My 1st Blog

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Filed under: DREAM, Strikeforce, News, Japan

Alistair Overeem has added the Dream heavyweight title to his Strikeforce and K-1 World Grand Prix championships, brutally knocking out the former UFC heavyweight Todd Duffee at the New Year's Eve Dynamite!! event in Japan.

Overeem showed once again that he's among the most lethal strikers in all of combat sports, stunning Duffee with a right hand to the ear and then finishing him with a big left hand to the chin. The fight lasted just 19 seconds.

"This year I won three world titles," Overeem said in the ring afterward. "Strikeforce, then K-1, and now Dream. And I promise you all, I'm going to keep giving you great fights."

Nonito Donaire Fernando Montiel Jorge Arce

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by Michael David Smith

Dream has a new featherweight champion, as Japan's Hiroyuki Takaya took the belt from former champ Bibiano Fernandes in an impressive unanimous decision victory at Dynamite 2010.

Fernandes simply never appeared to be on his game, looking so tentative in the stand-up that he was warned by the referee in the first round that he needed to pick up the pace, and failing to put Takaya in any kind of danger on the ground. By the time the end of the 20-minute battle came, Takaya was raining punches down on Fernandes on the ground, and there was no question who would get the judges' decision.

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James Toney Jean Pascal Nonito Donaire

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by Michael David Smith

After the fighters step out of the cage Thursday night at WEC 53, the action isn't over. Select fighters will meet the media for the WEC 53 post-fight press conference, and we'll carry the video live right here at MMAFighting.com.

The post-fight press conference is the place to find out who won the Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night bonuses, and the place to hear from the winning fighters.

The press conference will begin about half an hour after the main event ends (around 12:30 AM ET) and the video is below.

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David Haye Antonio Margarito James Toney

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A wonderful body movement which enables you to slip punches and fire back long range shots with extra leverage. Working at the edge of your opponent's range means that this move can work like a Cobra strikes!m

Manny Pacquiao Floyd Mayweather Paul Williams

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Sean Pierson Thought About Quiting '1000 Times' Before Getting UFC Shot Video by UFC 124

Mikkel Kessler Luciano Bute Felix Sturm

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Brandon Vera has never lacked for confidence. In fact, when the media and fans would question his lack of aggression is some fights, Vera would fire back defiantly. But it was clear, he wasn't the same fighter who shot up the charts in 2005 and 2006. It took a major wake-up call to finally shake up Vera.

The 33-year-old quickly rose to the top of the heavyweight division with wins at Ultimate Fight Night 2 and UFC 57, 60 and 65. He eventually met his match against the massive Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum at heavyweight. Then two years later he took hotshot Jon Jones too lightly.

"I for sure, did not give Mr. Jones the respect he deserved and that's my fault," Vera during the UFC 125 prefight press conference (24:50 mark).

Vera (11-5) lost his concentration at the worst time.

"When I was underneath him, I'm remember being off in my own world while he was throwing elbows and missing. I was holding his wrist and thinking 'geez man, all the hype was about you ... this is what you have to offer on the ground, really?' I remember I said 'you f'n suck,' but before I said the word suck, the elbow came down on my face and smashed my face."

The Jones' elbow broke Vera's cheekbone. MMA can be incredibly dangerous if you don't defend yourself properly. The Filipino-American paid the price and was sidelined for seven months.

"That's when I realized right then and there, 'That's what you get you bastard. That's what you get for thinking you're so ahead of the game.'"

For Vera, who is just 3-3 since dropping to light heavyweight, the success in his late-20's came too fast.

"Honestly [it was] my arrogance. The fights seemed easy. I was in there training hard, training hard [then] I go in there and knock someone out real quick. Train hard, train hard then knock somebody else out real quick," said Vera [20:58 mark]. "My arrogance caught up to me. My head got real big and somebody needed to pop it. Too bad they had to pop my face for it to pop, but it's popped. I'm back. My head's level and I'm ready to go."

Vera better be right-minded. He's got a tough test at UFC 125 in aggressive striker Thiago Silva and frankly his job may be on thin ice if he loses a third straight fight.

Roman Gonzales Oscar DeLa Hoya Giovani Segura

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by Michael David Smith

Georges St. Pierre has shown once again why he's the best mixed martial artist in the world: He doesn't just keep winning, but he keeps getting better every time.

St. Pierre dominated Josh Koscheck for 25 minutes Saturday night at UFC 124, retaining the UFC welterweight championship with a unanimous decision victory that all three judges scored in St. Pierre's favor, 50-45. St. Pierre has been working with the renowned boxing trainer Freddie Roach, and it clearly paid off, as St. Pierre used his boxing to a greater extent than ever before in his career.

"Josh Koscheck likes to throw his punch circular, and me, I'm a straight puncher," St. Pierre said afterward. "So the issue was to keep him on the outside."

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Bernard Hopkins Shane Mosley Juan Manuel Marquez

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? Twenty-four-year-old hopes to retire within four years
? Khan plans one more fight before meeting Mayweather

Amir Khan believes he is on course to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr in 12 months but the WBA world light welterweight champion plans to retire in four years.

Having last week successfully defended the title for the third time against WBA interim champion Marcos Maidana the options are now good for Khan.

Khan has been tipped to meet Mayweather, possibly as early as his next contest, but may prefer to unify the light-welterweight world titles before stepping up one division to take on the American at welterweight.

Khan told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's a possibility in the future. A lot of people say I want to fight Mayweather next. I want to fight Mayweather in 12 months. It gives me time to mature and to get more experience. "Hopefully around April I want to get one more fight in before I unify the division."

Khan then plans to take on Mayweather and would like the contest to be on home soil. "Before the end of 2011 or even in England at the beginning of 2012," he said of a possible fight with Mayweather.

"The interest would be huge in England. I want to bring the biggest fights over here. To get a Mayweather to fight in England would be a huge success."

Khan recently turned 24 and his plan is to retire in four years. "Boxing is a short career. I'm looking at probably 28, retiring at around that time," he said.

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Oscar DeLa Hoya Giovani Segura Vic Darchinyan

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Newcomer John Makdessi Felt No Jitters in UFC Debut Video by UFC 124

Israel Vasquez Chris John Manny Pacquiao

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Filed under: DREAM, K1, Japan

It will be hard to top the performance that Hatsu Hioki and Marlon Sandro put on Thursday for the Sengoku featherweight strap, but at Dynamite!! 2010 on New Year's Eve, Fighting Entertainment Group will try to up the ante with three DREAM title fights, which includes the likes of Alistair Overeem, Todd Duffee, Marius Zaromskis, Kazushi Sakuraba and more.

What: Dynamite!! 2010

When: Dec. 31 starting at 4 p.m. locally, airing live on HDNet from 4 a.m. ET.

Where: Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan

Beware pre-fight spoilers below.

Jean Pascal Nonito Donaire Fernando Montiel

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This is cool. A "Plastic Wave" made out of 500 Pet bottles by TWOTHRIDS in co-operation with artist Kathleen Egan. The sculpture was exhibited at the Bread & Butter trade show in Germany. TWOTHIRD say; "It helped us create awareness on the fact that our ocean is becoming a giant landfill full of plastic but that we have the power to stop this". Alongside the exhibit TWOTHIRD collected signatures in a petition titled "Make a stand for an ocean free of plastic!". Nice one TWOTHIRD, and great work Kathleen!

Click image above for enlargement

Click here to see the original post by TWOTHIRDS and more photos.

Rafael Marquez Israel Vasquez Chris John

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In this video you will see the 7 basic kickboxing techniques. Learn for example how to the uppercut.

Celestino Caballero Miguel Cotto Ivan Calderon

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My top fight of the year will not show up on any top ten lists. It didn't show up on any of our "You Choose" polls, and since it aired after the main event of UFC 123, it's not even one that many MMA fans saw.

But the fight that stood out the most to me in 2010 was Edson Barboza's win over Mike Lullo, because it was the first time I saw my cousin fight in the Octagon. Though Mikey, errr, Lullo lost, I've never been so proud.

Mikey called me on Nov. 10 to share the good news. He was replacing the injured Darren Elkins at UFC 123, a card that, coincidentally, I was planning to cover in person. I was floored. After Mikey's last fight, a third-round submission of Tyler Combs, I thought that he was ready for the next level but had no idea that the next level would come so quickly.

I was nervous before weigh-ins, since I hadn't talked to Mikey yet that day. An interview with the UFC's Marc Ratner distracted me, but as soon as that was over, I couldn't calm down until I saw him on the scale. I was so anxious that I didn't even notice that internet sensation Antoine Dodson was sitting in front of me. When I finally heard Joe Rogan say the name "Mike Lulll-ooooo," I had tears in my eyes.

Mikey is my cousin on my mother's side, and Lullo is a family name we take pride in. There have been Lullos who served in wars and built businesses from the ground up. My grandfather (Mikey's great uncle) John Lullo Sr., was a prizefighter in the 1920s. Seeing the name Lullo on the screen above the UFC weigh-ins took my breath away.

Though my Cagewriter duties kept me busy, I was able to hang out with Mikey the night before the fights. We went to dinner and watched "Couples Retreat," a truly terrible movie, the night before the fight, and I watched a calmness come over my cousin. Usually, he's like a ball bouncing around a pinball machine, but he had finally relaxed. He was ready to fight.

He had the third fight in on the UFC 123 undercard, and I'll be honest. I had a hard time concentrating on the first two bouts: Tyson Griffin's questionable (to put it mildly) decision loss to Nik Lentz, and Paul Kelly's TKO of T.J. O'Brien. I just wanted to see Mikey.

As I was sitting on press row, I had to stay professional and abide by the rule of no partisan cheering. I could hear my relatives. A bus full of Mikey's friends and family had driven in from suburban Chicago that afternoon, and they were not quiet. As much as I wanted to join them in yelling "MIKEY!" I sat quietly in my seat. Dave Meltzer kindly agreed to write up the fight story so I could concentrate on watching my cousin fight.

Mikey started off strong, but I grew concerned when he couldn't get a takedown. He is a submission wiz, but even when he was in the right position to get a gogoplata, he couldn't finish. I became more concerned when Barboza started to use whipping kicks to batter Mikey's legs, shuddering every time I heard the loud smack from the kicks.

But he kept standing. I could tell he was in pain, and though the MMA journalist in me thought, "He needs to keep going and make a good impression," the protective cousin in me just wanted it to end. How much more could he take?

After the end of the second round, I thought the fight was going to be stopped. Mikey was limping badly, but when the horn sounded, he returned to the center of the cage, ready for more. Barboza knocked his legs out from underneath him a few times, and finally, the fight was stopped. Mikey had lost his debut in the UFC, and had to be carried out by his cornermen.

After the Fight

I had to shake that off. Karo Parisyan and Dennis Hallman would soon be walking out for their fight, and I had to file Meltzer's story about Mikey's loss. In retrospect, having work to focus on helped me to keep it together.

There was an intermission a few fights later, and I accompanied a fellow reporter to Mikey's prep room. He greeted me with a huge smile, saying, "Hi cuz!" Though his knee was wrapped up and covered in ice and his face was bruised, he assured me that he was OK.

I hugged him and said again and again how proud I was of him. Though I tried my damnedest to hold them in, my tears flowed. Staying professional didn't matter any more. My cousin had just taken a fight on 10 days notice, just a month removed from his last fight, and had showed he was as tough as nails. Pride wasn't a strong enough word to cover what I felt.

After I saw him, I updated our family that he was doing OK, and returned to my job. Writing fight reports and briefs from the press conference was much easier after seeing Mikey smile and say, "I'm fine." The night went on. Phil Davis invented a new submission, B.J. Penn knocked out Matt Hughes, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson won a close decision over Lyoto Machida.

When I finally finished my work, I had no interest in going to post-fight parties. I just wanted to see my family, so I headed to fight hotel. A large group of loved ones were gathered, and had plenty of questions for me. "Who won Fight of the Night? Why did Tyson Griffin lose? When is the UFC coming to Chicago?" I answered them best that I could, and heard from Mikey that there was no structural damage on his knee. Phew.

Scanning the restaurant, I noticed that Barboza and his family and friends were sitting just a table away. I smiled. Mikey noticed where I was looking and said, "Oh yeah! We talked. We took a picture together. Nice guy."

Call me sentimental, but Barboza and Lullo gave me my favorite fight of the year. If you ever are lucky enough to see a beloved family member get in the Octagon, it will be your favorite, too.

Chris John Manny Pacquiao Floyd Mayweather

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by Michael David Smith Stefan Struve pulled out a dramatic comeback

against Sean McCorkle Saturday at UFC 124, pulling off a beautiful reversal from his back and drilling McCorkle with punches to win a first-round technical knockout.

The two fighters expressed plenty of bad blood toward each other in the run-up to this fight, which Struve referenced in his post-fight comments.

"You can trash talk all you want," Struve said. "It's settled here in the Octagon."

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Felix Sturm Amir Khan Roman Gonzales

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Filed under: WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, Golden Boy Promotions, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive

The promoters of southpaw former junior welterweight (140 pounds) and welterweight (147 pounds) world champion Zab Judah (pictured above, at right) of Las Vegas and Kaizer Mabuza of South Africa are scheduled to be involved in a purse bid at the IBF headquarters in East Orange, N.J., on Thursday concerning the right to hold the organization's junior welterweight title between the two fighters.

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, promotes the 33-year-old Judah (39-6, 26 KOs), and Branco Milenkovic, of South Africa, promotes the 30-year-old Mabuza (23-6-3, 14 KOs).

"The status is that right now, there is a purse bid scheduled for Thursday for that fight. Hopefully, the winner of that purse bid will put on the fight within 90 days," said IBF Championships Chairman, Lindsay Tucker.

"It is a 50-50 split of the earnings between the two fighters," said Tucker. "Kaizer is ranked No. 1 by the IBF, and Judah is No. 2. Where the fight will be held is up to the winning bidder."

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Jean Pascal Nonito Donaire Fernando Montiel

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Southpaw, The Fighter, Real Steel ... in these troubled times we can take comfort in a raft of films about battling underdogs

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody that Eminem is making another film ? after making such a splash in 8 Mile eight years ago he's been soundly overtaken in the acting rapper stakes by everyone from Ludacris to Common to Lil Bow Wow ? and nor should it be a surprise that he's got his eyes on a boxing film. As reported yesterday, Eminem's comeback vehicle will be Southpaw, the story of a boxer trying to fight his way back to glory after the world stops believing in him.

It isn't a surprise for a couple of reasons. First is Eminem himself. This is clearly a genre that he has great affection for ? 8 Mile was basically a boxing movie where all the fighting just happened to be replaced with scenes of people saying how fat they thought the other one's mother was. And, like 8 Mile, Southpaw will be loosely autobiographical. Writer Kurt Sutter admits that he's been in talks with Eminem for the last seven years and, if you replace the "after the world stops believing in him" section of Southpaw's premise with "after he released two comparatively underperforming albums in the mid-noughties" then that couldn't become clearer.

The second reason is that we're all about to be deluged by boxing films. Frederick Wiseman's documentary Boxing Gym has already made a splash on the festival circuit, but the real catalyst is David O Russell's The Fighter, which picked up six Golden Globe nominations this week. And whether it's a coincidence or not, we're soon going to have to put up with the likes of Eminem in Southpaw, Al Pacino in a film about the 1980 "No M�s" fight between Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran and ? perhaps most heartbreakingly of all ? Hugh Jackman in Real Steel, a futuristic boxing film about some angry robots.

But then boxing movies always tend to do well when world affairs are this uncertain. Most of them ? from The Fighter to Rocky to Cinderella Man to The Champ ? deal with a scrappy loser who has to literally fight himself out of a desperate situation to glory. And in a time when half the world seems to be perpetually teetering on the brink of economic catastrophe, these are the kind of underdog that the public likes to get behind.

Plus, boxing movies are irresistible to actors. If they're heart-swelling and redemptive ? or, even better, if they end in misery and self-destruction ? then the films offer actors a rare chance to dance up and down the spectrum of emotions while proving to the public (and the awards voters) that they're a serious credible concern. It's why Will Smith made Ali, and Russell Crowe made Cinderella Man, and Denzel Washington made The Hurricane, and Hilary Swank made Million Dollar Baby. It might even be why Robert Downey Jr turned Sherlock Holmes into a jumped-up cagefighter. Even Meg Ryan had a pop at one with Against the Ropes. Admittedly it was an utterly clueless pop, but the intention was there.

All of which is fine, of course. But with such a glut of boxing films on the horizon, it's inevitable that audiences will cry overkill before they all have a chance to be released. Hopefully this'll happen after Eminem's film is out, though, because I'm not sure anybody could stomach the inevitable loosely autobiographical film about a man fighting back from the disappointing opening weekend box office gross of his loosely autobiographical boxing film.

Stuart Heritage

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Felix Sturm Amir Khan Roman Gonzales

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Personal Trainer John Betancourt demonstrates another way of using a medicine ball to your exercise; medicine ball hops for boxing.

Roman Gonzales Oscar DeLa Hoya Giovani Segura

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by Michael David Smith

The latest channel to venture into televising live mixed martial arts fights is a network few had expected: MTV2.

Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that it has reached a three-year deal to air live fights on MTV2, starting in 2011. Bellator will continue with its seasonal format of 12-week, eight-fighter tournaments, with the next tournament beginning in March.

At first blush, MMA and MTV might seem like strange bedfellows. For that matter, MTV and any sport would seem to be a strange pairing -- isn't MTV supposed to be music television?

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James Toney Jean Pascal Nonito Donaire

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Through no fault of his own, the British champion is no longer on the Klitschko agenda

You've got to feel sorry for Dereck Chisora - up to a point. Through no fault of his own, the London heavyweight has been pushed aside to make way for the big world title fight we really want, David Haye v Wladimir Klitschko.

Klitscho clearly has had a rethink about his career; torn abs or not, he has decided time is running out to get his hands on Haye, who everyone knows is going to quit boxing when he turns 31 in October. Haye really has wound up the Klitschko brothers over the past 18 months with his over-the-top stunts - so Wlad, plainly, has had enough.

The younger Klitschko might despise Haye just a little more than he does Dereck, who said some pretty ordinary stuff about the champion and his girlfriend before their aborted fight in Germany. Once injured, though, he decided he could not find time for him in his revised 2011 schedule. So Del Boy gets nixed.

Some times he does himself no favours, though. In a candid interview in the January edition of The Ring, Chisora reveals he has some issues to deal with.

"So far [boxing has] taken me to the level of British champion," Chisora tells Brian Doogan, "yet still women don't seem to like me. I thought when I won the British title things would change. But it ain't happening. I guess it may be because I'm a rude person. But men are hunters. We look. We like. We approach."

Dereck has been convicted of assaulting his girlfriend and has a community service order to complete. He needs to get a grip.

And why does The Ring still limp along behind the times? This edition, as has been the magazine's habit for years, is tagged as "January" when clearly the content was put together several weeks ago (no fault of The Doog's, by the way) - certainly before Klitschko-Chisora was called off. They were not to know that would happen - but they are hostages to fortune every issue.

The Ring, which has been with us since 1922, once was what it still calls itself on the cover ? 'The Bible Of Boxing'. But, like an old pug, it has been off the pace for a few years in a world of instant results, comment and analysis.

So The Ring is going digital. From February, it will be out there on iPads, iPhones and Droid browsers via RingTV.com. Wish it luck. Boxing needs its comfort blankets in tough times.

Where are the Brits?

No edition of The ring would be complete without a list. This month it is their 100 best fighters in the world from the previous 12 months. The top six are: Pacquiao, predictably, followed by Mayweather (ditto), M�rquez, Donaire, Paul Williams (obviously before he was kayoed in one by Sergio Martinez), and, er, Mart�nez.

The anti-European bias in many of these lists, not just in The Ring, is hilarious. David Haye, the WBA heavyweight champion, can't even crack the top 50. In fact, only a handful of fighters from this side of the Atlantic make the first half: Wlad K is highest at 9, followed by Vitali K at 13, Kessler (retired) 27, Khan 28, Froch 33, Abraham 42, and Adamek 48.

According to The Ring, Miguel Cotto (11), beaten to a pulp by Pacquaio, has had a much better year than Haye (56). Cotto's win over an over-hyped and hobbling Yuri Foreman was, apparently, enough to restore his reputation. Chad Dawson (21), who lost to Jean Pascal (14), is 14 places above Froch - the only man to beat Pascal. Ricky Burns (98), who has rebuilt his career and is now a credible world champion at super-featherweight, is 19 places below Paulie Malignaggi, who has got no title and was thrashed by Khan.

You can guarantee that if Kell Brook, Matthew Macklin, Matthew Hatton and James DeGale - all within reach of a world title - were fighting in America, they would be on that list. Unbeaten Nathan Cleverly, who should soon be a world champion, sneaks in at 86.

Even allowing for early deadlines and late results, this is very ordinary. As long as these lists continue to skew the worldwide picture, the myth that all the best fighters are at work in America will persist. They've got plenty of fine fighters - but so do Europe and the rest of the world. It is about time The Bible got a bit more ecumenical.

As The Ring's publishers have come to realise, the world is changing. Their next challenge is to recognise that change extends not only to the method of publication but in the distribution of the sport's accolades.

Finally ?

Elsewhere in the venerable old beast, there is an unintentionally comical letter from a reader who observed of the Californian super-middle wizard Andre Ward: "It is refreshing to see a champion who is so humble, dedicated, relentless in the pursuit of perfection, grounded in his family and faith, and respectful of all his fans and opponents."

Ward is happy to be known as Son Of God.

Kevin Mitchell

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Manny Pacquiao Floyd Mayweather Paul Williams

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Filed under: WBC, WBO, Golden Boy Promotions, Boxing Video, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive, Top Rank Promotions

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

In this FanHouse video, members of the Goossen Gym in Van Nuys offer their opinions on Fighter of the Year, Fighter of the Decade and Trainer of the Year, among other things.

Names which surface include southpaw eight-division titlist Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts), six-time champion Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) and southpaw WBC middleweight (160 pounds) Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KOs).

On May 7, Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) belt against Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) in an HBO pay per view televised, Top Rank Promotions bout from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas where Pacquiao's WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) crown will not be on the line.

In March, Pacquiao scored a unanimous decision over former world champion Joshua Clottey (35-4, 20 KOs) in defense of his WBO belt in the first-ever fight to be held at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

Pacquiao returned to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in November, where he earned his 13th straight win against eight knockouts by unanimous decision over ex-champion Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) for the vacant WBC crown.

Mosley was beaten by unanimous decision by Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) in May of 2009, and battled to September's junior middleweight draw against ex-champion Sergio Mora (21-1-1, six KOs). Mayweather has been promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

Promoted by Lou DiBella, Martinez dethroned Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) by unanimous decision in April, and then scored a November, second-round knockout of rival southpaw, Paul Williams (39-2, 27 KOs), that avenged a December, majority decision loss in which both fighters were floored in the first round.

Williams, who is promoted by Dan Goossen, was rated No. 3 in most pound-for-pound lists behind Mayweather and Pacquiao.

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Giovani Segura Vic Darchinyan Steve Molitor

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Bellator has signed a three-year deal with MTV2 to air the promotions' fights live, starting with the fourth season in March 2011. The tournament-based promotion, with champions like Ben Askren, will air on MTV2, a station once known for music programming but has grown to air sports-ish programming like "Bully Beatdown," a show hosted by Strikeforce's Jason "Mayhem" Miller, and "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory," which follows professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek.

From the Bellator press release:

MTV2, which features the highest concentration of M12-24 and M12-34 in television, will telecast two of these LIVE tournaments per year, plus a collection of special feature events. The first tournament will premiere in March 2011.

"MTV2 is the perfect home for the intense mixed martial arts action of Bellator," Eric Conte, SVP, Programming and Production, MTV2. "MMA is at the top of our audience's wish list, and partnering with Bellator to bring live events and specials to MTV2 made complete sense since our viewers are so hungry to see more MMA on-air."

The key word in that is live. Bellator was with Fox Sports Net for their last two seasons, and they were often pre-empted by other local programming. In Chicago, Bellator's hometown, the fights rarely aired live, and sometimes were started after midnight. By the time the fights aired, the results were widely known.

Bellator recognized that and made a change. They also appear to be going after a younger demographic, as most MMA promotions covet the 18-49 year-old male demographic.

Vic Darchinyan Steve Molitor Celestino Caballero

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Some hardcore fans are driven nuts by the fact that the UFC is trying to bury the competition. An "Evil Empire" of sorts. So it was funny this weekend to see Dana White operating like his favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox.

The Evil Empire in Beantown spent $292 million to steal Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego and land the best overall hitter on the free agent market in Carl Crawford. White didn't land Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem, but he did grab two of the biggest names from Japan in Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto and Michihiro Omigawa.

After WEC 53 this Thursday, the bantamweight and featherweight division will be playing in the big leagues. The 135 and 145 pound divisions will help sell pay-per-views with the UFC, that means there's no limit on who Zuffa can bring in to bolster the roster. Yamamoto and Omigawa are money well spent.

Omigawa, 35, is probably a longshot to get his hands on UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo, but he'll add some flair to the division. He's gone 8-2-1 since a drop to 145 pounds. He actually fought in the UFC back in 2007 and 2008, losing at 155 pounds against Matt Wiman and Thiago Tavares. In his return, the UFC gave him a stiff test. He'll debut against Chad Mendes, an excellent wrestler.

Yamamoto is the guy fans should really be excited about.

He's the rare bantamweight with legitimate one-punch knockout power, but he's not a one-dimensional fighter. Yamamoto (18-3) came close to making the Japanese Olympic wrestling team and wrestled in the U.S. His career stalled recently because of a severe knee injury and a lack of motivation.

Japanese promoters also contributed to his less than stellar attitude by feeding him easy opponents. The UFC won't do that and it should motivate him. And if Kid thought he was getting Miguel Torres or Urijah Faber right out of the gates, he got a wake up call when the promotion booked him to face Demetrious Johnson. Hardcore fans don't understand the booking, but it's a good move. Kid is unknown by 98 percent of the fans in the U.S. He needs to be built up. If he does his work and scores some impressive wins, look for him to face one of the top dogs at 135 (Torres, Faber or Joe Benavidez) by the summer or fall of 2011.

Steve Molitor Celestino Caballero Miguel Cotto

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Two of the biggest stars in the history of MMA sat down for a long interview in 2006. Liddell was prepping for his UFC 66 showdown with Tito Ortiz. Even back then, Liddell was wary of Tito showing up for a fight.

Hughes was coming off his UFC 63 win over B.J. Penn. He talks about Georges St. Pierre disrespecting him coming into the Octagon after that win. Hughes would go on to loss his belt against GSP at UFC 65.

This was a great interview because Liddell forgot he was on live radio and cursed 15-plus times.

Miguel Cotto Ivan Calderon Rafael Marquez

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Antonio McKee is a smart guy. He realized a few years back his fighting alone wasn't going to get him to the UFC, so he honed his skills on the microphone. It worked. He kept winning - he hasn't lost since 2003 - and the UFC signed the 40-year-old lightweight.

In two weeks, he'll debut at UFC 125 against Jacob Volkmann.

In this video introduction piece, McKee (25-3-2) says now that he's with the big show he won't have to play a "character" as he calls it outside the ring. Why not?

It's more important now than ever for McKee to talk his way into the mix. He doesn't have much time. He's a skilled grappler and takedown artist, but to gain the attention of the brass and more importantly new fans, McKee better use those chops.

Paul Daley, Dan Hardy, Tito Ortiz, Josh Koscheck, Michael Bisping, Anthony Johnson, Frank Mir, Matt Serra and Chael Sonnen have all earned a little extra credit and a few free passes on the rankings ladder because of their prefight media work in the past.

We feel safe in saying, McKee should provide some good prefight fodder. He just can't help it (video below - NSFW). McKee's great at hyping fights and won't be able to contain himself once he hits the ground in Las Vegas.

James Toney Jean Pascal Nonito Donaire

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Filed under: WBA, WBC, WBO, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive, Top Rank Promotions

New Jersey junior middleweight (154 pounds) Pawel Wolak could face either former world champion Yuri Foreman of New York or ex-titlist Joshua Clottey of Ghana on the pay per view under card of a March 12 main event featuring former world titlist Ricardo Mayorga of Managua, Nicaragua, against WBA junior middleweight king Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, according to Top Rank Promotions CEO, Bob Arum.

Arum, who has the 30-year-old Cotto (35-2, 28 knockouts), will handle the card along with rival and fellow 79-year-old promoter, Don King, who works with the 37-year-old Mayorga (29-7-1, 22 KOs).

"That is absolutely right. Discussions are going on for Wolak to face either Foreman or Clottey," said Arum. "[Top Rank's Hall of Fame matchmaker] Bruce Trampler is handling that. So yes, those match ups are a distinct possibility."

Mayorga was chosen to face Cotto over Wolak (28-1, 18 KOs), unbeaten Armenian-born prospect Vanes Martirosyan (28-0, 17 KOs), of Glendale, Calif., Rigoburto Alvarez (26-2, 19 KOs), of Mexico, and, IBF junior middleweight king Cornelius Bundrage (30-4, 18 KOs), of Detroit.

The 29-year-old Wolak is coming off of a Dec. 4, seventh-round stoppage of Jose Pinzon (18-2-1, 12 KOs), against whom he rose from a second-round knockdown in a middleweight (160 pounds) clash.

Pinzon was a replacement on the Tuesday prior to the fight for junior middleweight and middleweight prospect Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (40-0-1, 30 KOs) after Chavez pulled out with a 103-degree fever.

The victory over Pinzon was the seventh straight for Wolak, including four knockouts, since losing an August of 2008, unanimous 10-round decision to Ishe Smith.

"There's a possibility that Pawel Wolak will be fighting on March 12 on the under card of Miguel Cotto versus Ricardo Mayorga against either Joshua Clottey or Yuri Foreman. There have been discussions, and we're most certainly interested in those fights," said Wolak's manager, Ivan Edwards.

"Either one of them would be an excellent opportunity. Either of these fights would legitimize Pawel Wolak in the eyes of the public," said Edwards. "So it looks like it's either going to be Yuri Foreman or Joshua Clottey. I think that either of those fights would definitely put everyone on notice that he is championship material."

The 30-year-old Foreman (28-1, eight KOs) is coming off of June's ninth-round knockout loss to Cotto, who dethroned him as WBA titlist in the first-ever professional fight to be staged at the new Yankee Stadium in New York.

Foreman suffered a knee injury against Cotto that required successful reconstructive surgery and a summer of rehabilitation before he could return to training and working out in October.

Foreman, who is studying to become a rabbi, became the first Israeli world champion when he dethroned Puerto Rico's Daniel Santos by unanimous decision in November.

The 33-year-old Clottey (35-4, 20 KOs) is looking to return to the ring for the first time since March, when he lost an HBO pay per view televised unanimous decision in the first-ever fight at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium to WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king, Manny Pacquaio (52-3-2, 38 KOs), who is also the current holder of the WBC's junior middleweight belt.

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Juan Manuel Lopez Andre Ward David Haye

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The Fight Network presents a news brief on the announcement that the UFC would be coming to Toronto's Rogers Centre for UFC 131 on Apr. 30

Floyd Mayweather Paul Williams Bernard Hopkins

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? Vitali tells Russian paper his brother is prepared to face Briton
? 'There are no problems with us to make a fight with Haye'

Vitali Klitschko says his brother, Wladimir, is ready to agree a fight with David Haye, it was reported today. Wladimir currently holds three of the world heavyweight belts, Vitali one and Haye the other.

A fight between the 30-year-old Londoner and one of the Ukrainians has been in the offing for a long time, with Haye having already withdrawn from a 2009 bout with Wladimir due to a back problem. But, after Wladimir's fight with Dereck Chisora was called off 10 days ago owing to injury, Vitali says that his sibling is ready to do business with Haye.

"Wladimir is ready to fight Haye. It is always Haye who comes up with the excuses," the elder Klitschko told the Golzka newspaper. "Last year we had a signed contract and that wasn't enough. Haye has the last remaining title that doesn't belong to a Klitschko. There are no problems with us to make a fight with Haye."

Vitali had said last month that he wanted to fight Haye first, as he believed his brother would "kill" the Bermondsey man. Haye has made no secret of his desire to unify the division by his 31st birthday in October 2011 ? when he plans to retire from the sport.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Floyd Mayweather Paul Williams Bernard Hopkins

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Clear your calendars, folks. 2011 starts out with a bang, as five different major championship belts will be on the line in the first quarter.

Jan. 1 -- Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard: This fight is not only for the lightweight belt, but will also give Edgar a chance to avenge the one loss on his record. Not only that, but whoever wins has his next fight decided, as WEC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis will get a chance to unite the belts.

Jan. 29 -- Nick Diaz vs. Evangelista Cyborg and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Robbie Lawler: Strikeforce will put two belts on the line at this San Jose event. Though we're not getting the hoped-for bout of Diaz vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller, the Jacare-Lawler match-up is a classic striker vs. grappler matchup.

Feb. 5 -- Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort: By the time he gets in the Octagon, Belfort will have had a 16-month break from the Octagon. Silva will be coming back from his last-minute submission win over Chael Sonnen.

Mar. 19 -- Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Rashad Evans: In Newark at UFC 128, Rua will test out the knee that's long been a problem while Evans will get a second shot at getting the light heavyweight belt.

It's also possible that Jose Aldo will get his first chance to fight in the UFC in the first quarter, as he expects to be fighting as soon as March.

Vic Darchinyan Steve Molitor Celestino Caballero

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See "The Skyscraper" in action this Saturday at UFC 124: St-Pierre vs Koscheck 2 - Live on Pay-Per-View at 7pm PT/ 10pm ET.

Rafael Marquez Israel Vasquez Chris John

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Looking ahead to the new year, Cagewriter is turning it up to eleven. In no particular order, here are the 11 things MMA needs for 2011.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Alistair Overeem: Despite his loss to Fabricio Werdum, the negotiations just to get Fedor fighting in the U.S. again have been treacherous, and now it seems that he will fight Antonio Silva. Meanwhile, Overeem has kept busy making history in K-1. Strikeforce has two of the best heavyweights in the world on their roster. It should not be difficult to get them to fight.

Improved judging: How many fighters need to get screwed by judges before changes are made in MMA's judging system? As the sport continues to grow and improve, parity will follow and more fights will require a judges' call. These fighters deserve competent judges.

A challenge for Jose Aldo: The featherweight champ looked head and shoulders above Faber and Manny Gamburyan in 2010. As fun as it is to watch Aldo beat up on his opponents, someone who challenges him could be much more fun.

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber coaching on "The Ultimate Fighter": This match-up is full of win. Bantamweights Cruz and Faber are top-flight fighters, already dislike each other, and both come from camps that would provide excellent coaches and training partner cameos. Going with smaller fighters would not only invigorate the TUF franchise, it would also introduce a larger MMA audience to the WEC fighters joining the UFC.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Nick Diaz: Enough with the trash talk, the viral videos and the catchphrases. Strikeforce needs to make this fight happen.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva: The two have been at the top of pound-for-pound rankings for years, and are just one weight class apart. GSP has asked for time to put on weight to fight Silva, who walks around at more than 200 lbs. UFC, give him time, and then let's make this fight happen.

Legal MMA in New York: Seriously, Empire State. Get your act together and legalize MMA. It's ludicrous for a state with a rich history of boxing and wrestling not to allow mixed martial arts.

A rejuvenated Brock Lesnar: Losing his title to Cain Velasquez exposed Lesnar's distaste for getting punched in the face, a liability for someone whose job involves getting punched in the face. It will be fascinating to see how Lesnar reacts to being an underdog, and watching to see if he has the resolve to come back should be an interesting storyline.

More pre and post-fight shows: Here at Yahoo! Sports, there was a pre-fight show for UFC 121. ESPN's "MMA Live" did pre and post-fight shows for UFC 116 and 121, and Versus had shows for the final two WEC events. Every one of these shows added to the MMA viewing experience.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez: To compete with the UFC juggernaut, the smart thing for Strikeforce and Bellator would be to team up to make the best fights. This should start with a bout between their two lightweight champions. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney probably ended any hopes for this bout with overzealous negotiation tactics, but it still would be a fun fight for fans to watch.

More Pat Miletich on the microphone: The man is both a legendary coach and fighter, and now he uses his talents as a commentator for Strikeforce. Inexplicably, he isn't always included on their broadcast team. Please, give us more Pat.

Jorge Arce Mikkel Kessler Luciano Bute

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Introducing oil painter Kathryn Colvig based in Nosara, Costa Rica, a place she says has had a "profound" effect on her work, painting "the surf, big waves, and the power of the ocean". Check it out…

www.clubofthewaves.com/surf-artist/kathryn-colvig.php

Wave Art by Kathryn Colvig

http://kathryn-colvig.artistwebsites.com

Floyd Mayweather Paul Williams Bernard Hopkins

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Personal Trainer John Betancourt and his partner demonstrate to you the proper execution of straight kick for kick boxing.

Antonio Margarito James Toney Jean Pascal

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by Michael David Smith Alistair Overeem wins K-1 World Grand Prix final.

Alistair Overeem already owns the Strikeforce MMA heavyweight title. Now, he owns the most prestigious championship in heavyweight kickboxing.

Overeem won the K-1 World Grand Prix Final 2010 with a brutal display of striking Saturday in Japan, using a vicious body shot to stop Peter Aerts in the final of his three fights in the eight-man, one-night tournament.

Aerts got to the final with a shocking majority decision upset over defending champion Semmy Schilt, and if the 40-year-old Aerts had won the whole tournament it would have been a great moment for longtime K-1 fans, who have long loved Aerts' fighting style in the ring and gentlemanly ways out of the ring.

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Floyd Mayweather Paul Williams Bernard Hopkins

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A welterweight matchup between local favorite Ricardo Almeida and Mike Pyle has been added to the UFC 128 fight card on March 19 in Newark, New Jersey.

UFC 128 is headlined by light heavyweight champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. former title-holder Rashad Evans.

Rafael Marquez Israel Vasquez Chris John

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The second successive surf artist based in Costa Rica to be added to Club Of The Waves. This time John Coopwood, with a great portfolio mix of fine art, murals and surreal art. "Here is an artist who uses rich colors and various blends of dreams, reality, and a touch of Salsa Fresca to bring his subjects to life… His insane depth has allowed him to challenge his innermost self to bring forth pictures of mood, imagination and bold imagery". Enjoy…

www.clubofthewaves.com/surf-artist/john-coopwood.php

Surreal Surf Art by John Coopwood

www.coopwoodart.com

Giovani Segura Vic Darchinyan Steve Molitor

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There's several other videos on the web featuring the UFC 124 weigh-in, but none of them capture how loud the crowd in Montreal was like this vlog from Dana White.

Listen to the anger being spewed by the Canadian crowd as American Josh Koscheck stepped on the scale (6:03 mark).

Jorge Arce Mikkel Kessler Luciano Bute

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Congratulations to three COTW featured photographers who were named amongst the winning photographers awarded at the prestigious Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2010 awards.

Chris Burkard was named the overall winner!

"I'm overjoyed, it's hard to put into words being able to be nominated and to win this award in front of all your piers and people I respect, I'm truly blessed." - Chris Burkard

Also awarded were Australian surf photographers Stuart Gibson in the Energy category and Nathan Smith in the Close Up category. Nathan was also named the Athletes' Choice winner.

"I'm dizzy from the whole experience, said Smith. I'm humbled to be here and happy to have made the top 50 let alone win two awards that in my book are very prestigious. I'm in a room full of photographers who I look up to." - Nathan Smith

Chris Burkard receiving his award

Photo: Chris Burkard receiving his Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2010 award

Photo by Chris Burkard

Photo: Chris Burkard's photo won the Illumination category

Photo by Nathan Smith

Photo: Nathan Smith's photo won the Close Up category

Photo by Stuart Gibson

Photo: Stuart Gibson's photo won the Energy category

- Chris Burkard's website
- Stuart Gibson's website

- www.redbullillume.com

Juan Manuel Marquez Sergio Martinez Timothy Bradley

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by Michael David Smith Stefan Struve pulled out a dramatic comeback

against Sean McCorkle Saturday at UFC 124, pulling off a beautiful reversal from his back and drilling McCorkle with punches to win a first-round technical knockout.

The two fighters expressed plenty of bad blood toward each other in the run-up to this fight, which Struve referenced in his post-fight comments.

"You can trash talk all you want," Struve said. "It's settled here in the Octagon."

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Andre Ward David Haye Antonio Margarito

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Filed under: WBA, WBC, IBF, Showtime

Known as "The Road Warrior" for his reputation of fighting anyone, anywhere and at any time, as well as for his rugged in-your-face style, the Jamaican-born Glen Johnson ended the year 2009 on a losing note.

The Miami resident had suffered a November, unanimous decision loss to then-unbeaten, WBC interim light heavyweight (175 pounds) king, Chad Dawson (29-1, 17 knockouts), which was the second loss to Dawson of Johnson's career.

And after turning 41 years old in January, there were many in the fight game who viewed Johnson as little more than an aging warrior rather than his nickname.

But as the year 2010 ends, Johnson has silenced the naysayers and rejuvenated his career, this, following respective performances against then 29-year-old Yusaf Mack (28-3-2, 17 KOs) of Philadelphia in February, unbeaten, 28-year-old IBF light heavyweight king Tavoris Cloud (22-0, 18 KOs), of Miami in September, and, 31-year-old Allan Green (29-3, 20 KOs), of Tulsa, Ok., in November.

Johnson's efforts have earned him honors as FanHouse's Comeback Performer of the Year for 2010.

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Paul Williams Bernard Hopkins Shane Mosley

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Personal Trainer John Betancourt demonstrates how to duck and jab in boxing

Paul Williams Bernard Hopkins Shane Mosley

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St Pierre vs Koscheck Fight UFC 124 Preview Show Video by UFC 124

Steve Molitor Celestino Caballero Miguel Cotto

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MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant tries to wrangle "Most Memorable Ring Entrance" winner Jason "Mayhem" Miller on the red carpet and backstage at the 2010 Fighters Only World MMA Awards. Mayhem is his usual low-key self as he discusses the fallout from the "Bash in the Nash," how he puts together his award-winning ringwalks and his perseverance in the sport of MMA. In addition, Mayhem comes up with an appropriate name for the Fighters Only trophy.Be sure to visit http://www.MMAheat.com for more interviews and our 1/2 hour show. N�s falamos Portugu�s!* We're on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MMAheat* Follow MMAheat on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MMAheat* Follow Karyn on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KarynBryant

Jorge Arce Mikkel Kessler Luciano Bute

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MMA outdid itself this year. With more fights on television and better fighters from around the world, the depth provided the material for some great scraps. What were the best ones in 2010? You tell us. Winners will be announced on Dec. 30.

Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald (UFC 115) -- One punch or strike can change the momentum in a heartbeat. MacDonald had a slight edge in this slugfest heading to the third. That's when Condit crushed him with an overhand right and the Canadian was never the same. Condit also landed an elbow minutes later that broke MacDonald's orbital bone. "The Natural Born Killer" won it as the fight was stopped with just seven seconds left.

Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef (Strikeforce: Miami) -- Sometimes a comeback can qualify as a great fight. Manhoef chopped down Lawler's legs in similar fashion to what Jose Aldo did to Urijah Faber. Except Manhoef did all his leg-kick damage in less than 3 1/2 minutes. Lawler needed a miracle to survive. Not only did Lawler produce one to survive, but ripped out a Hail Mary punch that put Manhoef to sleep. He was out cold.

Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung (WEC 48) -- Garcia is always involved in absolute throwdowns, but this one was his best because he had a willing dance partner. The fighters wailed away on each other with Garcia smiling on multiple occasions after getting blasted right in the face. Most fans thought the "Korean Zombie" won the fight but Garcia got the nod. In just three rounds, they combined to land 225-of-534 strikes. In the true spirit of MMA, they also hit a Denny's to eat together after visiting the hospital. Jung was the big winner from a marketing standpoint. He became an instant star for a few months with his Korean Zombie T-shirt.

Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki (Sengoku 14) -- You know a great fight when you see it. There's a feeling in your gut and you talk about it for hours, if not days after it's over. This five-round middleweight title fight was all over the ring. Misaki nearly choked out Santiago in the second, got dropped in the third and dropped the Brazilian in the fourth. Misaki had the early lead, but Santiago came back to get the win with 23 seconds left.

Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (UFC 116) -- You knew this one was going to be a donnybrook. Akiyama always fights to his opponent's strength and Leben only gets going when he's getting beat down. Plus Leben was fighting on less than two week's rest. They mauled each other for 14 minutes before Leben pulled off a submission to pull off the upset with 20 seconds.

Giovani Segura Vic Darchinyan Steve Molitor

Friday, December 31, 2010

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Where are the Brits?

Finally ?

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Monday, December 27, 2010

Sunday, December 26, 2010