MMA Hot Stuff

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

Chuck Liddell

The dust from Saturday's UFC 97 has almost settled. Many people are talking about the main event and how it left a lot to be desired. Controversy similar to that of the GSP BJ Penn match up. And while I care, I just don't think it would be appropriate for me to overshadow the history made with Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell.

April 18th 2009 was Chuck's last fight, at least in the UFC. Dana White hasn't been shy about going on record saying “You're never going to see Chuck Liddell on the canvas again. At the end of the day, I care about these guys. I don't want to see anybody stick around too long.” As good as saying, ‘Chuck, that’s it. It’s all over’.

You can say what you want about Chuck, but he's one of the most successful and decorated fighters. He won the Light Heavyweight Title by beating another legend, Randy Couture. He then went on to defend the title four times and lost it on the fifth attempt. He was the first fighter to grace the cover of ESPN the Magazine.

Whether it be in the octagon, the back office for Zuffa or in the crowd, Chuck will always be known as a legend, one that could draw a crowd regardless of who he was set to fight. His blue shorts and haymakers will never be forgotten.

While I can't imagine Chuck ever fighting for another organization, I admit it would be sort of interesting to see him fight Tito Ortiz in Strikeforce... One can wish.

ESPN The Magazine... photo shoot with Dana White

Check out this video of ESPN The Magazine's photo shoot with Dana White. Dana is joined by Randy Couture, Stephan Bonnar, Forest Griffin and a few others.

UFC 91: Brock Lesnar steps up his submission game?

Here's a good article from ESPN The Magazine about Brock Lesnar and his upcoming fight with Randy Couture.

How has Brock been training for Randy's strengths? How has Brock's ground game and jiu jitsu skills been coming along? And what is Brock's secret weapon that is going to get him ready for Randy's fighting style and experience? Find out...

Sorry Brock, but I don't think it's going to be enough for you to overcome Randy's experience.

ESPN Interview with Dana White: Chuck Returns, a HUGE announcement, BJ versus GSP?

Dana White is quite a popular guy lately. He's recently been interviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine and now by ESPN The Magazine. As we know ESPN has been covering MMA quite a bit lately, from their article about Kimbo Slice to their weekly episodes of MMA Live. Now they sit down with Dana White to discuss what's going on with the UFC, his thoughts on MMA, and his very candid thoughts on Kimbo Slice (I bet you can guess).

Will Chuck be making his return to the Octagon soon? Would Kimbo Slice win The Ulimate Fighter reality show for heavyweights? How much do UFC fighters make every year? Will Randy ever fight in the UFC again? And... WHAT IS THIS HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WILL BLOW OUR MINDS?

Find out here... great interview!

Kimbo Slice stops by ESPN The Magazine

Quick question... why does Kimbo Slice have a "huge security guy"? Seems a little ironic, doesn't it?

Kimbo Slice graces the cover of ESPN The Magazine

For only the second time in history, a MMA fighter is placed on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. First it was the Iceman, Chuck Liddell, and now it's the internet turned MMA sensation, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson. Isn't it ironic, since we know that Kimbo and Chuck have had some playful words for each other?

As the feature article, Kimbo describes himself as