, but his stand-up looked great last night too. Easily just a couple good wins from a title shot in the always-stacked 155 lb. division.. espescially since he's a finisher and always puts on exciting fights.

UncannyIowan
September 16th, 2010, 2:05 PM
I say the UFC puts him up against Kenny Florian when Florian returns 5 months from now. I know it seems like a long time to keep a young guy out but I seriously think that would be a great fight for both guys.

Cole Miller could be one of those guys that gets to the top 5 in the next 2 years and gets a shot or he becomes a "midcarder". It's hard to predict whether or not someone in that division will get a title shot, but Cole Miller will be a contender in the future. I could see him moving up in the next couple years if he doesn't get a title shot.

PMBR
September 16th, 2010, 2:20 PM
Cole is a very good fighter. The loss to Efrain was a definite setback, but he has wins over some good names. I'd like to see him face one of the other lightweight winners from last night. J. Miller and Olivera each have really good standup (like Cole) and really good ground games (like Cole).

OD50
September 16th, 2010, 2:42 PM
Cole Miller doesn't like wrestlers fighting for points:
http://www.cagepotato.com/bum-rush-rant-cole-miller

Good interview. Good kid.

:yes:

Dubya
September 16th, 2010, 2:51 PM
I think the next match-ups will be something with the 4 lightweights that won last night .. Jim Miller, Cole Miller, Charles Olivera, and Yves Edwards .. you could match em' up any way you want really. Cole/Olivera is what I really wanna see though .. thats a sick fight waiting to happen. Such similar styles.

Dubya
September 18th, 2010, 8:46 PM
This weekend's MMA Spotlight will be on:


Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira
http://www.mmabay.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Antonio-Rogerio-Nogueira-003.jpg

Born: Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil
Age: 34
Fighting out of: Gardena, California
Weight: 205 lbs. - Light Heavyweight
Height: 6 ft. 2 in.
Reach: 75 in.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is the twin brother of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Styles: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (black belt), Judo (black belt), Boxing
Team: Team Nogueira / Black House

MMA Record: 19-3 (KO:5-Sub:6-Dec:8)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Alistair Overeem (2x), Dan Henderson, Kazuhiro Nakamura (2x), Kazushi Sakuraba, Guy Mezger, Vladimir Matyushenko, Luiz Cane, Jason Brilz

Last fight: beat Jason Brilz @ UFC 114
Next fight: against Ryan Bader @ UFC 119

Championships and Awards:
UFC KO of the Night
-against Luiz Cane @ UFC 106
UFC Fight of the Night
-against Jason Brilz @ UFC 114

Boxing Championships and Awards:
2006 Brazilian Championship Winner
2006 South American Championship Winner
2007 Brazilian Championship Winner
3rd Place in 2007 Pan American Games

YouTube - Antonio Rogerio &quot;Minotouro&quot; Nogueira History

Dubya
September 19th, 2010, 1:11 PM
I love Lil' Nog. His fights with Hendo and Shogun are 2 of my favs. Really pumped for the Bader fight, but I kinda have a feeling that Bader is gonna pull it off somehow.

UncannyIowan
September 19th, 2010, 10:40 PM
Lil Nog is sadly someone who I haven't seen a whole lot of. Most of the Pride fights I have on DVD are the numbered events in box sets from Wal Mart/Best Buy and I think he's only on like 3 or 4 of the events and none of them are the big fights people talk about that he was in. I have to say, one of the best LHW's out there today and has a great record. A title reign is in his future, he's basically 2 wins away from securing that title shot.

His boxing and ground game are insane, a handful of 205ers rock the skills Lil Nog has. While his 30 second loss to Sok might have set him back just a bit, he's been on the warpath since.

Dubya
September 19th, 2010, 11:29 PM
I'd love to see him and Shogun have a 5-round rematch for the title. Epic.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Diet Nog is an instructor at a fight club in Miami, FL, along with his brother, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva and No-Gi World Champion Daniel Valverde.

Dubya
September 20th, 2010, 10:29 AM
YouTube - Antonio &quot;Rogerio&quot; Nogueira entrance
YouTube - &#x202b;?????? ??????? ?? ?????? ????????&#x202c;&lrm;
YouTube - Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Todd Gouwenberg
YouTube - DEEP - Tsuyoshi Kohsaka Vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 1/3

Dubya
September 20th, 2010, 9:22 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

The Young Assassin
Melvin Guillard
http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/melvin-guillard2.jpg

Born: New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Age: 27
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Weight: 155 lbs. - Lightweight
Height: 5 ft. 9 in.
Reach: 71 in.

Styles: Kickboxing, Wrestling, Judo (brown belt), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (blue belt)
Team: Jackson's Submission Fighting

MMA Record: 24-8-2-1 (KO:14-Sub:3-Dec:7)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Gleison Tibau, Dennis Siver, Marcus Davis, Rob Emerson, Kyle Bradley (2x), Ronnys Torres, Gabe Ruediger

Last fight: beat Waylon Lowe @ UFC 114
Next fight: vs. Jeremy Stephens @ UFC 119

Championships and Awards:
UFC KO of the Night
-vs. Dennis Siver @ UFC 86

YouTube - Melvin Guillard Highlights pt. 1

Dubya
September 20th, 2010, 9:23 PM
I can't wait to see his fight with Jeremy Stephens. It's practically pre-guaranteed to be fight of the night.

OD50
September 21st, 2010, 9:12 AM
I like the way Melvin has progressed since joining Jackson's camp. He's no longer just a reckless brawler. Maybe that other black, hard hitting Melvin guy should consider going to New Mexico too..

:chin:

Matty C
September 21st, 2010, 9:28 AM
Melvin has tons of raw talent. If Jackson can get him straightened out, both in lifestyle and fighting style, he could be a champion. There is no doubt in my mind that he possesses the physical talent to be a champion at 155 lbs.

I hope he continues to improve because he can be an incredibly exciting fighter.

PMBR
September 21st, 2010, 9:54 AM
:lol: Kyle Bradley is a notable fighter?

kangus
September 21st, 2010, 12:03 PM
Well, have you beaten Kyle Bradley?

Dubya
September 21st, 2010, 12:19 PM
Hey .. do you know who Kyle Bradley is? Okay then. Noted. Lol. .. I almost didn't put him on there, but I figured hey .. people know who he is so why the fuck not .. plus, Melvin hasn't beat a lot of big name fighters and I didn't wanna leave it blank.. plus he beat him twice so that makes it okay. 2 wins over a shitty fighter is like 3/4 a good win.

PMBR
September 21st, 2010, 12:43 PM
2 wins over a shitty fighter is like 3/4 a good win.

:lol:

Dubya
September 21st, 2010, 1:37 PM
See, that's what MMAmath is really about.

YouTube - Melvin Guillard Highlights pt. 2

Dubya
September 21st, 2010, 7:00 PM
YouTube - How Melvin Guillard Became &quot;The Young Assasin&quot;

Dubya
September 22nd, 2010, 12:18 PM
Happy birthday, PMBR..

Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

Matt
The Terror
Serra
http://www.mmabay.co.uk/img/matt%20serra%20ufc%20belt.jpg

Born: East Meadow, New York, U.S.
Age: 36
Fighting out of: East Meadow, New York, U.S.
Weight: 170 lbs. - Welterweight
Height: 5 ft. 6 in.
Reach: 68 in.

Styles: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (2nd degree black belt), Boxing
Team: Serra Jiu-Jitsu
Matt Serra's younger brother, Nick, is also an MMA fighter.

MMA Record: 11-6 (KO:2-Sub:5-Dec:4)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Georges St. Pierre, Frank Trigg, Chris Lytle, Jeff Curran, Yves Edwards

Last fight: def. Frank Trigg @ UFC 109 by KO
Next fight: vs. Chris Lytle @ UFC 119

Championships and Awards:
UFC Welterweight Champion (former)
The Ultimate Fighter Season 4 Welterweight Winner
UFC Fight of the Night
-vs. Matt Hughes @ UFC 98
UFC KO of the Night
-vs. Frank Trigg @ UFC 109
2nd Place - 2001 ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships, 66-76 kg.
1999 CBJJ World Champion: Brown Belt Medio
1999 Pan-American Champion: Purple Belt Medio

YouTube - Matt Serra Highlight Reel

Dubya
September 22nd, 2010, 2:17 PM
YouTube - Matt Serra vs Gomi Grappling

PMBR
September 22nd, 2010, 2:33 PM
Matt Serra capitvated me as soon as I saw him fight Shonie Carter the first time. He was so determined and dominating...until that damn spinning back fist.

In Season 4, you can see his amazing leadership and teaching abilities. In the only season of the show without coaches, "Team Serra" was outstandingly cohesive and together, and they won most of their matches in the first round.

His integrity and character were defined when he called out Marc Laimon for judging and condemning fighter decisions despite not being willing to fight himself. That moment will forever stand out as the moment when Serra became my favorite person in MMA.

I couldn't even watch him fight GSP the first time because I didn't want to see him lose. I caught the headlines the next day and literally jumped with joy out of my chair!

I think Serra is incredibly underrated due to his massive underdog status in the GSP fight and that he got handled the 2nd time. Personally, I think he won the razor-close fight with Matt Hughes before he KO'd Frank Trigg. I'm very interested in seeing his fight with Chris Lytle this weekend, although I was hoping to see him fight Dan Hardy or Jake Shields instead.

I love Matt Serra. I think he has a good chance of beating anyone in the UFC not named GSP. I think his jitz is good enough that he stands a good chance against dominant wrestlers like Fitch and Koscheck. I think he protects himself well in the standup and comes from great angles, so I can see him competing with any of the strikers. His jitz is good enough that I see him giving trouble to any welterweight on the ground.

That being said, THANK YOU FOR MY BIRTHDAY PRESENT OF A MATT SERRA SPOTLIGHT!

OD50
September 22nd, 2010, 4:46 PM
YouTube - Matt Serra UFC 119 Video Blog - Day 1

Dubya
September 24th, 2010, 7:30 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

Francisco Santos Mir III
aka
FRANK MIR
http://www.mmaplayground.com/forums/i/pi/450399_1.jpg

Born: Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Age: 31
Fighting out of: Las Vegas, Nevada
Weight: 252 - Heavyweight
Height: 6 ft. 1 in.
Reach: 79 in.

Styles: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (black belt), Muay Thai, Boxing, Kenpo Karate (black belt)
Team: Team Sityodtong

MMA Record: 13-5 (KO:2-Sub:8-Dec:2-DQ:1)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Cheick Kongo, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brock Lesnar, Antoni Hardonk, Tim Sylvia, Tank Abbott, Wes Sims (2x)

Last fight: Lost to Shane Carwin @ UFC 111 by KO
Next fight: vs. Mirko "cro cop" Flipovic @ UFC 119 (tomorrow!)

Championships and Awards:
UFC Heavyweight Champion
UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion
UFC Submission of the Night
-vs. Brock Lesnar @ UFC 81
Sherdog 2008 Comeback Fighter of the Year
2001 Pan-American Championships
-Blue Belt Pesadissimo: 1st place
1998 Nevada State Wrestling Champion
2007 NAGA Absolute Division Champion
FIGHT! Magazine 2008 Submission of the Year
-vs. Brock Lesnar @ UFC 81

YouTube - Frank Mir Highlights and Tribute

OD50
September 24th, 2010, 7:43 PM
Murr!

Dubya
September 24th, 2010, 8:07 PM
I think he should go under the name, Francisco Santos Mir III .. I can just hear Buffer saying it now.. it sounds a lot more epic and badass than just Frank Mir.

UncannyIowan
September 24th, 2010, 9:37 PM
What a nice picture of Frank Mir....

Solid on the ground, stand up is real good, he's dangerous. He has a future behind the booth that's for sure, I think 99% of the time he's one of the best out there. I wish the UFC would go back to having the guest MMA fighter join Goldberg and Joe.

Not a fan of his attitude sometimes. "Selling a fight" is fine when it's natural, Mir sometimes seems like he's just running his mouth and then wonders why people like Brock Lesnar don't take kindly to the shit. Not everyone appreciates being put down on national t.v.

Mik
September 25th, 2010, 8:31 AM
Mir is a cock.

Dubya
September 25th, 2010, 11:28 AM
Incase anyone ever wanted to train with Mir

YouTube - Frank Mir: Knowing what works for you as a martial artist (thinking outside the box)
YouTube - Frank Mir (pt 2): Breathing and having your body move in Unison in MMA
YouTube - Frank Mir (part 3): Half Guard for MMA and moving your body in unison

Dubya
September 25th, 2010, 11:28 AM
YouTube - Frank Mir (part 4): Importance of Position in MMA
YouTube - Frank Mir (pt 5): The Superman from half guard (part 1)
YouTube - Frank Mir (pt 6): Superman part 2

Dubya
September 25th, 2010, 11:29 AM
YouTube - Frank Mir:(pt 7): Distance and Your Opponent Wanting to Hurt You
YouTube - Frank Mir (part 8): The Post: Escaping from the bottom
YouTube - Frank Mir (pt 9): A Counter to the Triangle Escape

Dubya
September 25th, 2010, 11:30 AM
YouTube - Frank Mir (pt10): Underhooks and getting to your Feet
YouTube - Frank Mir (pt 11): Flip Over Sweep and Butt Flop Counter
YouTube - Near Side Under Hook Escape with Frank Mir (pt12)

Dubya
September 25th, 2010, 2:02 PM
Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson in a grappling match .. its crazy to see how small Nelson was 7 years ago. Mir just totally dominates him with his size.

YouTube - Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson

Lazurus
September 25th, 2010, 2:24 PM
I've seen that before; Nelson wins doesn't he?

Dubya
September 25th, 2010, 2:51 PM
In the end, yeah. Its still a good display of grappling on both parts. I still wanna see them fight in the octagon at some point.

Dubya
September 26th, 2010, 6:59 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

SEAN
The Muscle Shark
SHERK
http://seansherk.com/G2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=493&g2_serialNumber=1

Born: St. Francis, Minnesota, U.S.
Age: 37
Fighting out of: Oak Grove, Minnesota, U.S.
Weight: 155 lb. - Lightweight, formerly 170 lb. - Welterweight
Height: 5 ft. 6 in.
Reach: 67 in.

Styles: Wrestling, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Team: Minnesota Martial Arts Academy

MMA Record: 34-4-1 (KO:10-Sub:12-Dec:12)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Evan Dunham, Tyson Griffin, Hermes Franca, Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz, Benji Radach, Manny Gamburyan, Tiki Ghosn, Karo Parisyan

Last fight: beat Evan Dunham @ UFC 119
Next fight: tba

Championships and Awards:
UFC Lightweight Champion (1x)
UFC Fight of the Night (2x)
-vs. Evan Dunham @ UFC 119
-vs. Tyson Griffin @ UFC 90

YouTube - Sean Sherk Highlight reel, UFC, tri-state cagefighting

Mark Hammer
September 26th, 2010, 7:06 PM
I disdain steroid use. Other than that I'm a fan of Sherk's.

Dubya
September 26th, 2010, 7:34 PM
Yeah, but they reduced his suspension to 6 months .. to me, that's admitting that they were wrong. They very rarely ever reduce/reverse suspensions. He's one of the few cases where I can actually believe the fighter. I mean, if they weren't wrong about it .. why did they reduce his suspension? Did they feel bad? Probably not .. they knew they fucked up.

Mark Hammer
September 26th, 2010, 7:41 PM
Well if they knew they were wrong wouldn't they have just lifted his suspension completely?

Dubya
September 26th, 2010, 7:45 PM
I think it was a way for them to admit they were wrong without actually admitting that they were wrong.. cuz you're right, it really doesn't make sense. If he didn't do it, then they should've lifted it completely .. but if he did do it, then why would they even bother to reduce it?

Bert
September 26th, 2010, 11:04 PM
Dunham should have won.

Dubya
September 27th, 2010, 9:53 AM
This thread isn't for arguing about decisions. There are at least 3 other threads to do that in. We are celebrating Sherk here. If Dunham had won, like you said, we'd be celebrating his.. but we're not. SO FUCK OFF WITH THE DUNHAM TALK. lol. im jk. I don't care that much.
YouTube - Sean Sherk Workout

Mark Hammer
September 27th, 2010, 11:38 AM
That incline trainer looks like a bitch. Sherk's a beast though that music makes me want to train with them.

Dubya
September 27th, 2010, 11:45 AM
The whole thing looks pretty intense, to be honest.

Dubya
September 28th, 2010, 1:23 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

MANVEL
The Anvil
GAMBURYAN
http://www.anvilmma.com/images/manny_gamburyan_to_WEC.jpg

Born: Gyumri, Armenian SSR, USSR
Age: 29
Fighting out of: North Hollywood, California, U.S.
Weight: 145 - Featherweight, formerly 155 - Lightweight
Height: 5 ft. 5 in.
Reach: 67 in.
Styles: Judo (black belt)

Manny is the older cousin of MMA fighter, Karo Parisyan.

MMA Record: 11-4 (KO:2-Sub:6-Dec:3)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Mike Brown, Leonard Garcia, Jorge Santiago, Sam Morgan

Last fight: def. Mike Brown @ WEC 48
Next fight: vs. Jose Aldo @ WEC 51 for Featherweight Title (thursday)

Championships and Awards:
WEC KO of the Night
-vs. Mike Brown @ WEC 48
The Ultimate Figher Season 5 Runner-Up
-lost to Nate Diaz

YouTube - Manny Gamburyan
YouTube - Manvel &quot;The Pitbull&quot; Gamburyan

UncannyIowan
September 28th, 2010, 1:33 PM
Not sure what to think of Manny.

Is it possible he would've beat Nate Diaz? Sure it is, he wasn't doing too bad until his shoulder. Makes me wonder sometimes, but everything happens for a reason. Dude is tough, he got cracked in one of the fastest knockouts ever and that's probably what convinced that he's not that big at 155.

Love his Armenian attitude.

Do I see him beating Aldo? It's possible, shit anything is possible in MMA, but he's got a solid chance. If his chin can hold up against Aldo's fists and kicks and throws a big bomb he might take the title.

Dubya
September 28th, 2010, 1:47 PM
I still think he has a better chance than most are giving him credit for. He went 2-3 in the UFC, but lets be honest.. the guys he lost to were good fighters.. and he's not a 155er. He's very obviously too small for 155. He always was and that was always one thing that hurt him in that division. At 145, he's the perfect size. I'm looking forward to the fight this thursday. Can't wait, to be honest.

Mark Hammer
September 28th, 2010, 4:36 PM
I don't know a thing about WEC or its fighters (other than Faber) because I don't get Versus. :(

Dubya
September 28th, 2010, 4:47 PM
That sucks for you man. You should try to download some because they really have consistantly the best events. There are a lot of decisions, but they're always hard-fought decisions. They're just smaller guys, they don't run out of energy as easily. They always put on good shows though. I don't even remember the last boring WEC card.

Mark Hammer
September 28th, 2010, 4:48 PM
I would imagine the key plus for WEC is the fact that it's all little guys, so chances are there wouldn't be a whole lot of slow fights or lay n pray.

Any good site where I can dl WEC events? Piratebay?

Torn
September 28th, 2010, 4:49 PM
Being in the UK I always have to stream or download as it's not aired here, definitely worth watching as it's amazing. If you are around and on MSN Thursday Hammer when the card is on then me or Bert will most likely have a stream.

Mark Hammer
September 28th, 2010, 4:51 PM
What time? I'm usually home from work on Thursdays no later than 8pm CST (have no idea what time that is UK).

Torn
September 28th, 2010, 4:53 PM
It's 9ET I think.

Mark Hammer
September 28th, 2010, 4:54 PM
Ok hour earlier than UFC events then?

Torn
September 28th, 2010, 4:55 PM
Yeah, they are 10ET (3am here :(). The WEC site says 9ET so I'm sure that's right.

Mark Hammer
September 28th, 2010, 4:59 PM
Ok plan on it then. :)

Don't laugh though because I will be a total noob to this.

Dubya
September 28th, 2010, 5:36 PM
You're getting a good card to start out with too. He's right though, its worth the stream and all that. I'd stream it if I didn't have Versus.

Seanny One Ball
September 28th, 2010, 9:52 PM
I can't wait to see his fight with Jeremy Stephens. It's practically pre-guaranteed to be fight of the night.

hahahahahahaha

Dubya
September 28th, 2010, 9:55 PM
:lol: No shit, huh?

I think everyone really thought that would be a much better fight than it was.

Seanny One Ball
September 28th, 2010, 10:51 PM
In retrospect that's why the comment is so funny really, it's also why I was so angry afterwards.
Worst fight on the card.
I think fights that end like that should have performance fines imposed on both participants because it happens too often.

I'd rather watch Fitch/Maynard all day long rather than see a stand up fight that has almost no striking in it at all.

Joe Rogan was actually wanking Guillard's movement off so much I nearly had to turn it off.

"Wow Guillard has great footwork"

By that standard so does Houston Alexander.

Dubya
September 29th, 2010, 10:36 AM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:


JOSE ALDO
http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/jose-aldo-4.jpg
http://www.mmabay.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Jose-Aldo-0055.jpg


Born: Manaus, Brazil
Age: 24
Fighting out of: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Weight: 145 lb. - Featherweight
Height: 5 ft. 7 in.
Reach: 70 in.


Styles: Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(black belt)
Team: Black House, Nova Uniao


MMA Record: 17-1 (KO:11-Sub:2-Dec:4)
Has beaten notable fighters such as:
Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, Cub Swanson,
Jonathon Brookins,


Last fight: def. Urijah Faber @ WEC 48
Next fight: vs. Manvel Gamburyan
(featherweight title fight) @ WEC 51
(tomorrow)


Championships and Awards:
WEC Featherweight Champion (current-
defended 1x)
WEC KO of the Night (3x)
-vs. Mike Brown @ WEC 44
-vs. Cub Swanson @ WEC 41
-vs. Rolando Perez @ WEC 38
2009 Sherdog Fighter of the Year
2007 Pancrase Neo-Blood Tournament
Champion


YouTube - Jose Aldo Highlight (New)

Dubya
September 29th, 2010, 10:40 AM
That highlight video is the best you'll find. It has footage from his entire career.. and features a song from local KC rapper TECH N9NE.

Mark Hammer
September 29th, 2010, 10:45 AM
I like him. Seems quite well-rounded.

Dubya
September 29th, 2010, 10:47 AM
I read an arctile this morning where he was talking about dropping to 135 and moving up to 155. Could you imagine if he had all 3 belts in the WEC?

UncannyIowan
September 29th, 2010, 11:04 AM
That highlight video is the best you'll find. It has footage from his entire career.. and features a song from local KC rapper TECH N9NE.

poor Tech N9ne, still considered local :(

God Said Kill Em All!

Anyway.
Aldo. Dude is exciting, I love the 145 division, still haven't seen his fight with Urijah though. Not sure if I want to, heard it was just Aldo leg kicking dude for 5 rounds. Still, I need to see it cuz they're 2 of my favorites in the WEC. I wouldn't mind seeing dude move up in weight if he cleared out the 145 division, although there are probably guys that will move up and down to that division in the near future.

Look @ all the talent at 155 in the UFC, they just let Efrain go instead of seeing if he'd want to drop to 145 and hit up the WEC. WEll, maybe they did and he likes being at 155 but still the point is I see guys who will give Aldo some trouble if they ever move down. Right now he's the best at 145 that I've seen, and we're about to find out just how good he is once again.

PMBR
September 29th, 2010, 11:33 AM
Take all 3 WEC belts and then go after whoever has the UFC 155 title.

Jose Aldo is the best case for a merge of the WEC and UFC.

Mark Hammer
September 29th, 2010, 11:40 AM
Look @ all the talent at 155 in the UFC, they just let Efrain go instead of seeing if he'd want to drop to 145 and hit up the WEC.

Didn't Efrain just have issues cutting to 155?

UncannyIowan
September 29th, 2010, 3:45 PM
Didn't Efrain just have issues cutting to 155?

Not sure about how many times he's had issues though. Could be a long list of reasons why last time he had trouble.

OD50
September 29th, 2010, 3:55 PM
Probably the best all around fighter in the world right now, skillwise.

I think he owns Frankie Edgar at 145 or 155. Too fast, too skilled, too well rounded.

YouTube - Jose Aldo Highlights (New 6-4-10)

Dubya
September 29th, 2010, 5:52 PM
Between Black House and Nova Uniao, Aldo has a vast array of elite talent to train with.. including, but not limited to:

Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Junior Dos Santos, Nogueira Brothers, Mario Miranda, Rafael Cavalcante, Paulo Filho, Pedro Rizzo, Andre Galvao, Mark Munoz, Wagnney Fabiano, Diego Nunes, Jacare Souza, Thales Leites, Vitor Riberio

Torn
September 29th, 2010, 7:24 PM
Jose Aldo is up there with my favourite fighters. Destroyer in the cage, lovely young man out of it. One of those fighters where it's just a joy to watch him fight.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2644101/9azkie.gif

Mark Hammer
September 29th, 2010, 7:30 PM
If only that dance was his fighting stance I think he could do no wrong.

Dubya
October 1st, 2010, 7:52 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:


GESIAS
JZ
CAVALCANTE
http://www.themmanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Gesias-Cavalcante.jpg

Born: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Age: 27
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, Florida, U.S.
Weight: 155 lb - Lightweight
Height: 5 ft. 8 in.

Styles: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing
Team: American Top Team
Fights for: Strikeforce
-also fought for DREAM/K-1 a lot, but recently signed a 4-fight deal with Strikeforce.

MMA Record: 15-3-1-1 (KO:5-Sub:7-Dec:3)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Vitor Riberio, Caol Uno, Rani Yahya, Hiroyuki Takeya, Michihiro omigawa, Bart Palaszewski, Nam Phan
Last fight: def. Katsunori Kikuno @ DREAM.15
Next fight: vs. Josh Thomson @ Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons (oct.9)

Championships and Awards:
2006 K-1 Hero's Middleweight Grand Prix Champion
2007 K-1 Hero's Middleweight Grand Prix Champion

YouTube - Gesias &quot;JZ&quot; Cavalcante Highlight

UncannyIowan
October 1st, 2010, 8:24 PM
A dude I'm not familiar with too much, I hear his name a lot and I'm pretty sure I've seen a couple of his fights that were listed. I can't wait for his fight against The Punk, it's going to be a step up in competition.

Dubya
October 1st, 2010, 9:51 PM
He's pretty good. I think Thomson might be too much for him though. It should be a good fight either way.

I'm gonna start trying to feature fighters on upcoming cards. Get more hyped up for the fights. If there's anyone in particular someone wants to discuss, just PM me and I'll get it up soon.

Mark Hammer
October 2nd, 2010, 11:16 AM
Oops

Dubya
October 2nd, 2010, 11:58 AM
It's cool. I got the PM. I'm planning on doing that one soon already.. actually both that you mentioned. Within the next couple weeks.

Dubya
October 3rd, 2010, 8:01 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

JOSH
The Punk
THOMSON
http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/josh-thomson.jpg

Born: San Jose, California, U.S.
Age: 32
Fighting out of: San Jose, California, U.S.
Weight: 155 lb - Lightweight
Height: 5 ft. 10 in.

Styles: Kickboxing, Wrestling, Guerilla Jiu-Jitsu (black belt)
Team: American Kickboxing Academy
Trains with: Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Paul Buentello, Mike Swick, Cung Le, Cain Velasquez, Trevor Prangley, Phil Davis, Daniel Cormier

MMA Record: 17-3-1 (KO:4-Sub:9-Dec:4)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Gilbert Melendez, Duane Ludwig, Hermes Franca, Rob McCullough
Fights for: Strikeforce
-Has been with Strikeforce for about 4 years, but also fought in the UFC (2-1) and Pride (1-0)

Last fight: def. Pat Healy @ Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum
Next fight: vs. Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante @ Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II (sat.nite)

Championships and Awards:
Strikeforce Lightweight Champion (2x)

Dubya
October 3rd, 2010, 11:07 PM
Talks about his upcoming fight with JZ
YouTube - Josh Thomson Interview
Yummy
YouTube - Josh Thomson Grapples With Lauren Real

Dubya
October 5th, 2010, 2:44 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

KARL JAMES
KJ
NOONS
http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/kj-noons-2.jpg
Born: December 7, 1982 - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, U.S.
Age: 27
Fighting out of: San Diego, California, U.S.

Weight: 170 - Welterweight / 155 - Lightweight
Height: 5 ft. 11 in.
Reach: ???

Styles: Sanshou, Muay Thai, Boxing
Team: City Boxing
MMA Record: 10-2 (KO:8-Dec:2)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Jorge Gurgel, Yves Edwards, Nick Diaz, Andre Amade

Fights for: Strikeforce
Has fought for: DREAM/EliteXC
Last fight: def. Jorge Gurgel @ Strikeforce: Houston
Next fight: vs. Nick Diaz for Welterweight Title @ Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II (sat.nite)

Championships and Awards:
EliteXC Lightweight Champion (1x)

kinda shit video, but I couldn't find anything else ..
YouTube - KJ NOONS HL

Torn
October 5th, 2010, 2:56 PM
http://www5.pic-upload.de/23.08.10/4irt3epyrv28.gif

http://www5.pic-upload.de/23.08.10/gwnbldyslum.gif


OOOOOOFT

kangus
October 5th, 2010, 3:02 PM
What a fucking human being. If Nate doesn't do a run in, KJ should have no problem with Nick.

Dubya
October 5th, 2010, 3:04 PM
its like the KO of the Year that never was ..

if Noons can stay off the ground, he should be able to (T)KO Diaz .. on the flipside, if Diaz can get it on the ground.. I'd have to think he'd be able to sub Noons just as easily as Noons could KO him.

Mark Hammer
October 5th, 2010, 4:43 PM
Can't think of many guys at 170 that can knock someone's block off like that. I'm impressed.

Dubya
October 5th, 2010, 4:49 PM
To me, it really is KO of the Year .. it just sucks that it happened RIGHT at the bell. Gurgel was definitely out. I mean, there's no question. He was just able to recover in the 30 seconds between rounds .. long enough to get KO'd again .. but that first one is just epic.

Dubya
October 7th, 2010, 9:48 AM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

NICK
The Stockton Bad Boy
DIAZ
http://www.mmaweekly.com/blog/uploaded_images/NickDiaz5UFC53-724379.jpg
Born: August 2, 1983 in Stockton, California, U.S.
Age: 27
Fighting out of: Stockton, California, U.S.
Weight: 170 - Welterweight
Height: 6 ft. 1 in.
Reach: 74 in.

Styles: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (black belt), Boxing
Team: Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Team Members: Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, Jake Shields, Dave Terrell

MMA Record: 22-7-1 (KO:12-Sub:7-Dec:3)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Hayato Sakurai, Marius Zaromskis, Scott Smith, Frank Shamrock, Gleison Tibau, Josh Neer, Drew Fickett, Robbie Lawler, Chris Lytle, Takanori Gomi (later ruled a no contest when Diaz tested positive for marijuana)

Fights for: Strikeforce
Has fought for: UFC (6-4)/Dream (2-0)/EliteXC (3-1)/WEC/Pride
Last fight: def. Hayato Sakurai @ DREAM.14
Next fight: vs. KJ Noons for Welterweight Title @ Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II (sat.nite)

Championships and Awards:
Strikeforce Welterweight Champion (1x-Current)
WEC Welterweight Champion (1x-First ever)
IFC U.S. Welterweight Champion (1x)
2007 Inside Fights MMA Fight of the Year
-vs. Takanori Gomi @ Pride 33
2007 Fight! Magazine Submission of the Year
-vs. Takanori Gomi @ Pride 33

YouTube - Nick Diaz Highlight 2003-2009

Mark Hammer
October 7th, 2010, 10:23 AM
Hate him.

Kdestiny
October 7th, 2010, 10:27 AM
I hate him as well. I don't care how good he is, he is the biggest fuckhead I have ever seen.

Dubya
October 7th, 2010, 10:28 AM
Lol at least he generated a bit of discussion then. Yeah, he's a bit of a doucher.. but I can't even pretend to not like to watch the Diaz brothers fight. I love to watch them fight. They always have exciting fights and are always trying to finish.

Mark Hammer
October 7th, 2010, 10:29 AM
Complete and total douchebag. I would love to see his head knocked off.

Though I do have to say, having a win reversed to a NC over marijuana is bullshit. I don't think smoking weed is going to give you any kind of unfair advantage going into a fight.

Dubya
October 7th, 2010, 10:33 AM
Lol yeah that's probably true. It would calm your nerves a bit I guess, but it also brings your reflexes down so .. yeah.

Where's OD with the double-bird GIF?

Vice
October 7th, 2010, 3:23 PM
I'm not OD, but...

http://i29.tinypic.com/2uh5rlx.jpg

OD50
October 7th, 2010, 3:31 PM
I find the Diaz brothers hilarious. I can't dislike them for being mongs when they entertain me so damn much. Check out Nick's fights in Japan though, he acts like an entirely different person there.

Guess which one is Nick:
http://images.tmuscle.com/forum_images/c/f/cf64d_ORIG-nick_diaz_kid_pic.jpg

YouTube - Nick Diaz Talks About Being Jumped While Out On His Bike

Dubya
October 8th, 2010, 2:28 PM
Before I move on to the next one, a thought .. how awesome would it be to watch the Diaz brothers fight each other? I mean, I'm pretty sure Nick would win .. but it would probably be one hell of a scrap to watch.

Dubya
October 8th, 2010, 4:29 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

CHEICK KONGO
http://jasonferruggia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/cheick-kongo.jpg


Born: May 17, 1975 - Paris, France
Age: 35
Fighting out of: Paris, France
Weight: 237 - Heavyweight
Height: 6 ft. 4 in.
Reach: 82 in.


http://www.mmabay.co.uk/img/Wolfslair1.JPG


Styles: Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Karate, Savate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (blue belt)
Team: Wolfslair MMA Academy
Team Members: Rampage Jackson, Michael Bisping, Tom Blackledge, Rob Broughton, Kurt Warburton


MMA Record: 15-6-1 (KO:9-Sub:3-Dec:3)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Paul Buentello, Antoni Hardonk, Mostapha Al-Turk, Mirko Cro Cop, Assuerio Silva, Christian Wellisch
Fights for: UFC
Has fought for: RINGS/It's Showtime


Last fight: def. Paul Buentello @ UFC on Versus 1
Next fight: v. Travis Browne @ UFC 120: Bisping v. Akiyama (next sat.nite)


Championships and Awards:
2005 King of Colosseum tournament champion
2005 Rings World champion
2004 King of the Ring Heavyweight champion
2004 Muay Thai World champion
2003 Intercontinental Muay Thai champion
2002 Rings European champion
2001 Rings European Vice champion
European Savate champion


YouTube - Cheick Kongo - Retrospective
YouTube - Cheick Kongo Highlight Before UFC

Mark Hammer
October 8th, 2010, 7:49 PM
Loves me some Kongo. Excellent striker it's just a a damn shame his ground game is so horrible.

Dubya
October 8th, 2010, 9:13 PM
His top game isn't bad at all on the ground .. in fact, it's vicious. He just needs better balance and takedown defense. Other than the Mir incident, he's a good striker. He was picking Cain apart through their whole fight. Cain had to take him down over and over cuz Kongo was gonna mess him up on the feet.

Mark Hammer
October 8th, 2010, 9:30 PM
Really? I was under the impression that was his soft spot.

Dubya
October 8th, 2010, 9:41 PM
Yeah, watch the fight. Kongo just picks him apart on the feet. Cain's gotten a lot better at his muay thai and kickboxing since then though. It'd be a different fight now.. though Kongo would still have the reach on him and thats what he was using in the fight. It was a pretty good fight for the most part.

Mark Hammer
October 8th, 2010, 10:41 PM
Think we've run into a communication barrier dub, I was referring to Kongo's ground game. Maybe I need to re-watch some of his fights but off the top of my head I can only remember him doing some leg kicks while his opponent was down (can't recall him ever willingly jumping into someone's guard) and him being absolutely trumped by Mir and Velasquez on the ground.

Which actually isn't anything to be embarassed about against those guys so maybe I have defeated my own argument.

OD50
October 9th, 2010, 4:28 AM
His ground and pound against Al Turk was epic.

Not a fan of Kongo. His comments about low blowing CC on purpose and steroids is reason enough.

They should match him up with Pat Barry next.

Dubya
October 10th, 2010, 10:14 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:


The Natural Born Killer
CARLOS CONDIT
http://mattfaler.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/carlos-condit.jpg

Born: April 26, 1984 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Age: 26
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Weight: 170 - Welterweight
Height: 6 ft. 2 in.
Reach: 76 in.

Styles: Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kung Fu
Team: Jackson's Submission Fighting
Team Members: GSP, Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt, Jon Jones, Shane Carwin, Melvin Guillard, Donald Cerrone, Leonard Garcia

http://www.cagedinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Jacksons_mma.jpg

MMA Record: 21-5 (KO:11-Sub:13-Dec:1)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Frank Trigg, John Alessio, Brock Larson, Carlo Prater, Hiromitsu Miura, Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald

Fights for: UFC
Has fought for: WEC, Pancrase, ROTR, ROF
Last fight: def. Rory MacDonald @ UFC 115
Next fight: vs. Dan Hardy @ UFC 120: Bisping v. Akiyama (saturday!)

http://mmacity.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/carlos-condit.jpg

Championships and Awards:
WEC Welterweight Champion (1x-last)
WEC Fight of the Night
-vs. Hiromitsu Miura @ WEC 35
UFC Fight of the Night
-vs. Rory MacDonald @ UFC 115

YouTube - Carlos Condit Highlight (By RVR)
YouTube - Carlos Condit Highlight

Dubya
October 11th, 2010, 11:20 AM
Condit is actually one of my favorite fighters. All 3 of his UFC fights have been badass fights to watch. The war with Miura in WEC was a great fight too. He's an exciting fighter that tries to finish.. and usually does. very well rounded. I don't think he's really WEAK in any area. People are better than him at certain things, but its not because he's not good at them. I'm most excited for Hardy/Condit out of this weekend's card.

YouTube - Carlos Condit Tribute

Dubya
October 13th, 2010, 4:26 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:


DAN
The Outlaw
HARDY
http://squabbles.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/dan-hardy-ufc-111.jpg

Born: May 17, 1982
Age: 28
Fighting out of: Nottingham, England
Weight: 170 lb. - Welterweight
Height: 6 ft.
Reach: 74 in.

http://jonesthought.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/top-logo.jpg

Styles: Tae-Kwon-Do (black belt), Boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (purple belt)
Team: Rough House / 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu
Team Members: Paul Daley, Jim Wallhead, Ross Pearson, Andre Winner, Nick Osipczak

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/profile-ak-snc4/object3/275/119/n80739469212_7965.jpg

MMA Record: 23-7-1 (KO:11-Sub:4-Dec:8)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Rory Markham, Akihiro Gono

Fights for: UFC
Has fought for: CWFC, GCM
Last fight: lost to Georges St. Pierre (for UFC welterweight title) @ UFC 111
Next fight: vs. Carlos Condit @ UFC 120: Bisping v. Akiyama (sat.nite)

http://www.mmalinker.com/wiki/images/8/8c/Dh1.jpg

Championships and Awards:
Cage Warriors Welterweight Champion
Cage Warriors Light-Welterweight Champion
UK Storm British Champion

YouTube - Dan &quot;The Outlaw&quot; Hardy Highlight Reel

Dubya
October 15th, 2010, 1:38 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:


YOSHIHIRO
Sexyama
AKIYAMA
http://squabbles.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Yoshiro_Akiyama.jpg


Born: July 29, 1975 - Osaka, Japan
Age: 35
Fighting out of: Osaka/Japan .. rumored lately to be Albuquerque, New Mexico

Weight: 185 lbs. - Middleweight
Height: 5 ft. 10 in.
Reach: 75 in.
Styles: Judo (3rd degree black belt), Karate (black belt)

Team: RUMOURED to be at Jackson's Submission Fighting
MMA Record: 13-2-2 (in 1 of the losses, he was outweighed by around 80 lbs.)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Alan Belcher, Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/416024/yoshihiro-akiyama-dream-k-1-ufc.jpg

Fights for: UFC
Has fought for: DREAM, K-1 Hero's
Last fight: lost to Chris Leben @ UFC 116
Next fight: vs. Michael Bisping @ UFC 120 (tomorrow night!)

Championships and Awards:
2006 K-1 Hero's Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Winner
UFC Fight of the Night (2x)
-vs. Alan Belcher @ UFC 100
-vs. Chris Leben @ UFC 116

Judo Accomplishments/Titles:
All-Japan Collegiate Separate Weight Divisions 2nd Place 1996
All-Japan Industry Judo Singles 81 kg Champion 2001
Kodokan Cup Japan Judo Championship 81 kg Champion 2001
Japan International Judo Tournament 81 kg Champion 2002
Paris International Judo Tournament 81 kg Champion 2002
Asian Games Judo 81 kg Champion 2002 (in Busan)
All-Japan Invitational Judo Championship Separate Weight Divisions 81 kg Champion 2003
World Judo Championship 81 kg Japan Representative 2003

YouTube - Yoshihiro Akiyama HL

Dubya
October 15th, 2010, 1:40 PM
Ah fuck me. Im not even gonna try to fix it. The edit system can be a real bitch sometimes. I'll just fuck it up more. We'll live.

I love me some Akiyama. I still think Belcher beat him, but either way .. badass fight. Same with Leben.. badass fight. Hoping for the same with Bisping, but he's a little more technical than those other 2 so I don't know how it goes.

PMBR
October 15th, 2010, 2:08 PM
I think Akiyama will beat Bisping tomorrow night. Greg Jackson is phenomenal at formulating a gameplan, but that being said, Bisping loves to counterstrike and this fight might lack the fireworks of a Leben or Belcher style opponent.

Dubya
October 15th, 2010, 2:13 PM
Yeah, I was thinking that too. I have a feeling Akiyama will be the aggressor, but I don't know if that's the best way to go about it against Bisping. Bisping might try to take him down, but Akiyama has great balance and is sick with his Judo so I dunno .. Bisping is a bit bigger than Akiyama though so he may not be bothered by it. We'll see.

DDT
October 15th, 2010, 2:21 PM
I love Akiyama; not going to lie. He's such a hoot and a character. Sure, he's done some douchey things in the past, but he came clean and was punished. After he rocks Bisping's world, I'm hoping he FINALLY gets Silva. That fight could be bad-ass...or a one-sided, Silva-class beating on Sexyama, but hey, guy can dream.

PMBR
October 15th, 2010, 2:28 PM
Split Decision win he didn't deserve
Submission loss to a striker
Win over Bisping

That doesn't seem like a resume that deserves a title fight.

Vice
October 15th, 2010, 2:33 PM
Maybe he means Wanderlei?

Dubya
October 15th, 2010, 2:35 PM
Yeah, I think that's what he means. Wandy/Sexy was supposed to go down before Leben stepped in, remember? That was the fight that Sexy's been wanting since he came to the UFC cuz Wandy is a legend in Japan.

PMBR
October 15th, 2010, 2:39 PM
Oh... yeah that makes a lot more sense. Maybe I shouldn't be dumb.

DDT
October 15th, 2010, 2:43 PM
Maybe he means Wanderlei?

:yes:
Silly PMBR, Anderson's for contenders.

Mark Hammer
October 15th, 2010, 8:56 PM
I don't think I even need to comment here but I will just to support the thread.

Can't stand Akiyama. He is the definition of over-rated.

Dubya
October 18th, 2010, 12:22 AM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

MIKE
Quicksand
PYLE
http://themmaspace.com/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/10376-Mike-Pyle_Pose.jpg

Born: Sept.18, 1975 - Dresden, Tennessee, U.S.
Age: 35
Fighting out of: Las Vegas, Nevada
Weight: 170 - Welterweight
Height: 6 ft. 1 in.

Styles: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Taekwondo
Team: Xtreme Couture
Team Members: Randy Couture, Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard, Jay Hieron, Amir Sadollah, Tyson Griffin, Evan Dunham

MMA Record: 20-7-1 (KO:2-Sub:16-Dec:2)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Dan Hornbuckle, Jon Fitch, Chris Wilson, John Hathaway, Shonie Carter

http://www.martinkampmann.tv/images/XtremeCouture_logo_black.jpg

Fights for: UFC
Has fought for: IFL, Affliction, EliteXC, Strikeforce, WEC, M-1, Viking Fight

Last fight: def. John Hathaway @ UFC 120
Next fight: n/a

http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/20080723015906_IMG_2543.JPG

Championships and Awards:
WEC Welterweight Champion (1x)
-never lost title.. was stripped when he joined the IFL.

Couldn't find a highlight package, so here's a couple of random fights:

YouTube - Mike Pyle Vs. Shonie Carter
YouTube - HCF - Mike Pyle vs. Damir Mirenic

Dubya
October 18th, 2010, 4:01 PM
I was pretty impressed with Pyle saturday night. He looked good against Hathaway .. dominant. That 2nd round triangle crucifix was a sick display of BJJ. I thought for sure it would get stopped there. Great showing from him though. Wouldn't be surprised to see Pyle/Lytle next.

Mark Hammer
October 18th, 2010, 6:54 PM
I'll be honest, prior to the buildup to 120 I had never heard of him. I'm fairly impressed with his performance Saturday night as, like you said, he dominated a previously undefeated fighter.

Dubya
October 18th, 2010, 9:11 PM
He's 1 of only 3 people to own a win over Jon Fitch .. granted, it was Fitch's very first fight .. but still..

Mark Hammer
October 18th, 2010, 9:12 PM
I really didn't know that before reading your post on him. How has he flown under my radar all this time?

Dubya
October 18th, 2010, 9:13 PM
He's never really been under the rader, just not in the spotlight I guess .. he's fought pretty much everywhere. He may not be an elite fighter or anything, but he's definitely a game fighter and has experience fighting some top names all over the world.

Mark Hammer
October 18th, 2010, 9:16 PM
Like I said, I'm well aware of him now since his performance Saturday night. Hope he can keep my attention, his domination of Hathaway was impressive but I still wasn't overly excited.

OD50
October 19th, 2010, 3:55 AM
Pyle subbed Dan Hornbuckle as well, no easy feat. He's legit but has been quite inconsistent over the years. Maybe he has finally found his mojo, who knows.

I first saw him in Denmark fighting some Dutch bum many years ago. I think that was when he first met Martin Kampmann and brought him over to the US/Xtreme Couture.

UncannyIowan
October 19th, 2010, 12:49 PM
I taped the fights Saturday and took them to a friend of mine's, told him "Mike Pyle" was on the main card and he goes, "that dude who got knocked out by Eilers years back?"

Mike Pyle, he's impressive on the ground, but I think that there's a reason he's never really been much more than someone die-hards know about. Nothing wrong with that obviously, and I think that with the win over Hathaway itll set him up for someone like a Chris Lytle, Matt Serra, or Ricardo Almeida.

Hell, if Sexyama moves down to 170 that could be a good fight.

Dubya
October 19th, 2010, 12:52 PM
Pyle has never fought anyone named Eilers .. and has only been KO'd once .. if TKOs count, twice.

UncannyIowan
October 19th, 2010, 1:12 PM
Pyle has never fought anyone named Eilers .. and has only been KO'd once .. if TKOs count, twice.

You didn't get the joke.

There's also a HW fighter named MIKE KYLE that a lot of people I know confuse Mike PYLE with just because the names are almost the same and neither guy is a very well known fighter to say the least.

Mike KYLE was KO'd by Justin Eilers in I think Eilers first UFC fight, the backstory was that Mike Kyle supposedly got Eilers into MMA or was his trainer at one point in time.

Dubya
October 19th, 2010, 1:22 PM
Oh. That joke sucked. Lol.

Pyle dropped a decision to Rampage in his first fight. I don't know what the weight class was .. or if there was one, though ..

UncannyIowan
October 19th, 2010, 1:42 PM
Oh. That joke sucked. Lol.

Pyle dropped a decision to Rampage in his first fight. I don't know what the weight class was .. or if there was one, though ..

Eh, you had to be knowledgable of the horrid HW division 5-6 years ago to really enjoy the David Spade-esque approach I was going for. So yeah, it sucked lol.

Pyle's said he's a big 170, and 10 years ago he could've been like 255 for all we know. Look @ Joe Riggs, 10 years ago that dude was like 250-300lbs, now he's fighting at 170.

kangus
October 19th, 2010, 2:19 PM
There should be a fatweight division for people who like eating potato chips and hate training.

Dubya
October 19th, 2010, 3:13 PM
you could make a whole other company out of that .. I'd be the Bantomfatweight Champion. Lol.

kangus
October 19th, 2010, 3:25 PM
Cardio would be a serious issue in after the 30 second mark of the first round thus increasing the potential for some awesome fights in the fatweight division.

OD50
October 19th, 2010, 4:32 PM
There should be a fatweight division for people who like eating potato chips and hate training.

That would be DEEP Megaton.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bNkK9xbCWvE/R-7fls0Rx6I/AAAAAAAAAOY/-dxpq1-D3z0/s320/20080329-00000027-spnavi-fight-view-000.jpg

Dubya
October 20th, 2010, 4:37 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:


fresh off the destruction of Dan Henderson..
JAKE SHIELDS
http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/0/4/d/6/CBS_Strikeforce_MMA_f1e3.jpg?adImageId=12533518&imageId=8275305

Born: Jan.9, 1979 - Mountain Ranch, California, U.S.
Age: 31
Fighting out of: San Francisco, California
Weight: 185/175 - Middleweight/Welterweight
Height: 6 ft.
Reach: 72 in.

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/268/563/cesar_logo1_display_image.jpg?1277255126

Styles: Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (black belt), American Jiu-Jitsu
Team: Cesar-Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Team Members: Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, Dave Terrell,
-Shields has developed a style of fighting called "American Jiu-Jitsu" which he has tattooed on his forearm. Shields American Jiu-Jitsu for MMA and self-defense is a complete combat art that combines the relaxed and ready position and submission techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with the explosive takedowns, throws and transitions of world class wrestling.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pBWa31-QiJk/S814AKPNWOI/AAAAAAAABjA/r2nz3GzYaPs/s320/strikeforce+3+champs.jpg

MMA Record: 25-4-1 (KO:3-Sub:10-Dec:12)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Dan Henderson, Jason Miller, Robbie Lawler, Paul Daley, Mike Pyle, Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami, Dave Menne, Toby Imada, Hayato Sakurai

http://www.jakeshields.com/Articles/jake-rotr-belt.jpg

Fights for: UFC
Has fought for: Strikeforce, EliteXC, Shooto, Gladiator Challenge, Rumble on the Rock

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/000/982/183/jake-shields_crop_340x234.jpg?1277969988

Last fight: def. Dan Henderson @ Strikeforce: Nashville (defended Strikeforce MW title)
Next fight: vs. Martin Kampmann @ UFC 121 (sat.nite)

http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/Jake-Shields-Belts.jpg

Championships and Awards:
Strikeforce Middleweight Champion (1x)
-vacated title to join UFC.
Shooto Middleweight Champion (1x)
EliteXC Welterweight champion (1x-first/only)
Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Tournament Winner

YouTube - Jake Shields Highlights

Dubya
October 20th, 2010, 4:44 PM
Really stoked to see his UFC debut this weekend. I like Kampmann, but I hope that Shields just takes him down and either pounds him out or taps him in the first round.

Dubya
October 28th, 2010, 12:16 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

JOSH
The Fluke
GRISPI
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/308/223/JoshGrispi_display_image.jpg?1279703219

Born: Oct.14.1988 - Plympton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Age: 22
Fighting out of: Rockland, Massachusetts
Weight: 145 - Featherweight
Height: 5 ft. 11 in.

http://www.hometeamsonline.com/photos/htosports/SSSFIGHTING/homelogo.jpg

Styles: Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Team: South Shore Sportfighting
MMA Record: 14-1 (KO:6-Sub:7-Dec:1)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: L.C. Davis, Jens Pulver, Micah Miller, Mark Hominick, Spencer Paige

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/257/959/grispi_display_image.jpg?1276512323

Fights for: WEC
Has fought for: FFP, WFL
Last fight: def. L.C. Davis @ WEC 49
Next fight: vs. Erik Koch @ WEC 52 (nov.11)

http://mmalice.com/uploads/thumbs/0fa4c1a46-1.jpg

Championships and Awards:
WEC Submission of the Night
-vs. L.C. Davis @ WEC 51

YouTube - Small Highlight of Josh Grispi
YouTube - Josh Grispi (2007)

UncannyIowan
October 28th, 2010, 1:59 PM
Could and probably will be a future champion if he stays on the path he's been on. If history has taught us anything is that the "unbeatable" fighters eventually get beat and the division takes a completely different turn. Look @ the 155 division, with BJ Penn basically stepping aside, you have a completely new landscape. Grispi could be one of those guys who take Aldo to a decision or stoppage and like with Urijah when he was basically given enough time to try to become the man again, the division changed. Now you have Aldo, this insane striker who's destroyed the very best in his division hands down.

His performance with Jens, even though Jens isn't much, it was the fact he did it with ease that made me realize "ok this dude is bad ass, let's keep watching his fights".

Dubya
October 28th, 2010, 2:02 PM
Yeah, I hope he's the one that gets the first crack at the new UFC FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE. To me, if he wins .. he should get it. Yeah, Hominick's been on a roll too.. but Grispi's roll started out with Hominick and he has more finishes, so for me .. it's Grispi.

I guess a UFC 155er could drop down too though .. doesn't make him any more deserving to me though.

Dubya
January 26th, 2011, 12:53 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:


ANDERSON
`the spider'
SILVA

http://mmafrenzy.com/files/2009/04/andersonsilva-belt.jpg

Born: Curitiba, Brazil
Age: 35
Fighting out of: Torrance, California, USA

Weight: 185/205 lbs. (current 185 lb. champion)
Height: 6 ft. 2 in.
Reach: 77.6 in.

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff327/martintp4/2689522925_7b81d88c75.jpg

Styles: Muay Thai, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (black belt), Tae Kwon Do (black belt), Judo (black belt), and Capoeira (yellow belt)
Team: Black House
Team Members: Antonio Rogrido & Rogerio Nogueira, Jose Aldo, Lyoto Machida, Junior Dos Santos, Rafael Cavalcante, Ronaldo Souza, Paulo Filho, Paulo Thiago, Mark Munoz

MMA Record: 27-4 (KO:15-Sub:5-Dec:7)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Chael Sonnen, Demian Maia, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin (2x), Nate Marquardt, Travis Lutter, Chris Leben, Jorge Rivera, Jeremy Horn, Carlos Newton, Hayato Sakurai, Thales Leites, Patrick Cote

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/000/916/351/BlackHouseLogo_crop_340x234.jpg?1270330602

Fights for: UFC
Has fought for: Cage Rage, Pride, Shooto, Mecca
Last fight: defeated Chael Sonnen by submission @ UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen (defended UFC middleweight title)
Next fight: vs. Vitor Belfort @ UFC 126 (for UFC middleweight title)

Championships and Awards:
UFC Middleweight Champion (7x defended)
UFC Fight of the Night (3x)
-vs. Chael Sonnen @ UFC 117
-vs. Forrest Griffin @ UFC 101
-vs. Dan Henderson @ UFC 82
UFC Knockout of the Night (2x)
-vs. Forrest Griffin @ UFC 101
-vs. Rich Franklin @ UFC 77
UFC Submission of the Night (2x)
-vs. Chael Sonnen @ UFC 117
-vs. Dan Henderson @ UFC 82
UFC Records for Most Consecutive/successful title defenses (7), Most Consecutive Wins (12), and Longest UFC Title Reign
Former Shooto Middleweight Champion
Former Cage Rage Middleweight Champion (3x defended)

http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/anderson-silva-25.jpg

YouTube - The Legendary Anderson 'The Spider' Silva Highlight Video

UncannyIowan
January 26th, 2011, 1:20 PM
This dude is like the Bruce Lee of MMA. He is by far the best Middleweight of all time, and possibly the greatest MMA fighter of all time. His fight with Leben was the 2nd fight I saw of his, the first being a highlight reel loss to Chonan they used to show on Fox Sports all the time when airing Pride. He killed Rich Franklin, who at the time was my #2 favorite fighter so that made me go "HOLY SHIT, how bad ass is this guy to kill Franklin so easily?" From there it's a legendary career.

It's weird to say what I'm about to say but I think the Chael Sonnen fight is what cemented Anderson's status as the best, because on the brink of defeat he managed to pull out the victory. That's some movie shit right there, the "good guy" winning in the end after getting beat up the majority of the time. A fighter being dominant is one thing, a dominant fighter getting dominated then winning is incredible.

It'll be hard for anyone to match is accomplishments, the brutal finishes, the crazy out of nowhere comebacks, the matrix-style he puts on in the Octagon, and the dancing......

Seanny One Ball
January 26th, 2011, 8:10 PM
I still think that people overlook his absolute demolition of Chris Leben in favour of what he did to Forrest Griffin.
I think the Leben fight was insane, he comes out firing straight jabs right down the pipe and Leben just goes all goofy legged and eats them up with a massive knee for afters.

Whole thing lasts about 45 seconds.

Brilliant.

Yeah Andy has incredible striking, imagine what his jabs would have done to Koscheck's eye.

Dubya
February 9th, 2011, 10:20 AM
His jabs would've set up hooks/kicks/knees and knocked Kos out.

Dubya
February 9th, 2011, 10:29 AM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

Sergei
the russian mercenary
Kharitonov

http://blog.tapology.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Kharitonov-Sergei-Hero10-3.jpg

Born: August 18, 1980 - Plesetsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Age: 30
Fighting out of: Tula, Russia

http://wallpampers.com/pictures/4794/small_Russian%20Flag.jpg

Weight: 250 - Heavyweight
Height: 6 ft. 4 in.
Styles: Boxing, Sambo, Kickboxing

Team: Golden Glory
Team Members: Alistair Overeem, Semmy Schilt, Heath Herring

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/001/046/763/team-golden-glory-logo_crop_340x234.jpg?1286729318

MMA Record: 17-4 (KO:8-Sub:8-Dec:1)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Tatsuya Mizuno, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Pedro Rizzo, Semmy Schilt, Murilo Rua, Mike Russow

Fights for: Strikeforce
Has fought for: Dream, Pride, K-1

http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Sergei-Kharitonov-mma-691237_476_397.jpg

Last fight: def. Tatsuya Mizuno by KO at Dyanamite!! 2010
Next fight: vs. Andrei Arlovski @ Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva (this sat.nite)

YouTube - The Russian Mercenary Sergei Kharitonov Highlight

OD50
February 9th, 2011, 5:26 PM
Badass.

Dubya
February 9th, 2011, 5:34 PM
I like the Arlovski/Kharitonov matchup. It should be a fun fight.

OD50
February 9th, 2011, 5:40 PM
AA via unanimous decision (JABS) or Kharitonov via glass (jaw) shattering KO (punch).

Dubya
February 11th, 2011, 6:54 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

ANDREI
"the pitbull"
ARLOVSKI

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/andrei-arlovski-1.jpg

Born: Feb.4.1979 - Babruysk, Byleorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Age: 32
Fighting out of: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Weight: 240 lbs - Heavyweight
Height: 6 ft. 4 in.
Reach: 77 in.

http://mmafrenzy.com/files/2009/01/andrei-arlovski.jpg

Styles: Sambo, Boxing, Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Team: Jackson's Submission Fighting, American Kickboxing Academy

MMA Record: 15-8 (KO:11-Sub:3-Dec:1)
Has beaten notable fighters such as: Roy Nelson, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Tim Sylvia, Vladimir Matyushenko, Paul Buentello

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/arlovski.jpg

Fights for: Strikeforce
Has fought for: UFC, Affliction, M-1

Last fight: lost to Antonio Silva @ Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery
Next fight: vs. Sergei Kharitonov @ Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva (tom.nite)

http://www.mmalinker.com/wiki/images/b/b0/Aa4.jpg

Championships and Awards:
UFC Heavyweight Championship (2x defended)
M-1 MFC-European Heavyweight Championship

YouTube - Highlights- Andrei Arlovski

Mark Hammer
February 11th, 2011, 8:14 PM
I remember thinking his gimmick was cool (the wolfman look with the fang mouthpiece) back when I was just a very casual watcher. Then as I got more into MMA I realized he actually kind of sucked.

Dubya
February 11th, 2011, 9:26 PM
When I was was first really getting into MMA, he was one of the bigger more popular guys at the time. I remember thinking he was a fucking badass and I couldn't believe that the UFC just let him go! Then he got the back-to-back wins over Rothwell and Nelson and he was really rolling .. and then Fedor knocked the killer instinct out of him. 3 straight losses .. Fedor, Rogers, and Bigfoot .. he needs this win against Kharitonov.

Seanny One Ball
February 11th, 2011, 10:43 PM
Then as I got more into MMA I realized he actually kind of sucked.

That sounds more like the opinion of the casual watcher to be honest!

Mark Hammer
February 11th, 2011, 10:45 PM
Really? He hasn't been the slightest bit impressive since his feud with Sylvia years ago.

Seanny One Ball
February 11th, 2011, 10:54 PM
He doesn't suck though, he was unlucky with Sylvia in that Tim Sylvia essentially got floored, got up and sucker punched him into a quick ref stoppage that was controversial at best.

It should be Arlovski 2, Sylvia 1.

That's not the point to be fair.

I'm just saying he doesn't suck.

I love Arlovski, he's always entertaining in the stand up.

Torn
February 11th, 2011, 11:09 PM
He's a bit of a nutcase and is often mocked for having a glass chin but his recent run of defeats doesn't really reflect how good he is. Before Fedor literally broke him he was on a great run, beat Werdum, looked outstanding against Rothwell, and yeah side control stand up blah blah aside, finished Roy Nelson and JDS showed how hard that is. I like him a lot and hope he gets it together in this tournament as it's a huge chance to raise his stock, an impressive performance tomorrow and everyone will be talking about him again.

Seanny One Ball
February 11th, 2011, 11:26 PM
If he gets knocked out nobody will be surprised either, but it's always great to see Andrei in the ring dancing around throwing jabs with intent.

His knock out of Buentello is still one of my favourites ever.

Dubya
February 21st, 2011, 6:16 PM
Today's MMA Spotlight will be on:

the prodigy
B.J.
PENN
http://media.heavy.com/media/2010/09/ufc-mma-bj-penn.jpg

Born: Dec.13.1978 - Kailua, Hawaii, USA
Age: 32
Fighting out of: Hilo, Hawaii, USA

Weight: 169 lbs. - Lightweight/Welterweight
Height: 5 ft. 9 in.
Reach: 70 in.

http://huggingnuts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bj-penn.jpg

Styles: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (black belt), Boxing
Team: BJ Penn MMA
MMA Record: 16-7-1 (KO:7-Sub:6-Dec:3)

Has beaten notable fighters such as: Matt Hughes (2x), Diego Sanchez, Kenny Florian, Sean Sherk, Joe Stevenson, Jens Pulver, Duane Ludwig, Takanori Gomi, Matt Serra, Caol Uno, Din Thomas

http://www.shomanart.com/img_full/937_BJ_Penn.jpg

Fights for: UFC
Has fought for: UFC & K-1

Last fight: def. Matt Hughes @ UFC 123
Next fight: vs. Jon Fitch @ UFC 127

http://www.e-hawaii.com/wp-content/gallery/bj-penn-gallery/bj-penn.jpg

Championships and Awards:
UFC Lightweight Champion (3x defended)
UFC Welterweight Champion
UFC Submission of the Night (2x)
-vs. Kenny Florian @ UFC 101
-vs. Joe Stevenson @ UFC 80
UFC Knockout of the Night
-vs. Matt Hughes @ UFC 123

YouTube - BJ Penn Highlights