MMA Hot Stuff

ESPN MMA Live's Major Milestones and Fancy Ties

For those that have read my previous posts you know my dad brought me up to be a sports enthusiast. My sports closet is probably better stocked than most guys', and heck I can even throw a decent spiral (for a girl). My dad and I had a tradition of watching ESPN SportsCenter as often as we could. SportsCenter seemed to spark situations, controversies or just conversations for my dad to explain to me and therefor I learned the sport(s). Nothing says main stream sport more than ESPN. They're the Worldwide Leader in Sports! To me, the brand signifies reputable and official reporting. And it's always a good day anytime I can throw in a Chris Berman rendition of "He...could...go...all...the...way!"

As a MMA fan (sometimes blogger-and-all the time supporter) imagine my delight when I found ESPN MMA Live on the internet. MMA Live debuted on ESPN.com and ESPN Mobile TV in May of 2008 and airs every Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. It consists of Jon Anik as the host, Kenny Florian, Franklin McNeil and Molly Qerim. They also pull in special guests now and then that are so big even my mom knows who they are. Again, like SportsCenter the topics they discuss on MMA Live make me think about things and form my own opinion or look up the information to make my opinion. To see ESPN 'embrace' the sport of MMA and give it a dedicated team to produce the webisodes every week made me think the sport was definitely taking steps in the right direction. 

Those steps continued when MMA Live made their first live appearance at UFC 91 and covered the weigh-ins as well as had pre and post fight specials.

Tomorrow (or today, depending on when you read this) marks yet another milestone for the MMA Live team as they film their 100th episode. And,it's great to see the progress the show has made. Now, they wear shoes and ties (I'm kidding about the shoes, although we never see their feet so who really knows). Oh and the ties themselves have gotten better. I like to think my feedback had a direct impact on that. Anik gets smoother with every show. He has a way of maintaining control, giving direction and yet being likable all at the same time. That's hard to do in real life never mind in front of a camera. Just when you think Ken-Flo is at the height of his game, whether it be behind the MMA Live desk or in the cage, he proves us wrong. To say he's top notch is an understatement and I think he's great face for the sport. Mcneil has shown the most growth. For someone who at first seemed a little squeamish in front of the camera, now thrives. He clearly enjoys it. He's articulate and very knowledgeable. He's someone who is highly respected in the sport. Qerim's reports and features have included in field reports from Kenny's gym as well as interviewing some of the big names in MMA. Her class, poise and knowledge makes every woman want to be her. 

The news started to leak a couple weeks ago about ESPN MMA Live going to tv but details were sparse. I was able to get a few minutes of Anik's time to gather more information...

ESPN MMA Live will debut on ESPN2 on Thursday night May 6th 10pm/1amET. The show will air Thursday nights in May (actually Friday morning east coast time) on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th. They will also do several shows on location from UFC 113 and UFC 114. The preview show for UFC 113 will be live from Montreal and will air Saturday May 8th from 9-10pm ET. They will also do a one hour post-fight show for ESPN2 from UFC114 in Las Vegas and will air 1am-2am ET on Sunday May 30th. The show will be shorter than the webisodes due to commercials but they expect to have longer versions for ESPNUK, ESPN PacRim and ESPN.com.

Their relationship with the UFC has never been stronger, and they look forward to continuing to build upon it. Expect to see them at more and more live events.

When I asked Jon Anik what this means to him he said "Well, after two years at this thing, it's just so gratifying that our hard work and dedication has led to an opportunity on ESPN2. It was always a personal goal of mine to get MMA Live to the network(s), and I feel blessed to be a part of a great team. We definitely feel a sense of responsibility to expose the masses to MMA, which we believe to be the greatest sport in the world. Even though there is a sense of accomplishment, there is plenty of work to be done. I am hopefully that this i just the beginning, and that MMA Live becomes a bigger part of the ESPN line-up going forward. The sport is certainly worthy of the coverage, and we just hope we are doing right by the sport and it's great fans."

As exciting as all of this is, and I can't wait to see the crew in HD, I still want more. No offense, but I want it on ESPN. I want a permanent slot and especially one that isn't past my bed time. And while we're at it I want MMA Live more than once a week. It's up to us to continue the momentum. For ourselves, for the fighters, and the future fans. Please do you part in supporting the great work the MMA Live team has done by tuning into the show on ESPN2, watch the extended show on ESPN.com, send in your questions, follow them on Twitter and join Jon's weekly chat.

The MMA Live crew on Twitter:

Jon Anik Molly Qerim

Kenny Florian Franklin McNeil

 
 

MMA Contest Information RULES and PRIZES

Want to win some AUTOGRAPHED schwag from some of your FAVORITE MMA fighters? All you have to do is answer some questions about those fighters as well as the brands that support them. Every day for one week I'll ask THREE questions. At the end of the 7th day, the first three people to email me with all the right answers, will win!

Some questions will be easy. Some will be hard. The answers can be found on the fighters websites, on their twitter pages, or on the pages of their sponsors.

RULES!

YOU MUST FOLLOW THESE PEOPLE ON TWITTER. The winners MAY be notified by one of the twitter accounts mentioned below, and if you're not following them, they can't DM you!!!

twitter.com/MagneticMMA

twitter.com/mmahotstuff

twitter.com/mmaadnet

twitter.com/MMAAdvertising

twitter.com/mmasocialites

twitter.com/mtxmma

twitter.com/brawlnutrition

twitter.com/mtxaudio

twitter.com/performancemma

twitter.com/beaverbuzznrg

twitter.com/nightrideraz

twitter.com/shanecarwin

twitter.com/effyescudero

twitter.com/smoothone155

twitter.com/firemarshallUFC

twitter.com/DannyMMA125

twitter.com/DaleHartt

twitter.com/Dethrone

twitter.com/Jesse_Forbes

twitter.com/edgargarcia170

twitter.com/chriscamozzi

twitter.com/Warriorint

twitter.com/jkarp185

twitter.com/rrkelly_4

PRIZES!!

Grand Prize

MTX ipod boombox

Night Rider Jewelry ($1000.00 gift certificate)

WarriorWear Shane Carwin shirts (original, 108 walk out tee & team carwin)

MMAHotStuff tshirt

 

Second Place

MTX ipod boombox

$100.00 gift card from Performance MMA

Signed MTX audio short by Efrain

90 day supply of Brawl Nutrition supplements

MMAHotStuff tshirt


Third Place

$100.00 gift card from Performance MMA

Efrain Escudero shirt from Dethrone

2 month supply from beaverbuzz

MMAHotStuff tshirt 

Questions will be asked EVERY day here: http://www.mmahotstuff.com/about/2010/02/mmahotstuff-contest-questions.html

BOOK MARK THAT PAGE.

After the 7th day when all of the questions have been asked, email me your answers.

MMAHotStuff Contest QUESTIONS

Every day, I'll ask THREE questions for a week. The questions will be posted here so come back (book mark) to this page every day for the new questions...

Friendly reminder of the rules and prizes can be found at this link!

Questions:

Tuesday (day 1)

1. Name one of Ben Henderson's favorite books!

2. In what years did Shane Carwin work as an Assistant Wrestling Coach at the Colorado School of Mines?

3. Eliot Marshall shared a training room with someone at UFC 97. Who was it?

Wednesday (day 2)

1. Efrain Escudero was in Miami on Feb 2nd. Which hotel did he blog from?

2. What's the address of the MTX retailer in Salem, Oregon?

3. How much are the Warrior Pro Handwraps (Warrior International)?

Thursday (day 3)

1. BJJSupplements.com gave Brawl Nutrition an award. What was it?

2. What are the different flavors of Beaver Buzz Energy Drinks?

3. Shane Carwin recently sang the praises of his coaches on Twitter. Who were the coaches he mentioned?

Friday (day 4) TGIF people!

1. MMASocialites.com recently interview Jon Jones. How did he meet his fiance Jessie?

2. What's George Ganem's nickname (of Night Rider Jewelry)?

3. Shane Carwin supports the troops! What's the name of the website he recently promoted on his twitter? Hint: they are dedicated to assisting Post Traumatic Stress Disordered Veterans!

Saturday (day 5)

1. Who is Eliot Marshalls BJJ Coach?

2. Where does Edgar Garcia get his hair cut?

3. Dethrone sponsors two title holders, who are they?

Sunday (day 6)

1. What's the name of the female athlete (fighter) managed by Magnetic Marketing Associates?

2. MMASocialites recently interviewed Ann Serra (Matt's wife). Who did she watch UFC 109 with?

3. Shane Carwin has posted the name of his baby girl that is due ANY DAY NOW.. What's her name?

Monday (day 7) (will be posted Monday between 4-4:30pm pacific time) FINAL DAY

1. Ben Henderson recently took his fiance to a concert. Who did they go see?

2. Efrain Escudero is scheduled to fight at UFC 114. Who will he be fighting? Efrain tweeted it and I need the spelling he used on his tweet!

3. Ben Henderson is ranked what level in taekwondo?

After the week is up and all the questions have been asked, EMAIL ME your answers at MMAHotStuff@gmail.com. The first three people that have the right answers will win. First winner with the right answers, Grand prize winner. Etc.

Email me if you have questions!

Thanks

Rachel

Patrick Cote's Advice to the TUF 11 Contestants...

Judging by how active Patrick Cote has been on his Facebook and Twitter lately, talking about his 'return to the octagon' I figured now would be a good time to check in with him. Coming off a loss to Anderson Silva (that dates back to UFC 90 in October 2008) that hurt him in more ways than just his record. While in the 3rd round he injured his knee and would later require surgery followed by a lengthy recovery. Back in high spirits and anxious to get back into the octagon, here's what he had to share...

Rachel: You gave a shout out on your twitter to Alan Belcher and congratulated him on his new baby, that’s so sweet. How important is family to you?

Patrick: Actually I don’t have kids yet, but you know what family is the most important thing in your life and you have to take care of it !

R: Speaking of fighting Alan, it’s been confirmed your return to the octagon will be at UFC 113. How excited are you? Especially being in your homeland of Canada!

P: For sure, it s about time, can t wait to herd the fans there and fight for them.

R: You’ve mentioned in the past you’d like to fight Bisping assuming he lost to Henderson. And clearly we all know he lost big time to Hendo. Is that still a wish? To fight Bisping?

P: I want to fight the best as possible, I want the best fight for me and I thought Bisping was this guy, but now I think Silva will murder him.

R: The 185lb weighclass is STACKED.  I know it’s hard to look past your next opponent but you must have short list of guys you’d like a shot at. Who are they?

P: My goal is to have another title fight and it s start with Belcher, I don t care about the opponent, my goal is to be world champion

R: The 11^th season of TUF has started filming. As a former contestant what advice would you give the new guys?

P: Enjoy and don t be stupid in front of the camera haha !!

R: Speaking of The Ultimate Fighter, you were on the same team as Matt Serra. Is it safe to assume you’ll be cheering him on as he faces Frank Trigg at UFC 109?

P: For sure. Serra and I we are relly good friend, he came to my house last summer and we had a great time !! I ll cheer for him for sure and he ll win !!

R: What’s the first thing you like to eat after weighins?

P: Babyback ribs

R: I hate to ask you, because I know you get asked all the time… but how’s the knee?

P: Knee is very very strong and it s almost done now !! the knee is 95% perfect !!

R: Tell me, who is your hero and why?

P: I don t have Hero but some athlete than I respect alot. Like Brett Favre is for me the perfect example of a true athlete and warrior!

R: Yikes, the big 3-0 birthday is coming up for you next month. Any plans?

P: Actually I’ll start my training camp around this date so that will be very calm and just nice diner with some friends!! I’ll do a freaky party after my win at UFC 113

R: According to your Facebook (and we know facebook does not lie), you’re in a relationship. How does she feel about your profession?

P: She don t like that at all haha but she is very very supportive. She just don t like watching me live because it s to stressful and she don’t want me to get hurt. It 's nice she's worries about me I guest hahah. Seriously she understand my life and everything is nice now !!

Happy (early) Birthday Patrick! And good luck at UFC 113.

You can follow Patrick on Twitter at twitter.com/Patrick_Cote and don't forget to follow me at twitter.com/MMAHotStuff

 
 

WEC 46 Predictions and Random Thoughts Like Grizzly Bears

This Sunday, the WEC crew will blow into Sacramento for what feels like Urijah Faber's thirtieth fight at the ARCO arena. I'm kidding but you have to admit the ARCO arena is his second home. In his back yard with the stand filled with his friends from afar. All of that and I'm not even talking about the main event. Who doesn't love watching the California Kid though..? My predictions are below. Winners in green.

Finally, we're going to see the Lightweight title unified. As you may recall, Jamie Varner walked away with a very controversial win over Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at WEC 38, when the fight was stopped in the fifth round when Cowboy hit Jamie's temple with an illegal knee while Jamie was down. After given the alloted amount of time to recover, Jamie said he could not continue due to double vision (and a broken hand). Well, that was almost a year ago. Jamie has been recovering and during that time the WEC set up an interim title bought between Cowboy and Ben Henderson. Ben beat Cowboy via unanimous decision (in a pretty rad fight getting them fight of the night bonuses -cha-ching) to win the Interim Lightweight Championship. So here's how I see it. You have Ben (aka Smooth) coming off a spectecular win, and has been training with elite fighters including Kenny Florian and BJ Penn. And we know Jamie likes to throw punches. Although having said that he hasn't been in the cage for almost a year (most likely will be a bit rusty). I expect Ben to take Jamie down early and submit him. I don't foresee this going past the second round. For extra points I expect Ben to get him in a Rear Naked Choke. 

What do we know about Urijah... He doesn't like to lose. And has only lost to one person in the past four years (Mike Brown; twice). He'll be facing Brazilian Raphael Assuncao who has an impressive record of 15-1 (currently on a 6 win winning streak). This very well could turn out to be a great fight but see it going to the ground early. Urijah is coming off that last loss to Mike Brown and has something to prove in front of his home crowd. I see Urijah winning by submission (via something fancy like a guillotine).

Who doesn't love watching guys enter the cage that are undefeated! Well lucky for us because Dave Jansen is just that. Undefeated with a record of 14-0! His last win was against one of my other favorite WEC guys; Richard Crunkilton via unanimous decision. Dave is set to face (also undefeated) Kamal Shalorus; fighting out of Austin TX. Don't mess with Tex. Speaking of don't mess with Tex Kamal is not only a grappling instructor but also partner at American Combat Association. I point this out because Dave has been successful on the ground but this time, if he doesn't get Kamal there he might be in trouble. I'm picking Kamal to win by TKO in the first. I'm anxious to see this fight.

I LOVE fighters that love to fight. That's what I think of when I think of Mike Brown. Well that and grizzly bears for some reason. Mike just fought on the WEC 44 card in November, and lost by TKO to Jose Aldo. Mike's facing a pretty experienced fighter (although making his WEC debut), Anthony Morrison.  When Mike was asked what he thought of Anthony he said he's quick and a hard hitter. He's also coming off a win against Alvin Robinson just weeks ago. For me, it comes down to grizzly bears. Mike will take this. And I have a feeling he's going to show us his redemption by beating Anthony by TKO. Early, I'm saying the end of the first round.

What's the saying, "strike while the iron is hot?" That's exactly what comes to mind when I think of Mackens Semerzier. He just shocked everyone during his WEC debut in October when he submitted Wagnney Fabiano in the first round. Not a bad way to make your debut with the WEC. Well he's back to face Deividas Taurosevicius and he's nothing to laugh at. His record is 11-3 where he also fought on WEC 43 and won via split decision against Javier Vazquez. I'll say I think Mackens is a future contender for the WEC. I expect him to win by submission.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know. Either leave a comment or send me an email. Rachel@mmahotstuff.com

 
 

Team Pellegrino

It's funny, I always have such a hard time giving posts titles, but once you read this interview I did with Melissa Pellegrino, you'll see that she and Kurt are just that; a Team.

Q: How did you and Kurt meet?

A: Kurt and I met in high school.  We started dating as seniors and we were married 8 years later.

Q: How long have you been married?

A: Married for 3 years, together for 11 years.

Q: I understand you two have a little girl (Priscilla), does she watch daddy’s fights?

A: Yes, she's seen some of his fights on dvd's, never live though.  She is only 2 so she doesn’t really get the concept, so any time she sees a fighter on TV she thinks its 'daddy'.  It could be Mike Tyson fighting and she'll be yelling 'go daddy!!'  So its pretty funny.

Q: Were you a MMA fan prior to meeting Kurt or did him being a fighter get you involved in the sport?

A: I never knew about the sport until he started training back in 2000.  Kurt was a wrestler through high school and college so I was always of fan of him competing.  So i went from a wrestling fan to an MMA fan.  I now really enjoy the MMA game.  He likes to make fun of me because he thinks I know more about the fighters and whatnot than he does.  But I really don’t.  Its hard to be this connected to the sport and to the UFC and not be an educated fan, so I try my best!

Q: Care to share any inside information on how you support him? Do you do anything special while he’s training for a fight? Special recipes to help him lose weight before the big weight cut?

A: Yes!  I'd like to think he'd be lost without me! haha.  The whole training camp is definitely a process, and a huge support system has to be in place so that he doesn’t have to worry about anything else besides training 2-3 times per day.  So this even includes both of our parents helping out.  We start about 8 weeks out with the weight cutting.  I prepare all his meals, 3 times a day.  As long as he is eating clean, that’s the main concern.  Making sure he's eating properly to shed some of the initial weight and also to keep his body fueled to keep up with the intense training.  He doesn’t actually lose the 10-12 pounds until fight week.  But he takes off about 10 pounds during the 8 weeks.  Its also a challenge to have a 2 year old running around the house when Kurt is trying to nap between training sessions, so when he comes home for lunch, I make sure he eats and then Priscilla and I go out so he can get his sleep for an hour or two.  We have become shopping pro's! ha

Q: Have you ever cut weight with him?

A: Ummm, no! ha.  Although I wish i did.  In the beginning I eat healthy with him, but then I get so sick of making such healthy meals that i just find something tasty to eat! I give Kurt credit because I couldn’t eat the healthy for 8 weeks! ha  It gets real hairy the week or two before he leaves for the fight...he can smell a potato chip on my breath from 20 feet away, so I’m very careful to keep that stuff away from him.  Again though, very hard with a 2 year old who loves Oreos!  It never fails though, fight week I lose 4 or 5 pounds, in stress alone. ha!

Q: Sounds like he’s been cleared by his orthopedic to get back to training full time and he’s doing Active Release Therapy. Any idea when we’ll see him back in the octagon?

A: Yes, he's been cleared to start training again back in the 2nd week of December.  Which is great, because I thought he was miserable cutting weight, but I found out he's much more miserable when he can’t train! In all seriousness tho, its great that he's feeling better, it was a little scary for him to have a back injury, but he's coming along.  He wants to be back fighting hopefully in March.  That gives him a good 10 weeks to get back in fighting shape.  He was even training on Christmas Eve he is so excited to be back in the gym again.

Q: What do you as a family like to do when he’s not training?

A: We are pretty low key people.  We like to do dinners and movies and spend time with friends and family, the typical things.  Winters in NJ are kind of miserable, but the summer time we love the beach and parks and anything outside!  Regardless of the season, we are always at our academy, and so is Priscilla.  Its our home away from home.  We definitely take advantage of the time between fights to do 'normal' family things.  We love the life we have, but the fight camps are definitely hard, so we just try to work together and stay on the same page to make things run smoothly! 

Q: How’s the academy coming along? Anything you want to promote or tell our readers?

A: Our academy is great.  We've been open for about 14 months now.  We are up to about 175 students.  We teach brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, submission grappling, & kickboxing for adults and for kids.  It definitely takes up 90% of our time.  I am a stay at home mom, but with the academy its more like 2 full time jobs!!  Its great though, and I really enjoy being there and all the dedicated students we have.

Q: Do you always go to Kurt’s fights and if so, what’s your routine so to speak?

A: Kurt leaves usually 5 days prior to his fight and I go out about 2-3 days later.  I usually show up the night before weigh ins.  I check into my own room so Kurt can be with his team and concentrate on losing the last pounds. I see him that night, but only for a little bit.  The day of the weigh in I wait to hear thru text from his coaches when he makes weight, then i meet him in his hotel room after he's done.  He leaves for the weigh in and I meet him there.  After the weigh in we go back to the hotel for a bit, kurt rests and then we go out to eat with the whole team.  Then its back to hotel for rest.  I usually stay with him and watch TV and stuff.  Usually about midnight or 1am, we go out and get pancakes for more carbs!  Sometimes I end up staying in his room.  Fight day is all about relaxing in bed watching TV.  I stay with him most of the day until it comes close to him leaving.  I let him get into 'fight mode'.  I can really tell when its time to leave because there's this switch that goes off with him and he just is really quiet and focused.  So that’s my queue to let him be with his coaches.  I see him immediately after the fight, he always manages to come into the crowd and find me...even if he gets mauled by the fans on the way!  That’s the best part.  Finally being able to see him when its all over... after 12 weeks of craziness, and being able to breath again is always a plus :)

 
 

You can read more about the Kurt at http://www.kurtpellegrino.com/

Info on their Academy can be found at http://www.pellegrinomma.com/ 

Follow Kurt on Twitter at twitter.com/kurtpellegrino

Rachel - twitter.com/mmahotstuff 

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

 

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.

The Ultimate Fighter Season Recap

So I'm a huge fan of The Ultimate Fighter. Frankly I think it's made many of the fighters I'd consider to be top tier, a household name before they even had a win in the octagon. I haven't missed a season, I've been known to watch past seasons in an entire marathon sitting (weekends at the ski cabin, bless you) and getting TUF dvds in my Christmas stocking always makes me a happy girl.

But this season I've found myself extremely busy and haven't been a religious viewer as I should be. Thankfully, my MMA-friend Laura (ladies you all know her wit found over at Lemondrop) is now mixing the two (wit and MMA) by writing for the UFC (hip hip hooray).

So if you're looking for a great recap of the entire season, please check out her article over at the UFC.com. 

As far as my personal opinion, I'm happy with the outcome. Some people question the quality of this season but I think it's sort of par for the course when you have heavy weights. A couple fights have been good but the personalities in the house are as entertaining as ever. Seeing Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans exchange in some verbal jabs only makes me want to see those two fight even more. Rashad has definitely proven he's a very different type of coach than Rampage. Or maybe it's better to say he's a coach and Rampage is not. You be the judge. Catch the two hour special Wednesday December 2nd.

For an extra thrill, here's a list of TUF 10 fighters and their twitter ids (if known).

Abe Wagner

Brendan Schaub

Darrill Schoonover

Demico Rogers

James McSweeney

Jon Madsen

Justin Wren

Kimbo Slice

Marcus Jones

Matt Mitrione

Mike Wessel

Rampage Jackson 

Rashad Evans

Roy Nelson

Wes Sims

Zak Jensen

Strikeforce: Fedor VS Rogers Predictions

Here we are, only a few days until MMA returns to primetime television on CBS and Fedor makes his debut with Strikeforce! We're also treated to a title fight for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, vacated by Cung Le, between Jake Shields and the always colorful Jason "Mayhem" Miller. We also get to see Gegard Mousasi and Fabricio Werdum return to the cage in action against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva respectively.

So you know the drill... my predicted winners in GREEN! 

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers

Does Rogers have a chance? Yes, just like all 31 of Fedor's previous opponents had a chance, and only one of them came away with a win (by TKO / Cut, hardly a win). You don't pick against a 97% winning percentage, and I'm not picking against Fedor.

Fedor is technically superior everywhere. Even though some say his striking isn't very technical (which it may not be by boxing or muay thai standards), he puts it all together so well that for MMA it is technical when you give consideration to takedown defense and set up. Rogers has power, and in a sport of 4 ounce gloves and multiple ways to finish a fight he certainly has a shot. As Mark DellaGrotte said in Kevin Iole's article on Yahoo! Sports "A perfectly placed punch can knock anyone out. Anyone". The problem is that Rogers has to land a perfect or near perfectly placed punch, which will be tough to do on Fedor given his footwork and agility. Ultimately I think this fight will go to the ground where the experience gap will shine through. Fedor wins by TKO / Referee Stoppage on the ground.

Disclaimer: Now if we're talking about betting the spread with my new shoe money, I'd bet on Rogers. I like the long-shots for the big payout! According to betus.com the current spread is Fedor -550 and Rogers +375! OH and because I AM a girl, I count my chickens before they're hatched/shoes before they're purchased: Here's what I want to get. Aren't they gor(geous)?LOVE!

Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Jake Shields (for vacant Strikeforce middleweight title)

Miller is a funny guy, the problem is Shields isn't laughing. Miller has proven that he can go the distance avoiding submissions against some of the best (see Jacare fight in DREAM), but Shields' isn't your typical Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He's all about pressure, passing guard, and making your life miserable if you're under him. The knock on Shields has always been his lack of ability on his feet, but in his fight against Robbie Lawler he showed he's not afraid to be there. Miller could use his reach and striking to avoid the takedown, but he will only be able to keep Shields at bay for so long. Look for Shields to secure the takedown, pass the guard, and finish Miller via submission.

Champ Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (non-title match)

Mousasi will dominate. Did you see Babalu? Out cold. Mousasi is a stud (at multiple weight classes). Technically sound. I see this one ending by TKO. Look for Mousasi to hurt Sokoudjou on his feet and finish him on the mat.

Antonio Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum

Even though Silva has a chin the size of a Rhode Island, look for Werdum to finish this one on the ground. His Jiu Jitsu is just too good. 

So gents, there's no need to leave your girls at home to hit the bar to watch this event on PayPerView. Since it's on CBS, throw a Strikeforce party at your house and get your girl engaged. Show her the shoes above and I promise she'll be hooked. On my site and the sport. Tell her more shoes with next week's predictions for UFC 105. 

While Roger's win against Fedor would allow those shoes to come home with me, I also have a bet consisting of bragging rights with Franklin McNeil! If you're not following him on twitter you should be. Did you see who he picked to win this weekend? If not, check out his picks on today's ESPN MMALive!

Friendly reminder, follow me on Twitter!