What's up my SBN brethren?

I don't wanna take all day to explain, but this site is looking to take 1-2 new writers/contributors...maybe more if the drive/talent is there.

I can't even explain how much the site has changed since I first started it in July 2008.  Hell, I can't explain how I've changed since that time, I'm older and now will soon have three kids to support when at the time I had just become a new father.  Keeping this site going is hard work, believe you me, and I honestly don't know how we do what we do with such a limited staff.  However, we've gotten it to where it is today, but trust me when I tell you this place is about to explode.  Sooo

If you've ever wanted to write about MMA and actually have people read it....it's time to answer the phone.  This is what you need to do:

1.  Register as a member of this site(if you haven't already).  If you could register with your real name, that would be great but not mandatory.

2.  Begin posting FanShots and most importantly, FanPosts. There is a 75 word minimum to FanPosts, but don't go crazy with a 5 page essay or anything.  As most of you already know, if your post is good and relevant, we'll promote it to the front page.

3.  Email me(kelvinhunt@hotmail.com) with your screen name to tell me you are interested so I'll know who's interested in joining the MMA4Real team.  Also, so I can recognize the fanpost/fanshots you are putting up.

4.  I'll need you to post consistently for about 2 weeks or so.  This'll give me an idea of what you bring to the table in regards to MMA knowledge, writing ability, and how often you'll be posting.

You may ask, what will I get out of it?  Well, the most important thing will be that your work will be read by a lot of people everyday.  People read this site from fighters, trainers, managers, promoters, hardcore fans, casual fans, etc.  Also, we can pretty much get credentialed by ANY promotion out there(except the UFC).  I'm looking for people that are serious and most of all dependable so if you want to go-to local or national shows as a media outlet you'll have the opportunity.  If you've been reading the site, you see that we do a lot of fighter interviews, so you'll have the opportunity to do that as well.  I'll be honest in that fact that this is NOT a paid position, we are working toward that direction...but simply are not there yet. 

In regards to what you post, I don't tell anyone what to write because we all have our own personalities and point of views.  As long as the material is relevant, well written, and discussion oriented you are good to go. 

I have to say that I've had some people in the past to say there were interested in writing, but either never show up or don't deliver on what they say.  Trust me, those are two things I despise so if you fall into either category and/or are not serious then just don't bother.  Whomever we bring on board MUST be dependable. 

I didn't mean to type that much, but if you can't tell...I have a passion for this site to make it the best possible site out there.  I work hard and so should you if you want to join the movement here.  If you have any questions..email me directly. 

What's up my SBN brethren?

I don't wanna take all day to explain, but this site is looking to take 1-2 new writers/contributors...maybe more if the drive/talent is there.

I can't even explain how much the site has changed since I first started it in July 2008.  Hell, I can't explain how I've changed since that time, I'm older and now will soon have three kids to support when at the time I had just become a new father.  Keeping this site going is hard work, believe you me, and I honestly don't know how we do what we do with such a limited staff.  However, we've gotten it to where it is today, but trust me when I tell you this place is about to explode.  Sooo

If you've ever wanted to write about MMA and actually have people read it....it's time to answer the phone.  This is what you need to do:

1.  Register as a member of this site(if you haven't already).  If you could register with your real name, that would be great but not mandatory.

2.  Begin posting FanShots and most importantly, FanPosts. There is a 75 word minimum to FanPosts, but don't go crazy with a 5 page essay or anything.  As most of you already know, if your post is good and relevant, we'll promote it to the front page.

3.  Email me(kelvinhunt@hotmail.com) with your screen name to tell me you are interested so I'll know who's interested in joining the MMA4Real team.  Also, so I can recognize the fanpost/fanshots you are putting up.

4.  I'll need you to post consistently for about 2 weeks or so.  This'll give me an idea of what you bring to the table in regards to MMA knowledge, writing ability, and how often you'll be posting.

You may ask, what will I get out of it?  Well, the most important thing will be that your work will be read by a lot of people everyday.  People read this site from fighters, trainers, managers, promoters, hardcore fans, casual fans, etc.  Also, we can pretty much get credentialed by ANY promotion out there(except the UFC).  I'm looking for people that are serious and most of all dependable so if you want to go-to local or national shows as a media outlet you'll have the opportunity.  If you've been reading the site, you see that we do a lot of fighter interviews, so you'll have the opportunity to do that as well.  I'll be honest in that fact that this is NOT a paid position, we are working toward that direction...but simply are not there yet. 

In regards to what you post, I don't tell anyone what to write because we all have our own personalities and point of views.  As long as the material is relevant, well written, and discussion oriented you are good to go. 

I have to say that I've had some people in the past to say there were interested in writing, but either never show up or don't deliver on what they say.  Trust me, those are two things I despise so if you fall into either category and/or are not serious then just don't bother.  Whomever we bring on board MUST be dependable. 

I didn't mean to type that much, but if you can't tell...I have a passion for this site to make it the best possible site out there.  I work hard and so should you if you want to join the movement here.  If you have any questions..email me directly. 

This is my first fanpost here, but I'm a mixed martial arts blogger here on the SBN network.  I must say that TN is the best college football site I've ever come across and I've been coming here for a while now being that I'm a die hard Seminole fan.  I reside in North Carolina, but I'm Native American, hence my allegiance to the Noles.  I'm just as sick about this season as all of you that come to this site everyday.  However, as bad as this season has been, it could have been a lot worse or a lot better depending on how you look at things.  Check out some interesting points below:

1.  Of the 6 losses, 3 of them were only by 6pts or less.

2.  FSU could have just as easily gone 9-3 with this excuse for a defense while playing the 3rd toughest schedule in the nation.  Then one of those 3 losses belongs to South Florida...enough said.

3.  On the flipside, FSU could have easily been 2-10 at this point with potential losses to UNC, NCSU, Maryland, and the dreadful Jacksonville St. game. 

4.  The offense(with all of the starters present) is definitely elite status and it was good to get EJ some playing time.  That will be invaluable when he eventually becomes the starter.

5.  The defense gave up 31 pts per game on average this year.  We do have good athletes on defense.  If the new DC(whomever it may be) can get that average to say 21 pts per game then things will definitely be looking up for the Noles in 2010.

6.  Korey Mangum will not be back next year :)

Join Matt Bishop and Forrest Lynn at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Thursday for another edition of Lights Out Radio. They'll talk the latest in MMA and will be joined by rising star Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, who'll fight Mark Kerr next weekend at M-1 Global: Breakthrough, in the first hour.

Also on the docket: the future of women's MMA in the United States and will discuss the fallout from Saturday's Strikeforce card.

If you have questions for Lawal, you can leave them in this post and we'll do our best to get to as many as we can on the air.

To call in, dial (347) 202-0934 or send e-mails to bishop@lightsoutradio.com.

Photo Courtesy of Esther Lin

Zach Arnold talks about how Barnett could fight in Japan in November, and how the media there could be a problem for him in regards to his third positive drug test:

At the press conference, Takahiro Kokuho (the main boss of Sengoku) said that he was skeptical about what happened with Barnett’s test result in California given the problems J-ROCK had in Californiawith Kazuhiro Nakamura testing positive for marijuanaand what he deemed a lack of transprency with the way drug testing is handled in California. Kokuho said that he wants Sengoku to be the ’standard bearer’ for anti-doping practices in Japanese MMA with the help of the JADA (Japan Anti-Doping Agency) and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).

Now, I wouldn't argue the point that Kakuho is trying to make here because there does seem to be an abnormal amount of positive drug tests in California when compared to Nevada or any other major commissions.  It's great that the Japanese are going to start drug testing their fighters.  My question is, why haven't they being doing this all along?

You can check out the rest at MMA4Real.

As you may or may not know, MMA4Real covers the local/regional scene as well as the major events.  We had a chance to catch up with one of North Carolina's best young pro's this past week and he gave us his thoughts on how he got into MMA, winning the Carolina Fight Promotions Welterweight Title, career goals and more.  Jake's story is a prime example of what fighters that make it to the top have to go through to make it there.  So make sure you support your local/regional scene where ever that is. 

Jake Whitfield is a very accomplished jiu-jitsu competitor that has recently translated his skills into the pro ranks of mixed martial arts. Jake began training in jiu-jitsu when he was 16 years old. Before entering the cage, Jake had quickly made a name for himself on the grappling circuit. In 2003, at only the age of 18, he became the North American Grappling Association (NAGA) world champion in the 170 pound Advanced Division. Since then he has also added many other grappling tournament championships to his resume and has even earned his brown belt under former UFC champion Royce Gracie. Jake has made a name for himself as a talented instructor at Triangle Jiu-Jitsu in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The 24 year old also owns a 2-1 professional record that followed a 6-0 amateur run. He recently added some hardware to his collection for the first time as a professional fighter when he claimed the CFP Welterweight Title in June with a victory over Roger Carroll. I recently caught up with Jake to find out more about this exciting fighter that is also considered to be one of the top young jiu-jitsu instructors in the state of North Carolina.

Rich Wyatt: How did you first get into training jiu-jitsu and, eventually, MMA?

Jake Whitfield: I started martial arts when I was 6 years old taking American karate from Jessie Bowen at Karate International in Durham. When I was 8, he invited the students over to his house to watch this pay-per-view thing that he had seen advertised in Black Belt magazine. That pay-per-view thing turned out to be the very first UFC. That night I watched Royce just run through everybody and I knew that I wanted to learn that Gracie jiu-jitsu stuff. After the UFC, one of the instructors at the karate school ordered the Gracie basics and started a little ground fighting class. It wasn't much but it got my feet wet and got me interested. When I got to middle school I ordered Carlson Jr's tape set. Looking back on it, those tapes were horrible but it was another step. Me and a couple of the other younger black belts started our own little fight club. We'd get together and learn from the tapes and spar. Then in eighth grade I started wrestling. I wrestled all the way through middle school and high school. I was a good wrestler but definitely not great. I'm honestly not a natural athlete and that hurt me a lot but it also hurt me that I was only wrestling because I didn't know where to train jiu-jitsu. After my junior year I got a flyer for a local BJJ tournament and I decided to do it. I'd been competing in karate for ten years and been wrestling for four so I was already comfortable competing. I really thought I'd do well, I had no idea how little I knew. I won my first match basically off of takedowns and scrambling then got triangled in my next match. After the tournament Spencer from Team-ROC approached me and told me that I should train with them. So I started training at the old Hillsboro Team ROC school. Spencer was my first real teacher then later Greg too (when I started Greg was out west working with the air marshalls). I trained with them four or five hours a day every day and they helped me progress really quickly. Sometimes I would even skip school to train. I think I made the right choice. (Laughs) Thanks to that training I got my blue belt in six months. I started fighting MMA a year after I got my blue belt and then got my purple belt a little less than two years after I got my blue. That's where my training with Greg and Spencer really stopped. I only rolled with those two maybe three times each since I got my purple in 2004. Since then I've trained more with Jason Culbreth and Billy Dowey and Royce and Rodrigo.

 

Check out the rest at MMA4Real.

Cross posted at MMA4Real.

Is money tight and you don't want to spend the $44.95 or $54.95(HD Version) for the historic UFC 100 event this weekend?  No worries if you live in North Carolina the places to watch UFC 100 are listed below:

1. Rudino s Sports Porch @ Apex Apex NC 919 363-1899
2.  Buffalo Wild Wings @ Burlington Burlington NC 336 538-6968
3. Hooters @ Burlington Burlington NC 336 538-9688
4. Buffalo Wild Wings @ Charlotte(Matthews) Charlotte NC 704 849-9464
5.  Buffalo Wild Wings @ Charlotte/McCullough Charlotte NC 704 510-1545
6.  Hooters @ Charlotte Charlotte NC 704 333 4566
7. Hooters @ South Charlotte Charlotte NC 704 643-2044
8.  Cunninghams Recreation Center @ Roadhouse Cherry Point NC 252 466-3027
9. Buffalo Wild Wings @ Concord Concord NC 952 593 9943
10.  Hooters @ Concord Concord NC 704 979 0130
11. Buffalo Wild Wings @ Fayetteville/NC Fayetteville NC 910 868 1561
12. Hooters @ Fayetteville NC Fayetteville NC 910 868 0700
13. Buffalo Wild Wings @ Garner Garner NC 919 661 5238
14.  Hooters @ Gastonia Gastonia NC 704 823 0025
15. Jack Rabbits Bar And Grill Gastonia NC 704 864-2102
16. Christies @ Greensboro Greensboro NC 336 855-9024
17. Hams Restaurant - Brassfield Greensboro NC 336 288-3334
18.  Hooters @ Greensboro Greensboro NC 336 852-4600
19. Buffalo Wild Wings @ Greenville Greenville NC 252 758-9191
20. Hooters @ Greenville Greenville NC 252 353-5995
21.  Buffalo Wild Wings @ Hickory Hickory NC 828 327-9464
22.  Hooters @ Hickory Hickory NC 828 324 0116
23.  Buffalo Wild Wings @ High Point High Point NC 336 841-4050
24. Hams Restaurant - Palladium High Point NC 336 887-2434
25.  Hooters @ High Point Highpoint NC 336 882 4668
26. Hooters @ Jacksonville, NC Jacksonville NC 910 346-9464
27.  Buffalo Wild Wings @ Knightdale Knightdale NC 919 217-2559
28. Hooters @ Lake Norman Mooresville NC 704 663-5398
29.  Hooters @ Raleigh Airport Morrisville NC 919 469-2900
30. Hooters @ Raleigh Raleigh NC 919 850 9882
31. Buffalo Wild Wings @ Wilmington Wilmington NC 910 798-9464
32.  Buffalo Wild Wings @ Wilmington (Monkey Junction) Wilmington NC 910 392-7224
33.  Hooters @ Wilmington Wilmington NC 910 791 0799
34.  Hooters @ Winston Salem Winston Salem NC 336 760 4300
35.  Buffalo Wild Wings @ Winston-Salem Winston-Salem NC 336 760 9233

I'll more than likely be at the Hooter's in Raleigh(#30) since my sister in law is getting married that day and I'll be near that spot for the reception.  So if you live in North Carolina and will be in the area, holla at me in the comments section.  If you live in other states, you can find out where to watch UFC 100 here.

Promoted from the FanPosts by Kid Nate

Cross posted at MMA4Real.

I wrote a while ago about why I thought Zuffa should come back to North Carolina after how successful the UFC: Fight For The Troops event had been.  I spoke about the huge military presence we have in the state. Not only that, but it's a great central location for East coast fans.  The East coast fans seem to get forgotten about at times, but when the UFC does come, we come out in droves.  Often to somewhat less stacked events than our Western counterparts get to witness.  However, we were treated to UFC 88 last year in Atlanta, GA, which I had the honor of attending (it was a great card).  That event (with no title fight) had almost 15,000 fans in attendance with a gate of over 2.5 million dollars.  UFC 78 also sported similar numbers emanating from New Jersey, in what most people thought to be a lackluster card.  Ultimate Fight Night 17 was held in Florida and had close to 8,000 fans in attendance with a gate of close to $450,000.

Now MMAJunkie is reporting in regards to UFC 101 (which will take place in Pennsylvania) that UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner has the following to say:

"We put tickets on sale, I believe sometime at the end of April or early May, and we've sold almost 14,000 tickets," Ratner said. "It's the biggest event in Pennsylvania history, as far as a live gate, already."  "We've sold over $3 million worth of tickets," Ratner said of UFC 101.

So that event is already over $3 million dollars at the gate, and it's still over a month away?  On paper, this event is looking really solid with the UFC lightweight title on the line between Kenny Florian and BJ Penn.  Also, Anderson Silva will take on former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.  The rest of the card will feature what should be solid fights.  So the proof is in the pudding: if East coast fans are given the same quality as the West coast fans, there's no reason why Zuffa shouldn't be coming to the East coast more often...coughs...North Carolina :)

Cross posted at MMA4Real.

UPDATE (by Kid Nate): While we're talking about big time MMA on the East coast, I thought I'd jump in and add a couple of thing to this post from my fellow SB Nation MMA blogger Zak Woods at Watch Kalib Run has been OWNING the story of the attempt to pass regulation in NY. He's also got some insight on why the Philly UFC is selling so well.

• Cup of Coffee sets off legal challenges in New York State Senate
• MMA Weekly is way too optimistic about New York and MMA
• Two weeks left...
• New York to take up MMA legislation: WKR cautions patience
• Don’t hold your breath on MMA in New York
• Weighing In: Big Issues

From that last one, dated January 21, 2009, when most authorities were saying the UFC was going to succeed in getting regulation passed in New York in 2009, here's what the WKR crew was saying:

Will MMA become legalized in New York in 2009?

ZW: No, but it will be close. The New York Assembly is notorious for being bogged down in deadlock. With a 15 billion dollar deficit over the next two years, that they are required by law to balance, it will take up a lot of legislative hours. Not a big deal with 12 months right to pass legislation right? Wrong, the Assembly ends its session in June. So while MMA legislation might get out of committee, I don't think it will pass the floor and be signed into law by June. But I am a big pessimist.


MC: As a lifelong New York resident, this is a deeply personal issue for me, because I'd love to head to Madison Square Garden for a UFC event. However, I doubt it will happen. The gears in Albany move extremely slowly and the UFC simply doesn't have the allies here to make it happen yet.

My advice to Zuffa - get labor and the NY tourism industry and labor on your side. People plan entire vacations around UFC events, and that means business for hotels, restaurants, shops, and hot dog vendors.

The UFC's top public affairs guy is still holding out hope for NY this year, but it doesn't look good.