MMA Hot Stuff

UFC 109 in Review

I don't think I'm necessarily easy to please, but I really enjoyed UFC 109 this last weekend. Mind you for me it's not just about the fights. You already know the results (from my twitter account, and if you don't follow me, well you should). But fight weekends for me are about meeting the fans, interviewing fighters and their wives, helping with autograph signings and honestly, I like being a fan once in a while as well.

So, friday I had the pleasure of meeting with Tessa Marquardt (Nate's wife) while he was cutting weight. Look on MMASocialites.com for that interview. 

I attended the Q & A with Brendan Vera and Urijah Faber. I love these. So insightful and it really gives the fans an opportunity to ask just about anything you want. Nobody screens the questions. It's open mic. The questions varied from future fight/opponent questions, tattoos to SuperBowl picks. I thought it was worth noting that there were almost as many women asking questions as men. Including two little girls that were younger than 10 years  in age. One woman (who looked to be 55 years young) got up to ask Urijah a question and literally started to cry. Can't dispute the fact that Urijah gets women of all ages a little weak in the knees. (sorry the pics aren't great. there's a reason i'm not a photog):

 

I met some of the best fans.ever. They ranged from insane UFC Fight Club members to a "cute couple" from Texas. The Fight Club members have a system. I won't go into detail for fear of giving away secrets that they've worked long and hard to perfect. But I will say, if you're not currently a Fight Club member you are MISSING OUT. Not only do they have access to presale tickets but the group  are clearly friends. Going to event to event and really have their own little community. They made me feel welcome with open arms and for that I want to say: Rob, Rob, Rob, (yes there are a lot of Robs), Whitney, Chris, Kevin...thank you for a fun weekend. 

Then I met a couple that was actually dubbed "The Cute Couple" from everyone that met them. And they really are a cute couple. Coming all the way to Vegas without tickets! What are they to do? Let's just say they were taken care of and it's because they are genuinely some of the nicest people I've ever met.  

Saturday I had the opportunity to help the Fight Shop promote an autograph signing with Dethrone... We did it by doing a couple contests that included me sending a Twitter msg. The first five people that showed me the msg got to CUT TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE! People had been waiting in line for hours to meet.. Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Gilbert Melendez, Forrest Griffin, Efrain Escudero and Anthony Njokuani. But my five new twitter friends cut right to the front. VIP style. It was fun to see how personable some of these fighters were making their fans feel special.  I want to give special props to JOSH KOSCHECK and GILBERT MELENDEZ as the stand outs. They were clearly some of the fans favorites. Gilbert is showing he's a PIMP with the gold watch. 

 

Oh, and then of course the fights. So much fun. Congrats to Matt Serra, Randy Couture, Demian Maia and Paulo Thaigo. Sigh, and Chael Sonnen. Still can't believe he beat Nate. The look on Nate's face broke my heart and made me forget that I had a camera with me. Sorry, no pictures. 

Oh, and I don't remember this even being taken. And I look like I had had too much fun by this point!   

 
  
 

Strikeforce: Evolution Predictions

Never mind the co-main event and TITLE FIGHT guys aren't even on the billboards around the bay area, I'm really excited about this weekend's Strikeforce Evolution card happening Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. Here are my predictions, winners in green. Let me know if you agree or disagree.

Cung Le vs Scott Smith - In my opinion there are two areas in which Scott beats Cung... Power and Heart. Aside from that Cung takes the cake. He's got more technical and refined striking, better footwork and ultimately can keep Smith away with his arsenal of kicks. I don't see Smith being able to generate a whole lot of offense here. I expect the movie star to knock Scott out in the second round. There isn't really much more to say other than go check out Cung's latest movie Bodyguards and Assassins coming out later this month.

Josh Thomson vs Gilbert Melendez(to unify the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship belts). As you may recall, Gilbert was the defending LW champion when he and Josh first met in June 2008. Josh won taking the title and belt home. They were set to fight again in April 2009 but the fight was called off because Josh broke his ankle during practice. They were scheduled to fight again in August 2009 but that was cancelled as well due to Josh's lingering ankle injury (or re-injury). During that time Strikeforce created an interim title given Josh's inability to fight, and Gilbert won the title against Rodrigo Damm and then defended that interim title against Mitsuhiro Ishida. So, this fight on Saturday is for us to see who will go home with the true Strikeforce Lightweight Champion title. Is Josh's ankle back to 100%? Has he developed a little 'ring rust' given he hasn't competed in quite some time? My break down is this: No, Josh will not have ring rust. He's been training with some of the best guys in his weight class down at AKA in San Jose.... he trains with the likes of Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, Jon Fitch... and knowing AKA they go hard all the time. A la remember not that long ago Swick had to pull out of a bout because his training partner (Koscheck) caught him with a leg sweep, giving Swick a concussion? They go hard. HOWEVER, he's fighting GILBERT MELENDEZ. I almost feel like saying enough said, because I think it is. But I can say more. Gilbert has a great camp that includes Jake Shields, the Diaz brothers and of course, the SkrapPack. Gilbert has been spending a lot of time with a trainer focusing on his strength & conditioning, and says his training is more focused and regimented this time around. He's a fantastic wrestler, and isn't afraid to exchange a few blows (or, "throw hooks" as he sometimes says). I'm excited to see how both of these guys have improved since the last time they met. Two great guys. Two fantastic fighters. One winner. I'm going with Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez via decision. I think both guys are just too tough to be finished early, but ultimately Johs' long lay off and Gilbert's more focused training will show, and Gilbert will walk home the undisputed LW Champ. Oh and for extra points I'll say if we see Gilbert dominate Josh like he did against Mitsuhiro I wouldn't be surprised to see the UFC knocking on his door soon. The reality is he's a great person, good for the sport and oh yeah, that hispanic demographic that's out there... yeah I'm sure they'll all be wearing their El Nino shirts tomorrow tonight!

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs Matt Lindland - I'm really excited to see how Jacare does in Strikeforce... coming from Dream. I definitely don't expect to see these two exchange blows or keep it standing for more than 20 seconds in the first round. This is going to be a grappling/wrestling match. I know more people will be putting their new shoe money on Jacare but I expect to see Lindland win this by submission (guillotine) in the second round.

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs Mike Whitehead - We've heard and seen lots of promoting of King Mo! This is his debut with Strikeforce where he's coming from M-1 Global with a record of 5-0. He's known for his knock out power but he's fighting Mike Whitehead who comes with tons of experience. It's hard to say exactly what Mike's area of expertiese is other than he's a calculated fighter and pretty well rounded. I think this is a big fight for King Mo and will NOT be an easy win. Having said that, I'm picking King Mo to win this by TKO... King Mo has a ton of talent and potential, and I think this is the beginning of big things for him with Strikeforce.

If you're going to the event, feel free to msg me on twitter and come say hi! twitter.com/mmahotstuff

 

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

 
 

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

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.

UFC 99 RECAP

Guest Writer - Salvatore DeRosalia

When I first saw the lineup for UFC 99 in Germany I thought it was pretty underwhelming. The UFC 98 card had been so amazing, full of knock outs, submissions and well… Loyoto Machida, that I was clearly looking at the 99 card through tainted eyes.  For anyone who truly loves the sport of MMA, UFC 99 was a pretty sweet card.  Almost all of the televised matches were great fights. This card was full of grueling, technical hard fought match ups and it even had a “catch weight” fight between Rich “Ace” Franklin and Wanderlei “The Ax Murderer” Silva.  UFC 99 may not have had tons of the most popular fighters the UFC has to offer but they were quality fights, what I like to call “Fighters Fights.”  Here is the recap from UFC 99:

Main Televised Card

Dan Hardy beat Marcus Davis by split decision.  These guys talked more trash about each other before the fight then any two fighters I have ever seen and when Dan Hardy went to shake the hand of Marcus Davis at the end of the fight, “The Irish Hand Grenade” wanted nothing to do with Hardy.  The fight was close but I agree with the decision of Dan Hardy as the winner.  Hardy inflicted copious amounts of damage to Davis and by the end of the fight you could tell who the winner was by the lumps on Davis’s face.  Hopefully the UFC will give us a rematch of this war.  I think they could play it up and make these guys actually hate each other even more then they already do all the selling more tickets then the first fight.

Spencer Fisher beat Caol Uno by unanimous decision. The Fisher, Uno fight was a very even matchup.  I gave the fight to Uno but somehow all three judges gave it to Spencer Fisher.  The one thing I think everyone watching the fight can agree on is that the fight was pretty boring, often ending up a clinch against the cage or the guard on the ground.  Again, this was a technical battle.  Both guys cancelled each others moves out in most of this fight.

Mike Swick stopped Ben Saunders in the second round.  Swick vs. Saunders was one of the two fights that did not go the distance in the main televised card.  The first round was full of Saunders holding Swick in his guard and the crowd let them both know that was not they paid to see.  In the second, Swick was the aggressor and it paid off when he unleashed multiple punches sending Saunders to the mat.  Swick continued to attack the downed fighter until the referee stepped in at 3:47 of the second period to stop the fight. 

Mirko Cro Cop stopped Mostapha Al Turk in the first round.  The inadvertent eye poke of the night goes to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. This was the second of the two fights that did not go the distance. Both fighters were able to land some good hits in before the fight was called by referee Dan Miragliotta at 3:06 of the first round after the eye poke and subsequent flurry of punches by Cro Cop.   

Cain Velasquez beat Cheick Kongo by unanimous decision.  This heavy weight battle was about as one sided a fight as you can have. I counted two good punches and a few elbows by Cheick Kongo but they were not enough as Velasquez was able to dominate Kongo on the ground for the majority of the fight.  The two Kongo punches hurt Velasquez, buckling his knees both times but Kongo could not follow them up leaving room for Velasquez to mount his attack and putting Kongo on his back over and over again.  Cain Velasquez remains undefeated moving to 6-0 and establishes himself as a real threat in the heavy weight division. 

Rich Franklin beat Wanderlei Silva by unanimous decision.  The main event of the night might have been the best fight of the night too.  That pairing does not happen at every UFC event but this fight was the cherry on top of a card that was worth its weight in PPV money.  The first 90 seconds of this fight went by without a hit but as soon as the feeling out period was over these two warriors went to battle.  Both fighters landed some leather, both were taken down to the ground but it was Franklin who got the better in the first round.   

Silva came out ready to fight in the second round and was the clear aggressor.  Just when you thought Franklin was about to turn the round around and steal some points, Silva would land another flurry and swing the momentum back his way.   

The third round started with both fighters touching gloves.  You could tell before, during and after the match that Silva and Franklin had a lot of respect for one another.  As quickly as they touched gloves they were back to brawling.  Silva spent most of the round in the pocket and stalking Franklin around the Octagon.  Franklin would attack and retreat not taking much damage.  The end of the fight was a microcosm of the entire match; Silva and Franklin tangled up on their feet, both throwing punches and elbows with all they had left in the tank.  Just when you thought that was enough, the greatest part of this fight came in the post fight interviews with Wanderlei Silva stating he believes he won the fight and declaring to the world, but more importantly Dana White, that he wants and deserves a rematch. To be continued…

UFC Fighters Signing at Barnes & Noble Near You!

Join fighters of the UFC® for the release of the trade edition of Octagon book at Barnes & Noble. Fighters will sign purchased copies, so check back as we add more fighters and locations!

The UFC® Octagon Trade Edition gets up close and personal with the warriors of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Explore the work of photographer Kevin Lynch and track the evolution of UFC over five years through incredible photos of the fighters. See these amazing warriors from the tense moments before going into battle through to the emotional end of the combat. Explosive photographs capture the confidence, fear and passion in the eyes of key athletes from Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell to Georges St. Pierre and B.J.Penn.

ALBUQUERQUE     Keith Jardine    7:00 PM 6600 Menaul Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
BOSTON    Kenny Florian    6:00 PM 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02119
CHICAGO    Clay Guida    7:30 PM 297 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523
INDIANAPOLIS    Chris Lytle    6:00 PM 3748 East 82nd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46240
LAS VEGAS    Stephan Bonnar    7:00 PM 8915 W. Charleston, Las Vegas, NV  89117
LONG ISLAND    Matt Serra    7:00 PM 600 Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove, NY 11755
MAUI    Kendall Grove    7:00 PM 325 Keawe #101, Lahaina, Hi 96761
MIAMI    Thiago Alves    7:00 PM 12405 N Kendall Drive, Miami, FL 33186
NEW ORLEANS    Rich Clementi    7:00 PM 3721 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, LA  70002
OMAHA    Houston Alexander    7:00 PM 3333 Oakview Dr, Omaha, NE 68144
PORTLAND    Nate Quarry    6:30 PM 12000 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97266
SACRAMENTO    James Irvin    7:00 PM 1725 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA  95815
SAN DIEGO    Diego Sanchez    7:00 PM 2015 Birch Rd, San Diego, CA 91915
SAN JOSE    Mike Swick    7:00 PM 2200 Eastridge Loop, San Jose, CA 95122
SAN LUIS OBISPO    Chuck Liddell    7:00 PM 894 Marsh Street, Bldg. G, San Luis Obispo, CA  93401

UFC 85 and Predictions (UPDATED)

I gave my predictions based on the original UFC 85 card, but given all the changes, I need to make an updated version with my new predictions.  Winners in Green!

Matt Hughes Vs. Thiago Alves - If I hear Matt Hughes ramble on about how Thiago is "young" I think I'm going to vomit in my mouth. He says it as if it's a bad thing to be the ripe age of 24 in this sport. Thiago has beat some good fighters, including; Karo Parisyan. And if you want to play the connect the dot game, Karo beat  Matt Serra and Matt Serra beat GSP and GSP killed Matt Hughes. Not to mention I don't like Matt Hughes. Thiago wins this bout. There I said it. Phew.

Michael Bisping Vs. Jason Day - Michael is going to continue to mark his territory in the middle weight class. He's taking this win home with him. Doesn't hurt that he's clearly a crowd favorite with his "home" octagon advantage.

Marcus Davis Vs. Mike Swick - Marcus has beaten his last few opponents in the first round by either KO or submission, where as Mike's fights have gone to judge's decision. Given Marcus' skills as a boxer (that's where he got his start) I think he is going to win by KO.

Nate Marquardt Vs. Thales Leites  - Nate is 26-7 & 2. He clearly has A LOT of fights under his belt. Has Thales' hand fully recovered from the break? They both like to submit their opponents so this will be a good match up. I expect to see it on the ground most of the time. I'm picking Nate for this one.

Fabricio Werdum Vs. Brandon Vera - I'm sure everyone recalls the management dispute that prevented Vera from stepping into the Octagon for almost a year. His last fight was against Tim Sylvia where Vera lost the fight via unanimous decision and also broke his left hand in the first round of the fight. I think Brandon is going to win this fight.... and reclaim his presence in the UFC!

UFC 85 Bedlam: Injury plagued card is finalized.

Updated: here are my predictions:

I gave my predictions based on the original UFC 85 card, but given all the changes, I need to make an updated version with my new predictions.  Winners in Green!

Matt Hughes Vs. Thiago Alves - If I hear Matt Hughes ramble on about how Thiago is "young" I think I'm going to vomit in my mouth. He says it as if it's a bad thing to be the ripe age of 24 in this sport. Thiago has beat some good fighters, including; Karo Parisyan. And if you want to play the connect the dot game, Karo beat  Matt Serra and Matt Serra beat GSP and GSP killed Matt Hughes. Not to mention I don't like Matt Hughes. Thiago wins this bout. There I said it. Phew.

Michael Bisping Vs. Jason Day - Michael is going to continue to mark his territory in the middle weight class. He's taking this win home with him. Doesn't hurt that he's clearly a crowd favorite with his "home" octagon advantage.

Marcus Davis Vs. Mike Swick - Marcus has beaten his last few opponents in the first round by either KO or submission, where as Mike's fights have gone to judge's decision. Given Marcus' skills as a boxer (that's where he got his start) I think he is going to win by KO.

Nate Marquardt Vs. Thales Leites - Nate is 26-7 & 2. He clearly has A LOT of fights under his belt. Has Thales' hand fully recovered from the break? They both like to submit their opponents so this will be a good match up. I expect to see it on the ground most of the time. I'm picking Nate for this one.

Fabricio Werdum Vs. Brandon Vera - I'm sure everyone recalls the management dispute that prevented Vera from stepping into the Octagon for almost a year. His last fight was against Tim Sylvia where Vera lost the fight via unanimous decision and also broke his left hand in the first round of the fight. I think Brandon is going to win this fight.... and reclaim his presence in the UFC!

UFC 85 has been a revolving door of fighters since the card was announced, but it seems things have settled down the UFC is able to announce the final card. What was once