So, with this year's Mania Grand Prix finals coming up, I thought it would be in my best interests to make an appearance. I'd hate to Nick Diaz the pre-fight press conference and lose my shot at the title.

P.S. - I am not Motmaitre. I am not Cl4!m3r. I might be Danago, but only if you ask nicely.

P.P.S. - Many thanks to Scotti and his Reveal threads. They were the gift that keeps on giving.

Standard Disclaimers:
** Disclaimer #1 ** I do not work as a graphic designer, so these are not perfect. They are not meant to be, as they are for fun.
** Disclaimer #2 ** These comics are meant for fun only for all of us to have a chuckle over. The are not intended to be offensive.

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones poses in his birthday suit for ESPN Magazine's annual "The Body Isssue" for 2011.

"Bones" is the latest mixed martial artist to join the list of athletes to pose nude, which includes Christiane Santos, Randy Couture and Gina Carano.

If you want to pick up this year's edition, which also features gymnast Alicia Sacramone and soccer player Hope Solo, the magazine hit newsstands this past week.

And now that you've seen this, we just know you're rushing to purchase your very own copy.

Photo taken by Jeff Reidel for ESPN.

Since most of Bloody Elbow's posters have the mentality of a three year old, this comic is a little trip down memory lane to some of our older Maniacs' childhoods.  It doesn't have quite as many personal Maniac shout-outs as previous versions, and unless you're versed in the stuff going on at both BE and Mania, you may not get all the references. That being said, enjoy the comic!  If you are having trouble viewing them due to size, most browsers support zooming via Ctrl +

Standard Disclaimers:
** Disclaimer #1 ** I do not work as a graphic designer, so these are not perfect.  They are not meant to be, as they are for fun.
** Disclaimer #2 ** These comics are meant for fun only for all of us to have a chuckle over.  The are not intended to be offensive.

In honor of the five year anniversary of social media giant Twitter, CNNSI.com has released their "Twitter 100," a list of the top 100 Twitter feeds "considered essential to their daily routine for finding news, information and entertainment from the sports world."

And a couple of noted members of the mixed martial arts community made the cut.

UFC President Dana White, who currently boasts an unbelievable 1,506,163 followers as of this writing, and comedian color commentator Joe Rogan, who enjoys a respectable 401,347 followers of his own.

Of note, White has the 2nd highest number of followers behind only the outspoken and always controversial Cincinnati Bengals NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, who frequently engages in Twitter wars with Octagon stars like Tito Ortiz and Anderson Silva.

That ain't not bad, folks.

The most notable snub was the MMAmania.com Twitter, which is a must follow for any fan of the fight game. If you're not following already (and shame on you if you're not), you can do so by clicking here.

You can also check out the entire list on CNNSI.com by heading here. Feel free to sound off with your own list of "must-follows" in the comments section.

      
It's comic time fight fans!

As Wolfman's fanpost stated, ever so eloquently, the other day:  I challenged him to a Mania Permanent Ban bet based on whose fanpost earned the most rec's.  Apparently, he's already conceded defeat and asked to be banned.  I'll let the mods decide whether or not to delete/hide his comments and posts.

Now that the drama part is done with... Enjoy the comic!  If you are having trouble viewing them due to size, most browsers support zooming via Ctrl +

** Disclaimer #1 ** I do not work as a graphic designer, so these are not perfect.  They are not meant to be, as they are for fun.
** Disclaimer #2 ** These comics are meant for fun only for all of us to have a chuckle over.  The are not intended to be offensive.

 Reports are coming in that Brock Lesnar will be drastically changing up his training camp and sparring partners for his stint on TUF and subsequent number one contenders fight with Junior Dos Santos.  In this 4th volume of the Pain Train comics I have provided secret insight to how Brock came to a decision to include regular posters from MMAMania.com in his camp.  Hope everyone enjoys!

** Disclaimer #1 ** I do not work as a graphic designer, so these are not perfect.  They are not meant to be, as they are for fun.
** Disclaimer #2 ** These comics are meant for fun only for all of us to have a chuckle over.  The are not intended to be offensive.

Normally I loathe to direct traffic away from Mania, but since this has the opportunity to benefit Maniacs who live in the area I figured I would pass it along.

Middleeasy.com is hosting a contest in which you can create a Strikeforce poster for this event using only crayons.  Winners get a pair of tickets to the event.  You can check out the rules there.  There are only a couple of entries so you have a good shot of winning.

I entered for fun (not for the tickets), since I fancy myself as a bit of an artist, just so I could see what I could do with crayons.  So even if you're not interested in the tickets you can go check out my art and support a fellow Maniac.  [End of shameless self-promotion.]

Here's the link:

http://middleeasy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3723

As has been well documented, the UFC runs a tight ship regarding sponsorship.  This includes, of course, what sponsors a fighter may use.  This policy directly impacts the income generated by veteran and blossoming talent alike.  It may be only a matter of time before we see a similar model implemented in other organizations such as Strikeforce.  Further dampened by the current economic woes, fighters are extending themselves beyond the normal t-shirt and energy drink sponsors in order to make some money to pay for training camps.  

Imagine with me for a moment (via the wonders of Photoshop) the time in which the fighters whom we discuss so frequently here on Mania sign deals with major cologne and perfume companies... the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

 Even though the fight between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velaquez is a ways away, I decided to create a 3rd volume as a follow up to my first two comics.  It's a break from the norm as it covers more current events on Mania than following the previous Pain Train vs. ABM standard.  Without a clear ABM target this time around I went with more of a super hero look to this one.  Hope everyone enjoys!

** Disclaimer #1 ** I do not work as a graphic designer, so these are not perfect.  They are not meant to be, as they are for fun.
** Disclaimer #2 ** These comics are meant for fun only for all of us to have a chuckle over.  The are not intended to be offensive.

Due to popular demand, and in anticipation if the upcoming fight between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.  I created a 2nd volume as a follow up to my first comic.  It takes place directly after the events of the first one (so if you have not seen it yet, you can find it here: http://www.mmamania.com/2010/4/20/1432020/the-pain-train-pre-emptive-strike. )  However, because I am an admitted geek, I went with more of a sci-fi feel to this one.  Hope everyone enjoys!

** Disclaimer #1 ** I do not work as a graphic designer, so these are not perfect.  They are not meant to be, as they are for fun.
** Disclaimer #2 ** These comics are meant for fun only for all of us to have a chuckle over.  The are not intended to be offensive.

Knowing that the AMB plans to release additional anti-Brock propaganda, I felt it was important that the Pain Train also generate a bit of media to counteract this ploy.  The following comics were whipped up today for that purpose.  ** Disclaimer #1 ** I do not work as a graphic designer, so these are likely to be of lower quality than Striker Dave's.  ** Disclaimer #2 ** These comics are meant for fun only for all of us to have a chuckle over.  The are not intended to be offensive.