MMA Hot Stuff

Fighter Q & A at Sacramento Kings Game

Come meet WEC fighter Urijah Faber and UFC Fighters Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Diego Sanchez while you take in a little basketball! The Sacramento Kings are presenting the Mixed Martial Arts Game January 9th at Arco Arena... 

 
 
  

 
 

UFC 107 Predictions from a Girl

I haven't been this excited for an entire UFC card since UFC 100. I think it's great that the UFC is trying to give fans a lot/frequent events, but in doing so it seems the cards are losing some steam. They're not stacked with as many 'must see' fights. However, UFC 107 is pretty attractive. Not only do we have a title on the line with the BJ Penn vs Diego Sanchez fight but we have lots of other great match ups as well.

Here are my predictions. For those that ROCK and are loyal readers, you know the drill... winners in GREEN. 

Oh, and feel free to argue with me. Agree with me, or just stop by to say hi (leave a comment). 

You can also find me on twitter at twitter.com/mmahotstuff

If you're a fountain of knowledge or just a lucky person you can take a stab at trying to beat me on the UFC Fantasy circuit. Obviously my username is MMAHotStuff.

BJ Penn vs  Diego Sanchez- Both are big 155lb'ers and both are aggressive fighters. While I think Diego is a SOLID fighter and will give a good show I just don't think he's going to beat BJ. I mean,it's BJ. Diego has never gone 5 rounds and he won't go 5 rounds this fight either. I'll be completely SHOCKED if BJ doesn't choke him out in the 2nd round. I'm going with BJ Penn in the 2nd by RNC. And still the UFC lightweight champion of the world... BJ Penn! You can quote me.

Frank Mir vs Cheik Kongo- Frank is well known for his BJJ... but he's also starting to get a reputation for being caught up in that last loss of his against Brock Lesnar. During the countdown show and interviews its clear that Brock is still in his head. Can he bounce back and beat Cheick Kongo?  Cheick is known for his striking and trains with the Wolfslair camp. He's coming off a loss against Cain Velasquez.. Frankly I'm expecting Frank to shoot in early and try to take Cheick down. Assuming he's successful, and I believe he will be, he'll beat Cheick by submission in the 3rd.

Kenny Florian vs Clay Guida-  I'm SO excited for this fight. In the words of Kenflo "I finish fights," I expect Kenny to finish this one as well. Clay is a very aggressive fighter but many of his fights tend to go the distance. I think many of the people that have picked Kenny will go the submission route, but I'm going by strikes. I give this fight to Kenny in the 2nd by TKO. 

Jon Fitch vs Mike Pierce- Jon "OOUAH" Fitch (look up the meaning behind OOUAH) is on a pretty impressive roll. Aside from a loss to Georges St Pierre (that went the distance), he hasn't lost a fight since 2002. What is note worthy is the guy has had a run of bad luck when it comes to his opponents. Or maybe it's his opponents that have had the bad luck. The last few scheduled fights have been scratched due to his opponents getting hurt during training, leaving Jon sidelined since UFC 100. Given experience and depth of skills, I'm picking Fitch to win by Unanimous decision.

Paul Buentello vs Stefan Struve- Stefan is filling in for Todd Duffee who pulled out of the fight against Paul Buentello for an undisclosed injury. Stefan most recently defeated UFC newcomer and previously undefeated Chase Gormley at UFC 104 where Stefan also won Submission of the Night honors. Paul is known for his knock outs as well as one pretty infamous knock out (on the receiving end) where he was knocked out by Andrei Arlovski at UFC 55. I'm expecting to see a big knockout here. Paul Buentello by TKO in the 2nd round.

UFC 107 Pay Per View Locations

Are you as excited for UFC 107 as I am? I mean are you kidding me, BJ Penn vs Diego Sanchez? YES PLEASE! On the same card as Kenny Florian vs Clay Guida?! While it's officially ski season out here in Tahoe, it makes traveling to events more difficult. If only we could get these events to happen at a casino in South Tahoe. That would be a dream.

If you're also unable to get to the event for whatever reason, fear not because you can still watch it and enjoy a few brew-skies with your friends at your local bar/restaurant. And because I love you all so much, I've compiled a list of the bars/restaurants showing the event. Listed by State, after the jump below. Enjoy!

BJ Penn vs Diego Sanchez

Frank Mir vs Cheick Kongo

Kenny Florian vs Clay Guida

Jon Fitch vs Mike Pierce

Paul Buentello vs Stefan Struve

Alan Belcher vs WIlson Goveia

Matt Wiman vs Shane Nelson

Johny Hendricks vs Richard Funch

Rousimar Palhares vs Lucio Linhares

Demarques Johnson vs Edgar Garcia

Kevin Burns vs TJ Grant

Oh, P.S.S don't forget to make your FANTASY SELECTION! Go to Fantasy.UFC.com 

LIST OF BARS/RESTAURANT SHOWING UFC 107

Fighters Going Above And Beyond For Others

Don't you hate having those weeks at work where it's just one big deadline after another? People asking you to do a million different things? Not being able to rely on your team to deliver what you ask of them? The to-do list never getting shorter?

Can you imagine going home to see your family after that grueling day for only an hour or so then going back to work again? 

Tough right? Okay now can you imagine having that kind of day and then getting in a car or on a plane to go visit soldiers or sick people in a hospital? When was the last time you volunteered for a cause of any sort?

While Zuffa has done a great, no,make that a phenomenal job at supporting the troops it's great to see fighters have the same initiative all on their own. 

Take Mike Swick for example. In my opinion, the guy is training for the biggest fight of his career. He'll face Dan Hardy at UFC 105 November 14th in England. The winner of the fight will get a title shot against Georges St Pierre. November 14th is less than one month away! Not only is he training hard (remember he has a lot of pent up energy since he wasn't able to fight at UFC 103 as planned due to an injury), he's helping his team mates train for their upcoming fights, launching a new business (look for an announcement from me soon on that) but he also just got back from visiting soldiers at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. When asked about it he said "I think success is not measured by how much you make or how famous you are. I think it's measured on how much you can influence, give back and create change in peoples lives. I want to help and influence people in the same ways I was influenced growing up. The military loves the UFC and I do everything I can to show the military that the UFC loves them right back. Every time I go to base I hear how we influence the soldiers and it baffles me because it is they who influence us. They are the real heros."  

Shane Carwin. He's set to face Brock Lesnar in a little over a month. Brock Lesnar. And having said that not only does he have his full time intense training sessions, he also helps his team mates get ready for their fights, and he's an engineer that does something fancy with hydraulics (I'm a girl I have no idea what that even means) but there are many days he'll set aside time to call an injured soldier. I can't even make time to call friends and family back after my 'job' and yet with all that is going on in his life right now (oh I forgot to mention he and his wife are also planning for their baby's arrival) he still goes above and beyond to show his admiration and respect for the soldiers.

Approximately 1.5 million Americans live with an autism spectrum disorder. Autism is seeing an annual growth of 10-17 percent. Diego Sanchez has taken interest in help raising funds for an alternative treatment known as Hyperbaric Chamber - forced oxygen, neuro-rehabilitating treatment. He took time out of his training schedule to sign autographs and meet fans at last week's Grapplers Quest in Long Beach. All proceeds from the first 150 tickets sold at the door raised $3,000 to help pay for one full month of treatment for a child.

There are many other fighters than those mentioned above that are known for supporting good causes.  

As a way of thanking the fighters for their efforts, go to their site and leave an inspiring comment, buy one of their tshirts or follow them on twitter! Let them know their efforts are appreciated. 

Follow them on Twitter!

twitter.com/officialswick

twitter.com/shanecarwin

twitter.com/diegonightmare

twitter.com/mmahotstuff

 
 

Diego Sanchez Supporting Autism at Grapplers Quest

It's fantastic to see busy professional athletes take time out of their schedule to support such a fantastic cause.

        Diego Sanchez- Supporting Autism at Grapplers Quest

 

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Oct. 5, 2009)  -- Rising MMA star Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez will be signing autographs and meeting fans all day this Saturday (October 10) at Grapplers Quest, “The World’s Largest Grappling Competition,” at Cal State University in Long Beach’s Pyramid.

 

The special event will help raise funds for an alternative Autism treatment known as a Hyperbaric Chamber -- forced oxygen, neuro-rehabilitating treatment. All proceeds from the first 150 tickets purchased at the door will raise $3,000 to pay for one full month of treatment for Grapplers Quest CEO, Brian Cimins’ 6-year-old-nephew, Jonathan.

 

”Diego Sanchez is one of the best Mixed Martial Arts fighters in the world, yet his charity fundraising makes him the real undisputed champion to families worldwide,” Brian Cimins commented. “My nephew, Jonathan, and my brother’s family have struggled with Autism since his diagnosis at 18 months old. We’ve been doing everything we can since. Diego is currently training to fight December 12^th against BJ Penn UFC 107. Shortly after he heard about our cause, he contacted me right away to help. Without Diego’s support this wouldn’t have be possible. He’s a very special person, one my family and I will be forever indebted to.”

 

This Saturday’s Grapplers Quest brings the 2009 West Coast Grappling and Jiu Jitsu Championships to The Pyramid at Cal State, located at 1250 Bellflower Blvd., in Long Beach, California. The event starts at 10:00 AM/PT. Go on line to GrapplersQuest.com for tickets and more information about this and other upcoming events. 

 

Grappling is the ground fighting art of Mixed Martial Arts, combining the throws of Olympic Judo, takedowns of Wrestling, leg locks from Sambo, and other submission techniques from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu like arm-bars, shoulder locks and chokes. Competitors of all ages and skill levels participate in Saturday’s event, which is open to all grappling styles to determine the best grapplers in the Western part of the United States. 

 

About Grapplers Quest: Grapplers Quest is the world’s largest submission grappling organization with 300,000+ competitors worldwide since 1999. Events feature various grappling styles with divisions for all ages and skill levels with events worldwide. For event information, visit GrapplersQuest.

 

About Autism: Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships as well behavioral challenges. Safe alternative treatments and therapies are available, but most are not covered by insurance plans, so families worldwide need funding.  For more information on this story and fundraising efforts, visit: www.GrapplingWithAutism.org   

 

###

 
 



 

Nominations for 2009 World MMA Awards closes on Wednesday

Who do you think was the BreakThrough Fighter of the Year? Best MMA Promotion? 

As a reminder, the nomination stage for the 2009 World MMA Awards closes this Wednesday (tomorrow), Sept. 30. 

The World MMA Awards, which is operated by Fighters Only magazine, is viewed as one of the most prestigious awards for the sport, awarding in 18 different MMA related categories

Nominees will be announced on Oct. 5, and final voting will then run until Dec. 5. Winners will be announced at a Dec. 30 "Oscars-style" black-tie ceremony, which streams live on Versus.com (and throughout January on Versus) from The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. 

"Response to the World MMA Awards has been huge this year with thousands of fans worldwide taking part," Fighters Only CEO Rob Hewitt recently stated. "Nominations have been very diverse, and ... most of the categories are still wide open." 

The categories range from Fight of the Year to KO and Submission of the Year to Best MMA Brand and best MMA Media Source. MMA equipment manufactures also vie for a variety of categories. 

But before you place your vote I encourage you to take a minute and think about things. What makes someone the Best Fighter of the Year? Is it the number of wins? Is it the most vicious KnockOut? The biggest upset? Or is it because of heart and dedication?

Another category is Best MMA Journalist. I've thought a lot about this one (for obvious reasons). Always keep in mind the best Journalist may not be the one that breaks every 'story'... Sadly, fact checking has taken a back seat more often than not over being the first to the party. And then there are times the stories are known weeks before the story actually gets out but can't be discussed for confidential reasons. I personally take pride in the fact that while I consider many Fighters (UFC, WEC & Strikeforce) my personal friends, a lot of the information I hear I keep to myself. I'm so proud of what my friends have accomplished and there are times I know the information is just best left unsaid or unwritten. I want them to have time to train in private for a fight before it's publicly announced who their next opponent is. Who do you consider to be a Journalist that writes funny or interesting stories? Gives a different perspective than the 12 other sites that covered the same thing the day before.

So now that I've given you something to think about, please hurry and vote. 

Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/MMAHotStuff

Don't Forget To Thank The Fighters

You can say what you will about the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Whether you love it, hate it or just don't understand it, you can definitely walk away with one understanding of the sport if you have time to watch just about any given fight. A big reason why the fighters are in the cage and doing what they do is because of the fans. Okay so not ALL the fighters are always so generous to their fans but never mind the exceptions. The vast majority of the fighters are extremely thoughtful, respectful and GRATEFUL for their fans.

Think about it. After every fight when Joe Rogan (or whoever) is talking to the winning fighter, the fighter always thanks his team, sponsors and the fans. When was the last time a baseball player thanked the fans? A football player? Okay, you can make the argument they're on a team and not being interviewed individually so I'll make more points.

Name a fighter. Any fighter. Have you ever tried to get into contact with that fighter? Most likely they're on Twitter. Or Facebook. Come on give me a name. You even have the Real Chuck Liddell now on Twitter. Randy Couture? Check. Tito Ortiz? Yep. And no offense but those are exactly the youngest of the fighters! Okay mind you I just mentioned the three fighters that probably need the most help with their Twitter-skills! LOL They're great with posting but not so great with being interactive. But come on, they're at least on there and posting what they're up to right? And why do they do this? Purely for the fans. Umm where's Peyton Manning? Not on Twitter. Reggie Bush on Twitter but let's be real here, it's probably just because Kim Kardashian got him up and going on it! Okay, I kid I kid!

Some fighters are very interactive on their personal websites. Daily video posts? Hello have you been on BJPenn.com? The guy shows you what he eats for every meal. 

Oh you want to roll around with these guys. Most likely you can find a gym in a city near you where there's a top tier fighter that's a household name you can roll around with. I'm not kidding. Of course they're not looking to give free lessons to any Larry or Stan off the street, but if you're a dedicated fighter in the making, these guys have opened gyms and are teaching classes. When they're not personally training for a fight they're most likely helping one of their team mates prepare for a fight. 

And now you're starting to see fighters go one step further in how they interact with fans. Shane Carwin will send you a hand written and signed letter. The guy is BUSY. I mean crazy busy. And he hand writes letters. Who even writes letters now days? You can go to Shane's store http://www.performancemma.com/Shane-Carwin-s/215.htm?Click=1592  buy something and you'll get the letter with the merchandise! 

I just think it's worth noting and making sure the MMA fans (like me) don't take the accessibility of fighters for granted. I think this is one of the many things that makes this sport so special. The next time you see a fighter you should thank him for everything he does since they're so quick to thank us.

UFC Fight Night TUF Finale Drug Tests

Keith Kizer has confirmed, the following fighters were tested fight night: Sanchez, Guida, Johnson, Wilks, Pearson, Winner, Lytle, Stevenson, Blackburn, Osipczak, Guillard and Drwal.

All tests came back negative.

UFC 100 FanExpo - Who will be there?

Today the UFC® confirmed the fighters that will be attending the first ever UFC^® Fan Expo™. The two day expo will be held at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas July 10th and 11th. The fighters that will be at the expo for meet and greets will be UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, UFC Hall of Famers Royce Gracie and Randy “The Natural” Couture,  and former world champions Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, “Suga” Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. UFC contenders Kenny Florian, Steve Cantwell, Shane Carwin, Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis, Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida, Dustin Hazelett, Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann, Josh Koscheck, Joe Lauzon, Junie Browning, Nate Marquardt, Gray Maynard, Karo Parisyan, Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez, Sean Sherk and Mike Swick will also be meeting fans, along with The Ultimate Fighter winners Nate Diaz and Efrain Escudero.

 Fans of the PRIDE Fighting Championships will have the chance to re-live the excitement of Japan’s classic organization as well, with MMA icons Renzo Gracie and Gary Goodridge being joined by “The Texas Crazy Horse”, Heath Herring, and Brazilian superstars Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

And if that’s not enough MMA star power, the premier fighters of the WEC will be on hand to sign autographs, with current champions Miguel Torres, Mike Brown, and Jamie Varner sharing the convention center floor with Urijah Faber, Jens Pulver, Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, Donald Cerrone, Leonard Garcia, Ben Henderson, and Alex Karalexis.

For a list of bars/restaurants showing the historic UFC 100 Pay Per View event - check out this link.

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale Fight Recap & Results

Wow. Some exciting brawls tonight.

Joe Daddy Stevenson vs Nate Diaz - This was a back and forth match. It went to the judges.  Joe won via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Ross Pearson vs Andre Winner (TUF Lightweight finale) - Ross Pearson won via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) to become "TUF 9" lightweight winner. Honestly, in my opinion this was one of the most boring TUF finale fights. These guys did not fight as though they were fighting for a major contract.

Chris Lytle vs Kevin Burns - I was really looking forward to this fight because Chris is such an exciting fighter to watch. He's always trying to get fight of the night or submission/knock outs of the night. I love how he was "toying" with Kevin. Kevin seemed to gas out somewhat quickly, and Chris would do what looked to be a pretty basic one two combo then step back and do it over and over again. While I actually thought (hoped) Chris was going to take this in the first round, it ended up going to the judges. And just to note, Kevin kneed/kicked Chris in the balls THREE times during the fight. THREE. Who does that? Chris Lytle won via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Damarques Johnson vs James Wilks (TUF welterweight finale) - While Damarques was able to fend off a few early chokes, he was finally caught in a rear naked choke at the very tail end of the first round. Just as the 10 second warning was heard, Johnson tapped.  James Wilks won via rear-naked choke in Round 1, 4:54 to become "TUF 9" welterweight winner.

Diego Sanchez vs Clay Guida

THE MAIN EVENT was one of THE best fights I've seen in a long time. Such different styles yet both FEROCIOUS. In what started out as a serious boxing match, was coupled with superb wresting, tight  armbars and lots of blood. I loved the fight, it was exactly my kind of fight! What I really love is Diego Sanchez just adds even more excitement to one of the best weight classes. Anyway both fighters rocked it. It went the distance and Diego won via split decision split decision (28-29, 29-27, 29-28). These two will definitely meet again at some point.

By the way, I ended up at 106 out of 16046 in UFC Fantasy. How did you do?