via www.trxtraining.com

 

Fernando Yamasaki just halted the Shane Roller fight due to a "verbal tap" to an un-extended arm bar in the first controversial stoppage of the night.

Earlier, Joe Rogan asked if Fernando was the brother of well-known UFC ref Mario Yamasaki.

"He even sounds like him," Rogan exclaimed after Fernando started the fight.

The answer is yes, Fernando is Mario's lesser known brother, and that's just the beginning of the famed Yamasaki clan.

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Perhaps the most interesting development to emerge from UFC on Versus 4 is the value of the walk-off KO.

Traditionally, fighters have been encouraged to jump on a prone opponent and keep pounding on them. Not pouncing has been compared to standing and watching to see if the baseball clears the fence when you should be dashing around the bases in case it doesn't.

But Matt Mitrione showed us the value of the walk-away--and Pat Berry showed us the danger of not pausing to let the referee stop the fight when you have your opponent badly hurt.

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via middleeasy.com

 

There's been an ongoing discussion on this board about bloggers and journalists, and whether some MMA sites benefit by trading favorable coverage of the UFC in exchange for access, in violation of the normal rules of journalistic objectivity.

Today, however, I saw a flat-out example of graft in the MMA media that would get any self-respecting journalist fired from an outlet like the New York Times or the Washington Post. It appears that a Middle Easy writer accepted $2,000 in free roll money in exchange for free advertising and acting as a spokesman for online gambling site BetDSI.

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via i.thisis.co.uk

After enjoying the Bro Hug post today, I went in search of facts to back up the wild emotional arguments that had bubbled up from the Bloody Elbow community.

And boy, did I find a story!

It turns out Snowden was onto something--it was just the tip of the iceberg! Hugging has infected the MMA community like never before.

Would you believe two MMA students are out to break the Guinness Record for longest hug?

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via rockysworlds.com

 

It used to be that a trilogy was something special in the UFC, reserved for equally matched opponents who have edge-of-your-seat exciting fights. (See: Chuck vs. Randy)

Nowadays, it's starting to seem like every other fight angles to become a trilogy. Whether it's because of bad judging, trash-talking, or lack of marquee match-ups, there has been a notable increase in rematches, and it's not always for the good.

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This Fan Post was promoted to the front page by Nick Thomas.

The UFC just sent out an official media notice that Dana White would make a "major announcement" on Thursday:

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is holding a media conference call in which UFC President Dana White will make a major announcement. The conference call will take place Thursday, October 28th starting at 10:00am PT/1:00pm ET.

So what will it be? This could be about Carwin pulling out of his fight. Maybe Brock is retiring. Or maybe the WEC merger is finally happening.

In the past, White has often let down fans with his declarations of major announcements. One of his "stunning" announcements was that Vuvuzelas were being banned from UFC events.

via www.cagedinsider.com

I can hardly believe what I just saw.

Anderson Silva was dominated for 4 1/2 rounds and then found a triangle to win.

I'm so excited I can barely form coherent thoughts, but we have a lot to discuss so here are a few talking points. I look forward to seeing your thoughts.

Poll

Should there be an immediate rematch?

57%

Yes, this fight was way too close.

106 votes

42%

No, I'd like to see Anderson fight someone else first.

79 votes

185 votes | Poll has closed

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via media.ufc.tv

 

When I watched the fight between Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie over in Abu Dhabi, I found myself gnashing my teeth. These guys were taking "sportsmanship" to the next level. Not only were they touching gloves, they were acting like long-lost cousins!

Although I know it wasn't one, it gave me the same queasy feeling I get about "worked" fights. Yes, there's a world of difference between a pre-determined outcome and just taking it easy on a guy because you respect him, but it's not that far away from Sean Salmon tapping because he had more important things to do in a few weeks.

This queasy feeling hit me again this weekend watching Pat Barry's man-love for Cro-Cop. In the first round, Barry had two opportunity to finish his opponent, and in both cases, let him gather his senses.

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via 2.bp.blogspot.com

 

There is plenty of blame to go around. Rather than point it all in one direction, I decided to come up with a realistic apportionment of it, in line with the statistical analysis of the pound for pound rankings.

66.6% The Super Diaz Bros: Not since Mario and Luigi has a pair of siblings been as wantonly destructive as this. Holding somebody down while your boys put the boots to him is just straight-up thuggery. The Diaz Bros. have finally gone too far and it's time for athletic commissions and the promotions (both Strikeforce and UFC) to ban them from the sport in punishment for at least a year.

13.4% Mayhem Miller: No, this incident was not comparable to the UFC's scripted post-match hype showdowns by GSP or Brock Lesnar. This is more equivalent to a fan running into the ring or streaking across the baseball field. It was a bid for attention by a guy who was mad that his squash match didn't get shown on national TV. Mayhem abused his position as Hendo's cornerman and should not be allowed to serve as such in the next event. (Side note: Anybody know if he suffered any serious injuries from getting stomped by the Super Diaz Bros.?)

So who makes up the other 20% of the blame?

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via thebestten.files.wordpress.com

What we saw this weekend was unprecedented in the history of our emerging sport, so it deserves our analysis and attention.

Some blame Dana White. Some blame Maia. Some even blame needing to defend a title belt against inferior contenders in the same weight class.

As of late, I have begun to seek analogs in other sports. When you think about it this way, it clearly shows Anderson Silva is solely at fault for UFC 112: Unwatchable.

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via urdirt.com

The above photo is currently on the first page when you type "Marcus Davis" into Google Images.

Davis is currently being put into the stockades and pelted with tomatos for a comment he tweeted on Twitter that pertained to the photoshopped image of him on the above cover.

It seems all of MMA fandom instantly leaped to consensus that Davis is a major douche. So I'm going to be the contrarian and argue that Davis is right.

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Have you seen the viral video of New Mexico women's soccer player Elizabeth Lambert beating the holy hell out of BYU? The announcer on ESPN even says it has some "MMA qualities to it." I think this should immediately be capitalized upon by Strikeforce and sign Ms. Lambert up for a fight against either Cyborg or Gina Carano. People would tune in to see her get her just desserts for the cheap shots. She could be the new Kimbo Slice. Make it happen, Coker!

 

Brett Rogers has very much been in Fedor's shadow during the promotion of Saturday's event. That's to be expected--Fedor is much more of a known commodity, and he is the oddsmaker's favorite to win the fight, which could be a star-making coming out party for the Russian.

But Rogers has a pretty interesting story himself. He lives and trains in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the City Pages just published a lengthy profile that serves as a good get-to-know-you brief on the other guy in the fight. Excerpts:

"The storyline looks like Ivan Drago versus Rocky," says Mike Afromowitz, a spokesman for Strikeforce, co-promoter of the bout. "But it's more than that. It's two guys who walked two different paths. Now, they are going to meet in what I think will be one barnburner of a fight."

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via cache.gawker.com

The first screenshots of EA's new MMA game appear in Sports Illustrated this week (anybody got a sub?) but one screenshot has been posted on Facebook by EA Sports and is currently featured on videogame blog Kotaku. It shows Fedor arm-barring a character that I would guess is Randy Couture.

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This Fan Post was promoted to the front page by Nick Thomas.

danawhiteufc: Sam Stout was very cool during the incident and is a class act!!

That's too bad. I was looking forward to this fight. I hope everything is ok with Phillipe and that we get an update on the underlying cause of seizure. I also hope they can find Stout another fight soon.

UPDATE [from Luke Thomas]: Talk about a string of bad luck for Nover. Here's to hoping he gets the chance to build a career in the UFC.

HT: http://twitter.com/danawhiteufc

I always look forward to the Fridays before major UFC events to see the frontpagers' posts on their bets.

Quite frankly, I consider BE to host the pre-eminent opinions in the MMA world, and if you don't believe me check out this Tweet.

I just locked in my last bet for UFC 102, So I'm gonna throw out the combo, and you guys can argue about what a dumbass I am ...

 

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Frank Fertitta Jr., the founder of Stations Casino and father of UFC owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, has died due to complications from a heart condition. He was 70.

The news broke on Twitter with a post from Goldie at 7:10 p.m.:

MFG16 My thoughts and prayers to the entire family...may Mr Fertitta rest in peace....

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46-6P1Y7665 copy (via showtime_sports)

It is not a polite question, and it is one sure to draw cries of chauvinism, but after last night's Carano vs. Cyborg fight, I have to ask: Is female MMA bad MMA?

Consider:

In a fight for a championship belt, Cyborg TWICE pulled her opponent into FULL MOUNT (the worst possible position) -- something I have seldom (ever?) seen even in a men's pre-card match. This is pretty much the WORST THING YOU CAN DO. You have taken an offensively advantageous position--double underhooks--and used it to transition to a completely one-sided position for your opponent that is often a fight ender.

The only reason that in this case, it wasn't a fight ender (TWICE) is that her opponent, Gina Carano, DID NOT KNOW HOW TO KEEP THE FULL MOUNT POSITION. In fact, in one case, she GAVE UP THE FULL MOUNT BY STANDING UP. This is the mirror image of Cyborg's foolishness: Carano has gone from a highly dominant, fight-ending position into a neutral position which had so far proven to be to Cyborg's advantage!

This would be like watching a WNBA game where the players repeatedly threw the ball into the wrong basket, and professed not to know what a free throw was. You could use this as a Judo Chop clinic on what not to do.

What I saw last night looked like male mixed martial arts circa UFC 8. I am left to the conclusion that Carano and Cyborg are not particularly good martial artists by gender-neutral standards.

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This may be an incredibly facile headline, but I am honestly asking everybody in the BE community to give me a plausible argument for Gina Carano.

At -200, you get $5 for every $10 you bet on Cyborg. This seems to me a can't-lose proposition. Cyborg is a human wrecking machine. Where Gina has looked pretty winning, Cyborg has looked like she might murder somebody, jump on the cage to celebrate, then go douse the body with lye to make it disintegrate faster.

Does anybody think Gina has a solid chance of winning? A 1 in 3 chance of winning? And how could she win? A lucky punch? A submission?

I see Cyborg by KO or Ref Stoppage. I am only hoping Gina does not get her face messed up. Cyborg is truly scary.  This is the only fight on the card that I think is a solid bet. The others are toss-ups with very skewed odds in favor of the sportsbook.

That said, I probably jinxed the whole thing by writing about it. And I will drink maple syrup, change my icon, wear a hairshirt or whatever other punishment when I am proven wrong and Gina shocks the world by winning, but I just don't see that happening.

Overall a fun night of fights, but there were a few moments I found myself shouting at my TV. Here are some things I hope I never see again after UFC 101:

10. Anderson Silva offering to help his opponent up (false respect is the ultimate disrespect)

9 .Anderson Silva shucking and jiving (it didn't work for Rashad either)

8. Thales Leites in the UFC (what a flop)

7. Fighters running out of the ring after losing (have we learned anything from Sherk?)

6. Forrest behaving like a baby (Got Waaaah?).

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Soon Leland and the frontpagers will unveil their informed picks for UFC 101. I will be interested to hear what they say. Having just placed several bets, I can say that I believe this card is rich with upset possibilities, which makes the gambling possibilities more interesting. Also, if you look at the odds on mmaplayground fantasy picks vs. reputable oddsmaker sites, you'll see a big gap, which is likely a TUF effect but could also be a reflection of the unique makeup of this card.

My humble amateur picks after the jump.

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Me and an old friend used to have an inside joke we used to play after hours at bars, where we would pretend to be Navy Seals, because it seemed like any reporter would believe you and print it in their newspaper without checking, even though it's easy to debunk with a quick phone call.

Well, the new version of this is claiming you were a "UFC Champ."

For evidence, take a look at a story published today by the Star Tribune, the biggest daily newspaper in Minnesota, in which James Mullen claims to have been a champ of the UFC.

To hear James Mullen tell about his victories on the Ultimate Fighting Championship tour -- the "no-holds-barred" full-contact martial arts bouts -- you first have to hear about the match he lost.

"I wrestled with the Lord, and he won," said Mullen, 39. "I was seeking fame and exultation and all the things that went with it. Then I realized that it wasn't my glory I should be living for. It's his glory."

James Mullen? you ask. You don't remember any UFC Champ named James Mullen.

via www.knucklepit.com

 

Now that we know Kimo is alive, I propose that he should be Josh Barnett's fill-in to fight Fedor.

We just witnessed "history" with UFC 100, with a victory by Mark Coleman a reminder of the sport's past. Now let's bring back Kimo and see if the guy who proved Royce was mortal could do it again with Fedor!

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In response to reports earlier today that Tito was saying he might be coming back to the UFC, Dana White has Twittered a confirmation:

Yes tito and I made up 8 minutes ago from TwitterBerry

Doesn't mean he's back it means we aren't smashing each other anymore and we don't hate each other. less than a minute ago from TwitterBerry

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Arturo Gatti vs. Joey Gamache - February 26th 2000
by sostibo

via www.hbo.com

 

In the wake of the hoopla surrounding UFC 100, some important combat sports news has gone mostly unnoticed: legendary boxer Arturo Gatti was found dead in what appears to be murder.

Gatti, 37, was on his second honeymoon with his wife, Amanda, and their 10-month-old baby when his blood-spattered body was discovered in a seaside resort in Porto de Galinhas, according to media reports.

A police investigation was ongoing and foul play is suspected. Gatti was found to have blood stains on the back of his head and neck around 6 a.m. Saturday morning, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Co.

Adding heat to the speculation is the fact that Gatti was supposed to testify this week in a lawsuit filed by Joey Gamanche over injuries suffered in the ring. And here is where it becomes especially interesting for MMA fans.

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I just heard from a friend of mine that Dana will be awarding a $100,000 fight of the night bonus at UFC 100.

His comment was: "Undercard guys are going to be taking some crazy risks for that kind of money."

Can anybody confirm that this is true?

UPDATE: Apparently, it came up during a Jon Fitch interview with MMA Junkie radio interview this morning. Having listened to it, the $100k is mentioned a as a "rumor" that's been going around, heard by both commentators and King Mo. Also, Beer Monster says it's mentioned in a video by CB Dalloway and Dana White. If anybody has further mentions or confirmation, post in the comments.

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It's an odd time for the UFC to be launching a magazine. Sure, UFC 100 is a great event to kick it off, but magazines and print media as a whole are slumping--just look at the thinning copies of Newsweek and Time, or the daily newspapers that have gone into bankruptcy, or the closure of several videogame and lifestyle magazines. That said, I think it is possible to develop this magazine into a must-read for the dedicated fanbase, as well as an entry point for casual fans. This issue is a good start, but I'd like to see some tweaks before I'd subscribe.

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via a.espncdn.com

If this was already blogged on this site and I missed it, forgive me, but I was taken aback when I was paging through the May issue of ESPN the magazine and came across the name of my favorite MMA blog.

Supposedly, Dana White thinks bloodyelbow.com is bad for the sport.

Consider: Dana White hires and fires on a whim yet thinks nothing of handing cash to a random dude outside a casino ("He needs it worse than I do"). He opens pay-per-view events with images of a Roman gladiator strapping up for battle, yet feels websites like bloodyelbow.com and thesavagescience.com project the wrong image of his sport.

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That's the word from BetUs.com, at least. I don't know if I've ever seen a line this crazy. I would think it would ultimately settle into something more like Machida (-400) vs. Rua (+200) so anybody who wants in on Rua may want to jump on this right away.

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