via www.fightlockdown.com

Hey BE, I haven't contributed anything here in a while and figured I would share the latest installment of our site's Verdict series with you, as it has generated some really interesting discussion within our community. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, basically three of the writers at FightLockdown score a controversially scored bout and breakdown the rationale behind scoring each round the way we did. At the end, we compare our scorecards with the official judges scorecards and try to draw noteworthy distinctions.

Please contribute your thoughts below, as I appreciate the wealth of knowledge this community holds. I look forward to reading your criticisms/scorecards below! All the best in 2011.

This past weekend, we brought in the New Year with a highly entertaining lightweight fight that was decided by a controversial decision. Gray Maynard/Frankie Edgar 2 was a much better contest than most had expected it to be, which made it enjoyable to watch, but a challenge to score. Enter FLD’s part-time MMA judges, Miles Hackett, Jack Barrington, and Brad Taschuk, who will welcome 2011 with the third installment of our highly vaunted FightLockdown Verdict. Read over their scorecards and decide for yourself which writer’s verdict you agree with most, after the break!

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As UFC 118 draws nearer, I figured it was the opportune time to make a tribute to BJ Penn, one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. Hopefully this highlight can generate further discussion and anticipation surrounding the rematch between himself and Frankie Edgar which we will be lucky enough to witness in a few weeks time!

Let me know what you think down below and if you like what you saw, check out my other highlights which have been added underneath! Also, feel free to make suggestions with regard to which fighters/MMA-related themes you would like me to create highlights for next! Thanks as always for your feedback and comments BE, cheers!

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Hey guys, just figured I would share our take of tomorrow night's event with you. Let us know what you think of the fights below, we love reading your takes! Cheers.

This Saturday, live on CBS from Nashville, Tennessee, Strikeforce brings us a sexy card with, incredibly, three title fights. As always, FLD is bringing you your expected forecast, with tonight’s panel consisting of Joshua Taylor, Jamie Hughes, Brad Taschuk, Jack Barrington, and Miles Hackett. Find out what these self-proclaimed MMA oracles have to say, after the break!

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Hey guys, as always your pals over at FLD are tryng to find ways to generating interesting discussion, and we do it this time in the form of a newly featured series on our ever-growing site. Introducing "the FightLockdown Verdict", a series that will pit three of our writers as judges of mixed martial arts bouts, scoring contests using the 10-points must system as they feel appropriate. Kicking-off this new series will be this past weekend's hotly contested LW title bout between BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar, which Jack Barrington, Brad Taschuk, and Miles Hackett will breakdown with their own scoring. 

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via www.fightlockdown.com

I really enjoyed reading this piece because it addresses an interesting, but often overlooked subject in the MMA world, so I felt you guys would appreciate it as well. It was written by Brad Taschuk of FLD, not me, so any comments, praise, or criticism should be directed towards him in the comments! 

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[Note: This is a bit dated now, but I never posted it here when I first published it, so I figure you will still find it to be of interest. Sorry about the formatting, I still don't quite get how to place pictures with the BE set-up.]

via www.fightlockdown.com

It’s often the case that our attention as rabid MMA fans becomes so unwaveringly fixated upon the athletes, the promotions, and the upcoming fights we are eagerly anticipating, that we absent-mindedly overlook the sources of the stories that feed our unquenchable thirst for knowledge. The MMA media machine’s inner workings are generally unexplored or mysterious to the outsider, but there are some figures out there that haved managed to successfully attach a human face to it. Perhaps the most recognizable of all these figures is Ariel Helwani, whose name has become associated with high quality journalism, namely because he asks the tough questions and expresses the concerns of the the hardcore audience better than anyone else in the business. Ariel took the time to answer some questions regarding his rise within the MMA media and his passion for the sport, find out exactly why he is worth following, after the jump!

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Hey guys, it's been a while since I've made a fanpost, I hope you are all well. 

As you all know, at the end of this month, former PRIDE LW champion, Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi will be making his debut at UFN 21 against Kenny Florian. I felt that the timing was perfect to introduce him to new MMA fans, or re-excite older fans about his arrival with a video tribute to his amazing run through PRIDE. Hopefully we get to see Gomi return to form on the 31st!

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We recently did an interview with Gesias, here's what he had to say:

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Hey guys, it's Miles from FightLockdown.com. I just wanted to bring to your attention a documentary on Jens Pulver that is in the planning stages, a documentary that is in desperate need of funding. As many of you know, Jens Pulver's life is an inspirational story, one that shouldn't just be heard by MMA fans, but anyone who has a beating heart. This documentary aims to cover the remaining time leading up to Pulver's very last, upcoming fight. Check out the trailer (by following the link below) and please donate whatever amount you can to ensure that this documentary is made. More details, after the jump!

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I wrote this article today for the site I work for, I figured I'd post it here as well because I enjoy reading feedback and comments from others at bloodyelbow. I'm new to fanposting, so please be patient with my formatting here! Thanks guys.

The issue of weight-cutting as a ‘quick fix' to a fighter's divisional troubles came to me as an interesting subject for discussion following B.J. Penn's destruction of Diego Sanchez at UFC 107. Not to take anything away from Penn's phenomenal performance, but it's hard for me to sit back and honestly say that Diego Sanchez's transition to 155 has been a wise move for his career. Sanchez's drop was inspired by two back-to-back defeats and the allure of physical advantages (strength and conditioning) he would supposedly hold over his fellow competitors at lightweight. But where have those advantages been displayed? Certainly not in his last three fights, which I will get to, but first, let's take a stroll down memory lane.

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