via media.heavy.com

If you are an MMA fan and don't get Fuel TV there is a sadness in my heart for you. We all knew that the new Fox deal would come with many benefits for fans. The free PPV quality shows on the network is just the icing on the cake. What the UFC has with Fuel TV is as close as they have come to having their own network and it is fantastic.

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Major League Baseball arguably has the most powerful union in all of sports. During the last strike, that cut short the 1994 season, the union broke the owners, which almost never happens. Ever since that debacle for MLB and its owners the concurrent CBA deals went off with little fanfare. Till this year. Over the weekend sources confirmed that for the first time major league payers will be required to submit to blood tests for enhancement drugs undetectable in urine testing. Why would the players make this unprecedented agreement to become the first major North American sports league to require blood testing? Because it is better for them and the game. Since Jose Canseco started "outing players" to the Mitchel Report and finally the slow leak of high level players like Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez getting exposed baseball has been under the cloud of "The Steroid Era". An era that every accomplishment, every record, every win will forever have an asterisk next to it. By allowing blood testing the players officially put an end to this era on the first day of Spring Training when they submit their first blood tests.

If you were an alien who came to Earth just to observe its sports and studied the history of PED's usage, particularly in North America, you would be flabbergasted that baseball, an almost entirely non-violent sport, was the first to require blanket blood testing. Incredibly violent sports like hockey, the NFL, boxing, MMA all largely have no blood testing required. The NFL players came close to ratifying an agreement for blood testing but balked at the last minute. Now that the precedent has been set, now that a major sports league has made it a requirement to have its players submit to blood testing the pressure will be on for the other sports leagues to follow suit, I believe this will especially be the case for MMA and the UFC. The UFC is entering an incredibly important stage in their existence. The FOX deal puts them under a microscope in a way they have never been. We know this issue has been up to the commissions in the past and some have taken steps requiring fighters submit themselves to blood tests. The other states should follow suit and the UFC should put pressure on for them to do so. If the state does not require the testing then the UFC should do it themselves and have it be handled by independent labs.

The UFC has done a marvelous job becoming "THE" MMA brand in North America. They have grown the sport in leaps and bounds and at fortuitous moments made key acquisitions to maintain that position. Becoming a leader of a sport also makes you its custodian. Dana can no longer hide behind the commissions on this issue when the sport is now being displayed on the biggest stage it will be here in the States. The UFC must lead on this issue. If they do I think it will do wonders for their image to the new group of fans they might attract with the FOX deal. That is going to become paramount and the real question I have is similar to the NFL players who balked at the last minute. What are you afraid of?

I'm a fan of Lyoto Machida. I enjoy watching him employ his style in a fight. When he gets on his bicycle, and starts to move in and out with powerful strikes, he is as dangerous as they come. For some time fighters were mystified with his version of karate in the cage and the success came in bunches. But, something happened along the way. He got figured out. Shogun, after nearly defeating Lyoto in their first fight, found the strategy to beat Machida. Rampage tore a page directly out of Shogun's book and cut off the cage while he pursued Machida to a narrow victory. It became more difficult for Machida to move in and out with strikes and he became beatable. I want to say that Jones will be one of those mystified by Machida's style, that once in the clinch Machida's sumo background will give him the advantage. I want to say that Jones' inexperience will lead to his downfall in this fight against the Shotokan urine imbibing master. I just can't.

via i758.photobucket.com

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I can remember the moment clearly. It wasn't that long ago but it was still a moment you remember. A week before one of the greatest eras a fighter in MMA ever experienced officially ended another was being jump started. Jon Jones just finished dismantling Ryan Bader. The word had already spread, but the moment Dana and Shogun stepped in to the Octagon to offer this spectacle of a young fighter the chance of his lifetime, the Jones era had begun and it was seeped with drama. It was meant to. This was a long time in the making, the Jon Jones era was being created.

via cdn0.sbnation.com

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Last night's Stikeforce event certainly lived up to its hype. It was a stacked card from start to finish and it delivered. Yes, there were upsets and surprises but the thing that is most surprising to me is going over some of the comments and articles from the MMA community in regards to last night's card. Wow! Now there are some doozies. If you were brand new to MMA and followed the reactions from last night you would think that Antonio Silva is a can, Jacare Souza doesn't belong in the top 10, hell, top 15 middleweights, Daniel Cormier is really the incarnation of Kratos the God of War, AKA has been handed the secret scrolls of MMA fighting from Pai Mei, Roger Gracie was retired if not murdered, and well, Josh Barnett, he had it easy. Let's settle down for a moment and take all things into perspective.

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Nick Diaz has a problem and it is serious. We can all sit behind our keyboards and call him a bum, unprofessional, scared, whatever. It's none of those things. He has severe anxiety issues, crippling even, and it is getting worse, as anxiety issues do if they are left unchecked. I'm not licensed but I have done plenty of research and have dealt with anxiety both personally and with others in my life, some of them who can reach Nick's level of crippling anxiety. After the jump let's dig in a little further. What is Social Anxiety?

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Day by day, Strikeforce is undergoing a dramatic facelift. Some say this is the last throws of a dying organization. I'm not totally sold on that yet, but let's say it is. Today, an organization, with some money and chutzpah behind them, could pick up Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson, Jon Olav Einemo, and Marloes Coenen. All recently made free agents. In the near future you can probably count on guys like Gegard Mousasi, Sergei Kharitonov, Paul Daley, Nate Marquardt, Josh Barnett, Satoshi Ishii, and Roger Gracie becoming free agents for various reasons if Strikeforce is shut down. I would even say you might be able to bring Jacare, Gina, the Cyborgs, and Cung Le. Throw in a handful of the lightweights, like Fodor or Masvidal, that while are very talented just don't have a place in the jam packed UFC lightweight division, and work them against the Aoki and Kawajiri's of the world. Be smart and vigilant in your free agent signings and very quickly you can have a strong, viable second tier organization operating here in the States. So, who are the players that have the ability to pull something like this off? Let's take a look.

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The title of this post was the quote from Dana White after Zuffa pulled Overeem from the Gran Prix. Sometimes Dana uses an anvil to make a point and sometimes he uses a scalpel. He could have easily said "When Alistair is healthy..." or "When his toe heels...". No. He made a deliberate point to use the word "pinky toe". That's the little pig that ran all the way home. And in Alistair's case that means Holland, instead of moving on in the Grand Prix. 

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The second half of the year will give us some exciting moments in MMA. We will see Fedor face Hendo, Rampage take on Jones, and finally get to see Cain versus JDS. The action is going to come hard and heavy from July 30th on. But, in the middle of all these incredible MMA events we will see what might be the greatest ADCC World Championship in its history. There is so much to look forward to this year and as the names of competitors are being released I'm salivating for this event. Let's look at what is to come on September 24th and 25th in Nottingham, England.

via prommanow.com

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via www.cdn.sherdog.com

Some of you might be familiar with the heralded coach, Rafael Cordeiro. A gang of the old Chute Box fighters and many others have found a home at Rafael's gym. The fighters who train with him speak with the highest praise about his knowledge and direction. I don't think there is any fighter today who is more associated with Master Cordeiro than Fabricio Werdum. Cordeiro did wonders for Werdum's stand up game, which was once non-existant, Werdum did not return the favor and honor what his teacher imparted to him over the years this past weekend.

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A little more than a week ago I wrote a fanpost about the recent WTA campaign, Strong is Beautiful. In it I highlighted how in marketing and presenting WMMA that it is not only ok, but necessary to show the strength and beauty of WMMA fighters. Let their femininity and passion be a selling point. Since that time the whole motorboating, c*nty swearing incident imploded all over the MMA media and bled out into the mainstream. And it wasn't pretty. Not for the UFC, not for its fans, not for MMA as a whole. Everyone is tired of talking about it but it still stings and still hasn't been handled properly. In light of my last fanpost comparing WTA to WMMA I was brought back to the famous Billie Jean King v Bobby Riggs feud.

Bobby Riggs on 60 Minutes (via BlaoSM)

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A little more than a week ago I wrote a fanpost about the recent WTA campaign, Strong is Beautiful. In it I highlighted how in marketing and presenting WMMA that it is not only ok, but necessary to show the strength and beauty of WMMA fighters. Let their femininity and passion be a selling point. Since that time the whole motorboating, c*nty swearing incident imploded all over the MMA media and bled out into the mainstream. And it wasn't pretty. Not for the UFC, not for its fans, not for MMA as a whole. Everyone is tired of talking about it but it still stings and still hasn't been handled properly. In light of my last fanpost comparing WTA to WMMA I was brought back to the famous Billie Jean King v Bobby Riggs feud.

Bobby Riggs on 60 Minutes (via BlaoSM)

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I just got a message that said
"Yeah, hell has frozen over"
I got a phone call from the Lord
Saying, "Hey, boy, get a sweater right now"

Modest Mouse- Tiny Cities Made of Ashes

I, as many of you probably have, received today's UFC newsletter in my e-mail. Headlining the top of the e-mail was this promo artwork. Never in a million years did I think I would see anything from Zuffa that says M-1 Global presents at the top of the poster, hell surely has frozen over.

via media1.mm.ticketmaster.com

Something else that's pretty amazing about this main event is that Fedor will receive $1.5mm and Hendo will get $800k. That's some coin for the Strikeforce brand.

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Women's MMA has a pretty steep uphill climb to break in to the consciousness of the casual fan. This is not unusual for women's sports. Our US women's hockey, soccer, basketball and softball teams are all extremely competitive, if not dominant. Yet, they barely get noticed. The fairer sex always has a challenge getting sport's fans to pony up their dough. Except for a few exceptions. Kerri Walsh and Misty May garnered the attention of our country for two weeks, even some presidential encouragement, still they have quietly submitted to the background.

via macmystery.files.wordpress.com

But, the sport where women over the years have really taken off is the sport of tennis. An individual sport with powerful women. The WTA has a new campaign that highlights the beauty and strength of their women and it is an an excellent road map for WMMA to follow.

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Women's MMA has a pretty steep uphill climb to break in to the consciousness of the casual fan. This is not unusual for women's sports. Our US women's hockey, soccer, basketball and softball teams are all extremely competitive, if not dominant. Yet, they barely get noticed. The fairer sex always has a challenge getting sport's fans to pony up their dough. Except for a few exceptions. Kerri Walsh and Misty May garnered the attention of our country for two weeks, even some presidential encouragement, still they have quietly submitted to the background.

via macmystery.files.wordpress.com

But, the sport where women over the years have really taken off is the sport of tennis. An individual sport with powerful women. The WTA has a new campaign that highlights the beauty and strength of their women and it is an an excellent road map for WMMA to follow.

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If any of you have spent time on different MMA sites you know that the discourse here at BE is light years better than most sites. It is a relatively troll free environment with some incredibly knowledgeable posters. I learn something new here all the time and I always have a laugh too. I also love how BE self corrects bad trends. RIP sarcasm font. I want to keep that going and have some simple ideas on how to improve the dialogue overall. Let me stress, these are just my opinions. But, as you know, I'm pretty set in my opinions. Here we go.

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Ever since that Saturday morning when we all were shocked to find out that Zuffa purchased Strikeforce, through a newly formed vehicle named Forza, LLC, there has been constant talk about Strikeforce being shuttered immediately and the relevant fighters absorbed post haste. Well, that's not happening, and it won't for another 3 1/2 years, at the earliest. And here are the different reasons why the brand and its Grand Prix are going to continue to go on without a hitch.

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It was a rough week for the preeminent MMA brand, the UFC. Headliner after headliner dropped one by one. The biggest draw the company has ever had, Brock Lesnar, blew up the tepid build TUF provided for his bout with Junior Dos Santos by announcing that he will not be able to compete at UFC 131. Personally, I think he will never fight again, but time will tell. That's for another discussion. So, what we are left with this summer are UFC PPV's with the following main events:

Rampage Jackson vs. Matt Hamill

Junior Dos Santos vs Shane Carwin

Faber vs Cruz 2

Rashad vs Davis (I'll believe it when I see it)

Silva vs Okami

Not bad but nothing earth shaking either. In these tough economic times, I have some advice. Visit the bars for the UFC events you want to see and buy a summer long subscription to SHO while you save up your dough for a Fall/Winter with the UFC that should be spectacular.

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We all witnessed immediately after the GSP/Shields fight an overall cry for a Diaz vs GSP match. Kid Nate wrote an excellent piece detailing the situation. In it we find that both Dana and Lorenzo are pretty fixed on making this happen. Know what that means? It's going to happen. So, how does it happen? Nick is a SHO/Strikeforce fighter. It would make no sense for Forza to burn the bridge with SHO, by finding a way to poach the organization's biggest star, with a contract in place till 2014. They are smart, they will make a deal.

via cdn 0.sbnation.com                                                         via 2.bp.blogspot.com

Dpez71 posted this in the comments section and I think he is on the right track:

Wouldn’t it make sense to make a bit of a trade to keep both parties happy? BJ Penn doesn’t have a huge fight waiting for him in the UFC, send him to fight Gil on Showtime in exchange for Nick fighting GSP. Melendez v Penn would probably do better numbers than Diaz v Woodley, and the UFC gets a monster main event with GSP v Diaz. Win win.

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Last week I wrote a fanpost on TUF and how the show, in its current form, has reached a point where it is hurting the sport, not helping. So, the next logical step in that thought process is what kind of programming would help the sport and be engaging for both hardcore and casual fans. Right now, with the acquisition of Strikeforce by Forza, there are a ton of interesting personalities in the sport with Dana White at the center of it all. Because there are so many actual fights taking place over the course of a year the Zuffa/Forza combo could easily put on a compelling, weekly show that highlights both the personalities and talents of the entire roster.

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via img.foodnetwork.com

First, let me say I love Chicken Salad. I love it in all of its different presentations. Walnuts, cranberries, hot sauce, whatever. I'm down. But, as this season of TUF has unfolded my love for this delicious food has been impacted. What's worse is that this has become the theme of this year's TUF. Chicken shit out of Chicken Salad. TUF, at one time, was a way to bring new fans to MMA and the UFC. Now, with this theme prevailing, and the overall malaise the show has sunk into, I think we can officially state that TUF is going to turn away the casual fan.

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via mmako.tv                                             via www.aceonsports.com

If you recall back in September of last year Manny Pacquiao stated he had a real interest in giving it a go in the MMA world. He also said what we all know, that Bob Arum doesn't want him to, therefor it likely will never happen. But, some things have changed since then. Pacquiaio and his management team moved the star and his PPV bouts over to SHO Sports and Zuffa/Forza purchased Strikeforce. Maybe it makes a bit more sense now than it did in September. It's a long shot but let me lay out how I think it could play out.

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I'm finishing up my day and waiting for what is supposed to be blazing fast technology to give me my outputs to work on over the weekend. So, I thought I would do a lighthearted fan post about Jon Jones' challengers in the future. We are going to see Jones face off against Rashad soon enough and I think he will prevail in that fight. After that, many of the LHW fighters in the UFC don't seem to match up well with Jones. Even Phil Davis gave us all some doubt this past weekend. I believe the challenge for Jones will come from Zuffa's now little adopted brother, Strikeforce. There are four men specifically who I think could give him trouble. Kind of like the legendary Four Horsemen. I am going to compare and contrast using one of the later iterations of the Horsemen (Flair, Arn, Malenko, and Benoit) with the Strikeforce four and we can all see what kind of shot they might have against the current phenom of the UFC.

via i101.photobucket.com

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I'm finishing up my day and waiting for what is supposed to be blazing fast technology to give me my outputs to work on over the weekend. So, I thought I would do a lighthearted fan post about Jon Jones' challengers in the future. We are going to see Jones face off against Rashad soon enough and I think he will prevail in that fight. After that, many of the LHW fighters in the UFC don't seem to match up well with Jones. Even Phil Davis gave us all some doubt this past weekend. I believe the challenge for Jones will come from Zuffa's now little adopted brother, Strikeforce. There are four men specifically who I think could give him trouble. Kind of like the legendary Four Horsemen. I am going to compare and contrast using one of the later iterations of the Horsemen (Flair, Arn, Malenko, and Benoit) with the Strikeforce four and we can all see what kind of shot they might have against the current phenom of the UFC.

via i101.photobucket.com

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