Thursday
We want your UFC 160 picks
UFC 160 is Saturday in Las Vegas, and we want to know how you think it will go down. Give us your picks and we'll run some of them here on Cagewriter. Here's how to do it. Check out the Cagewriter Facebook page to vote on a winner. Tell us why you think your pick will win in the comments of the poll, and some picks will run here on Friday. Click on each fight for its poll:
Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva
Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt
James Te Huna vs. Glover Teixeira
T.J. Grant vs. Gray Maynard
Donald Cerrone vs. KJ Noons
As the poet Pitbull said, let's have a real good time.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/want-ufc-160-picks-115201771.html
Nicolae Cury vs. Reggie Pena set as co-main at XFC 24
Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/xfc-news/nicolae-cury-vs-reggie-pena-set-as-co-main-at-xfc-24-67727/
Wednesday
Cheick Kongo, Chael Sonnen and eyes: Where do they fall on Cagewriter?s Hot or Not list?
A slow week in MMA? So what. Let's decide what's hot, what's not, what is just a big ball of confusion.
Not -- Costa Philippou: Remember how his fight with Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza was listed as one of the best of the month? Too bad it's off. A cut forced Phillippou off in training, and Chris Camozzi is stepping in to fight Souza at UFC on FX 8. Rafael Natal will now fight Joao Zeferino.
Hot -- Jon Jones: He defended his title for the fifth time, tying the record set by Tito Ortiz in 2002. Sure, he jacked up his toe, but he didn't seem to mind.
Not -- Eyes: It's been a tough week for eyes. Eye pokes were the reason behind two of the stoppages at UFC 159. But things are looking up as the UFC will try to change the rules behind eye pokes in the coming months.
Hot -- Chael Sonnen: "But Maggie!" you say. "He lost his fight to Jon Jones. How can he be on the hot list?" Because the loss was completely expected, and the man didn't miss a beat. He stayed in the spotlight by bringing out an old feud with Wanderlei Silva, and ripping him on Twitter.
Not, or maybe hot, or who knows -- Cheick Kongo: After getting knocked out by Roy Nelson, Kongo's profile disappeared from the UFC site. Then, two reputable MMA news outlets reported Kongo's contract has run out, and that the UFC had no plans to re-sign the French fighter. But Kongo keeps insisting on his Twitter page that he has no plans to leave the UFC.
Thanks for sticking with Cagewriter this week. Follow CW on Twitter and Facebook.
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Carlos Condit Looking At Summer Return To The Octagon
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/uxLqnFRduEY/
Wes Soldier Combs Ray Cooper Kit Cope Wesley Cabbage Correira
XFC 24 features Scott Holtzman vs. Nick Newell lightweight title bout
Alberto Crane Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz Luke Cummo Jeff Big Frog Curran
Tuesday
NorthEastMMA News ? May 21, 2013
Old School is the senior writer/editor for�NorthEastMMA.net, the one web site dedicated to Mixed Martial Arts in New England and New York.� His weekly column will appear here at Five Ounces of Pain. NorthEast Weekend Wrap-Up This past weekend NEF Fight Night VII in Lewiston featured a Main Card that rivaled any that the region [...]
The post NorthEastMMA News – May 21, 2013 appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.
Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2013/05/21/northeastmma-news-may-21-2013/
UFC on FX 8?s Three Stars: Vitor Belfort, Ronaldo Souza and Fabio Maldonado
Who stood out in Saturday night's fights?
No. 1 star -- Vitor Belfort*: We will be watching highlights of that knockout for years to come. The timing, explosion and landing spot of the kick were just perfect. The knockout was so great the UFC didn't even have to say who they were talking about when they announced who the $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus was awarded to.
#UFConFX8 Fight of the Night, Martins vs. Larsen; Sub of the Night, Jacare. KO - c'mon now, be reasonable. 50K each.
? UFC (@ufc) May 19, 2013
Then why the asterisk? Because it's hard to look at what Belfort did and not wonder if the testosterone replacement therapy he used throughout his camp played a part. His late-career resurgence doesn't pass the smell test.
No. 2 star -- Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza: Did Chris Camozzi even realize he was in the arm triangle choke that Souza so expertly applied? Souza's performance on Saturday night served notice to the UFC middleweights. It also earned him a $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus. All in all, it was a pretty good start in the UFC for the Strikeforce veteran.
No. 3 star -- Fabio Maldonado: Perhaps it wasn't the prettiest win of the night, but it got the job done against some tough odds. Maldonado withstood a kick to the groin that made even me wince and came back to win by decision. That's more than enough to earn a star.
Cholish retires, lobbies for undercard fighter pay
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Payout/~3/kShmxcO8thI/
Benson Henderson defends belt, then proposes to girlfriend at UFC on FX 7
UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson won a very close decision over Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox 7. With the win, he held onto his gold championship belt, but right after the decision was read, another piece of jewelry was on his mind.
With the crowd in San Jose booing, Henderson's girlfriend, Maria Magana, was led into the Octagon. Henderson told UFC commentator Joe Rogan, "I gotta see about a girl real quick." He motioned to one of his cornermen, who pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket and handed it to Henderson. The champ then dropped to one knee and popped the question.
"I love you. I'm not perfect. I never have been, but you make me happier every single day than any man has a right to be. I love you. Will you marry me?"
[Related: Benson Henderson's controversial win caps off thrilling night]
Magana answered yes, even as the crowd continued to boo. The post-fight proposal had to be approved by several parties including UFC president Dana White and Magana's father.
The happy couple posed for a picture right after the fight.
The night could have very easily been much less joyful for the couple, as Henderson's win was razor-close. Melendez, the Strikeforce champion who was making his UFC debut, started strong. He neutralized Henderson by landing several kicks.
But as the fight wore on into the fourth and fifth rounds, the momentum turned towards Henderson. He finished with impressive flurries late in the third round, and was able to land enough kicks on Melendez that a welt appeared on his leg. Melendez slowed down, but neither fighter was able to consistently apply offense.
That didn't matter to Henderson after the bout.
"There's a lot of bigger things than fighting, and I had to take care of one of those things tonight," Henderson told Rogan after the successful fight and proposal.
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Bellator FC Confirms Matt Riddle For Season Nine Welterweight Tournament
Source: http://www.themmanews.com/bellator-fc-confirms-matt-riddle-for-season-nine-welterweight-tournament/
Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesic Mauro Galvao Arman Gambaryan
Monday
NHL: Los Angeles vs San Jose
Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/sports-vbookie/130314-nhl-los-angeles-vs-san-jose.html
Luke Cummo Has Come Out Against MMA
Former UFC fighter Luke Cummo is still fighting, but instead of fighting other people, Cummo is fighting against MMA. Cummo has posted a video on youtube talking about the dangers of fighting, and how as a parent he would never let his children fight. Cummo says the business is a ?mindless, stupid industry profiting from…
The post Luke Cummo Has Come Out Against MMA appeared first on Fighters.com.
Chael Sonnen, Nate Diaz and the Empire State: Where did they end up on the Hot or Not list?
UFC 159 hype, suspensions ending and a state still not jumping aboard on the MMA train ? it was another full week of MMA. See who made the hot or not list.
Hot ? Chael Sonnen: We won't know if he's a winner in the cage until late Saturday night as he takes on Jon Jones for the championship belt at UFC 159. However, this man is already a winner in the financial arena. According to the Los Angeles Times, he took home $8 million for his bout with Anderson Silva. Main event fighters quite often get a percentage of pay-per-view buys, which explains both why he made so much at UFC 148 and why he's working so hard to sell his fight with Jones.
Not ? Nate Diaz: He lost by a TKO to Josh Thomson at UFC on Fox on Saturday night, which was enough to land him on the not list. Diaz took an extra step to make it here by saying that Thomson, who knocked him out, was running from him the entire fight.
"He didn't come in there and put no [expletive] whopping on me. You know what I'm saying? He didn't come in there and make anything happen. I have never fought somebody before who had ever wanted out of a fight so bad. I expected a fight. I expected him to grab me and try to hold on to me or throw some kicks and move and throw some punches and move but that [expletive] was straight running and I had to chase him down."
Again, it was Thomson who finished Diaz.
Hot -- Matt Mitrione: His suspension for using hate-filled language against lasted just a few weeks, and he has a fight scheduled for this summer.
Not -- MMA in New York: Even though UFC 159 is in nearby Newark, N.J., MMA is still not sanctioned in New York. The UFC has poured quite a lot of money into lobbying for the sport but it's done nothing. At this point, even UFC president Dana White is "over" MMA in New York.
UFC Releases Statement On Pat Healy And UFC 159
This has been a rough week if you are the PR department at the UFC, but the bottom line to all of this is that one of the standout fighters from UFC 159: Jones Vs Sonnen tested positive for marijuana. Pat Healy and his management have been very forward about the details surrounding his positive…
The post UFC Releases Statement On Pat Healy And UFC 159 appeared first on Fighters.com.
Tom Big Cat Erickson Martinsh Egle Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero
Ben Askren ?Only Been Tested Once? for Drugs in Bellator
It?s not uncommon to hear about a UFC fighter testing positive for drugs whether recreational or performance enhancing. After all, athletes in every sport try to gain a competitive advantage, need to ease the pain of training, or are simply looking to party. However, Bellator hasn?t run into many issues relating to competitors coming up…
The post Ben Askren ?Only Been Tested Once? for Drugs in Bellator appeared first on Fighters.com.
Shane The Engineer Carwin Jason Hollywood Chambers Ryo Piranha Chonan Dan The Sandman Christison
Sunday
Lorenzo Fertitta says women?s groups are being used as a pawn by unions in fight for MMA in NY
While on Laurence Holmes podcast on the Score on Monday night, he asked me how it was being a woman covering such a male-dominant sport as mixed martial arts. I answered that while there were some problems and I did come up against some jerks from time to time, MMA was fantastic to me. I pointed out that the few jerks were rarely fighters.
So imagine my surprise when I heard from women's groups that I've long respected that the sport I cover is full of negative attitudes against women. As New York debates legislation sanctioning MMA, women's groups have protested because of the "violent nature of MMA."
"Due to the violent nature of mixed martial arts and the surprisingly high incidence of unchallenged sexism and misogyny displayed by certain fighters, commentators and other public figures associated with this sport, the prospect of legalization in New York state raises legitimate concerns about the increased exposure of our children to this new and potentially very negative influence," stated a bill introduced Friday by state Sen. Liz Krueger, who represents much of Manhattan's east side.
Have MMA figures said and done terribly misogynistic things? Absolutely. But so have NFL players. So have NHL players. Both football and hockey also feature violent collisions and catastrophic injuries. Where are the protests to evict the Buffalo Bills or New York Rangers from the state?
UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, who has been lobbying for MMA's sanctioning in New York for years, thinks that these women's groups are being used as a pawn by the Culinary Union.
?It?s actually kind of sad,? Fertitta said. ?These women?s organizations and women?s groups stand for great things ? yet they are being used as a pawn by the Culinary Union.?
The union has a beef with Fertitta and his brother Frank because they own the largest non-union casinos in Las Vegas. The union has contacted women's groups to bring their attention MMA's rise and possible sanctioning in New York. But what would make more sense for the union to focus on is that fighters don't have a collective bargaining agreement and aren't unionized.
Krueger and others have pointed to links between MMA and violence when no such link has been found. There is also no discussion of how MMA has empowered women as fighters, officials, media and fans, or how women have learned self defense techniques at MMA gyms across the country. Invicta FC, a promotion run by a woman that features women's bouts, must have escaped their view.
There are real problems facing women. Sexual violence, domestic abuse, unequal pay, unequal treatment in the workplace, sexual harassment, and many other serious issues face women every day. Let's focus on how we should solve those real issues, and not a sport that has no proven link to any of these problems.
Logan The Pink Pounder Clark Steve The Snake Claveau Rich No Love Clementi Mark The Hammer Coleman
Dana White?s UFC on FX 8 Video Blog
It wouldn?t be a UFC event with a video blog from UFC President Dana White, and your favorite combat sports CEO doesn?t disappoint. The video centers around the backstage happenings during UFC On FOX 7: Henderson Vs Melendez. At the chance you forgot how the card went, it came close to being the card with…
The post Dana White’s UFC on FX 8 Video Blog appeared first on Fighters.com.
UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold Highlight Video
Source: http://www.themmanews.com/ufc-on-fx-belfort-vs-rockhold-highlight-video/
XFC 24 features Scott Holtzman vs. Nick Newell lightweight title bout
Martinsh Egle Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans