by Michael David SmithNo one can doubt Frankie Edgar anymore.
After Edgar beat B.J. Penn by unanimous decision in April, a lot of people believed that the fight was a fluke, that the judges erred, and that Penn was still the best lightweight in mixed martial arts. But now that Edgar has defeated Penn once again at UFC 118, there's no room for debate: Edgar is the undisputed champion.
Except that Edgar has one loss on his record, and that one loss is to Gray Maynard, who has been anointed the next challenger to Edgar's title. Maynard could make a case that he deserves to be considered the top fighter in the division, but unless he makes that case again in the cage, I'm sticking with Edgar at No. 1. The rest of the rankings are below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
UFC 118 Weigh-In Video
by Michael David SmithThe UFC 118 weigh-ins take place Friday at the TD Garden in Boston, and if you can't be there in person, you can watch the video live right here at MMAFighting.com.
The most intriguing issue will be the weight of James Toney, who has been as light as 157 pounds and as heavy as 237 pounds in his boxing career. Toney says he's working hard and in great shape, but at times Toney has become grotesquely overweight. We'll find out on Friday afternoon whether he got himself into decent shape for his UFC debut against Randy Couture.
In the main event, lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and challenger B.J. Penn will both have to make the limit of 155 pounds.
The weigh-in starts at 4 PM ET (replay will be available in the evening) and the video is below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
The most intriguing issue will be the weight of James Toney, who has been as light as 157 pounds and as heavy as 237 pounds in his boxing career. Toney says he's working hard and in great shape, but at times Toney has become grotesquely overweight. We'll find out on Friday afternoon whether he got himself into decent shape for his UFC debut against Randy Couture.
In the main event, lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and challenger B.J. Penn will both have to make the limit of 155 pounds.
The weigh-in starts at 4 PM ET (replay will be available in the evening) and the video is below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Dana White Says James Toney Is Done With the UFC - UFC 118
Dana White Says James Toney Is Done With the UFC Video by UFC 118
Guide Bio: Mason!
Mason.� He of the flaming rocket tattoo.�� Hoster of mid-winter, off-season (possibly off-color, but I’m just guessing) Prom Nights. Secret channeler of The King, navigator of strange inflatable animals, and latest in a long line of AO love affairs (he’s betrothed to another AO guide–oh South Fork, you mysterious mistress of romance and commitement, how [...]
Molokini snorkel and scuba dive
Just a quick note to say thank you for our experience last week on your Molokini snorkel charter. My wife snorkled while went SCUBA with James and you guys did an outstanding job running the boat and managing the divers on board. My special thanks to James as dive master for the SCUBA trip for [...]
Island traveller
It�s a special trip on the Canaries this year. We first arrived on Fuerteventura and had a good time for about a week at Sotavento. Afterwards we travelled to Lanzarote reporting from the second PWA Freestyle event. The action was great. Sarah-Quita took another title and Gollito could defeat Kiri in the final. We stayed [...]
The more you climb, the better you?ll climb
I have had a few days away from climbing - in fact, my last session was 3 weekends ago at Froggatt - and so I got back to the gym this week. My local gym has an auto-belay setup so I was able to do some indoor routes without company.
And I struggled! Struggled to get [...]
And I struggled! Struggled to get [...]
Strikeforce undercard: Cormier rolls in third fight in four weeks
Daniel Cormier is taking the right path to becoming an elite heavyweight. He's working out of a high-level MMA gym and staying as active as possible. He just won the King of the Cage heavyweight title last weekend and made quick of work of Jason Riley tonight in the final fight on the non-televised undercard at Strikeforce: Houston. In the opening seconds, Cormier (5-0) charged Riley looking for a single-leg takedown. He didn't get it but his aggressiveness put Riley on the defensive. When the fighters stood apart for a few seconds, Cormier leapt into an overhand right and hurt Riley badly. Riley hit the deck and that's where Cormier turned on the jets. He pounded away with a half-dozen left hands. Riley covered up and took the abuse for a few more seconds before tapping due to strikes at 1:02 of the first. Cormier, an Olympic level wrestler out of Oklahoma State, is a little short for the division at 5-foot-11 and 249 pounds but he manhandled the much bigger Riley. His work with guys like UFC heavyweight Cain Velasquez at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose is paying off. His conditioning looks better and his hands are improving with each fight. His next fight is scheduled against Soa Palelei in Australia. Odds are he'll take a few more fights between now and Nov. 21. Riley has dropped 3-of-4 fights including losses to Tim Sylvia and Devin Cole. Jorge Patino took his fight against Andre Galvao on short notice and did all he could to steal the fight in the first round. Galvao weathered the storm and was able to wear down the fill-in. Galvao scored a takedown early in the third and wailed away with shots to Patino, who couldn't improve position. After dozens of elbows and punches to Patino, who was just covering up, Galvao got the stoppage at the 2:45 mark of the third round. Patino did a great job in the opening round attempting several punch-kick combos. The 37-year-old would charge Galvao, fire off a left and a right followed by a head kick. He shocked Galvao by landing a huge left with 1:40 left in the round. Galvao scrambled and was hurt badly when he got drilled by another left on his knees. Patino poured it on but just couldn't get the finish. The effort probably sapped Patino a bit for the rest of the fight. Galvao was able to score takedowns throughout the second to take back control of the fight.The 27-year-old Galvao (5-1) is a highly decorated world champion in jiu-jitsu. His ground control was impressive and so was the toughness he exhibited in withstanding a dangerous situation in the first.
Media watch: Boston treats UFC the way all cities should
There's no city in the country that's into its baseball team more than Boston. The Red Sox take center stage from March-September and then it's time for the New England Patriots. Between excellent sports-radio stations and powerhouse newspapers, Boston is huge on its sports. If you're without a calendar, it's August, there's roughly 30 games left in the MLB season and the Pats are two weeks away from the season opener. So it wouldn't have surprised anyone if UFC 118 got little coverage this week. Instead, the town's media has embraced the event like no other city in the U.S. has in the past. Both the Boston Herald and Boston Globe have had multiple staffers writing stories since early in the week. And even WEEI, one of the top-five sports-radio stations in the country, has devoted ample time to UFC guests and the event. It's a great step forward for MMA. So if Boston can do it, with all that's going on in town, what was the issue in the past with Portland, San Francisco/Oakland, San Diego, Cincinnati, Columbus, Atlanta and Nashville? During those UFC stops, the promotion was fortunate to get an advance newspaper story on the Friday before the event and most of the sports-radio stations half-assed UFC fighter interviews, if they chose to put someone on at all.The real egg is on the face of the most recent host cities San Diego and the Bay Area. UFC president Dana White flipped out before UFC 117 earlier this month. He exploded on Twitter over a reported run-in that his public relations people had with the San Francisco Chronicle. The paper chose to completely ignore the event. White's diatribe and the Chronicle's decision to pass on the event sparked a spirited discussion on sportsjournalists.com, where most of the participants sided with the newspaper and said MMA was still a fringe sport. The Chronicle's decision and the way the event was covered in San Diego reflect an odd shift for MMA. The West Coast was really where the sport got its initial push, but now it seems like the media outlets are hesitant to take the coverage to the next level. Meanwhile, when the UFC has gone east, cities like Boston and Philadelphia have been all over it. Why is that? Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole, a longtime veteran of the newspaper business, disagrees with newspaper editors who refuse to take MMA seriously and says it's just a matter a time before the policy changes.
Florian says Maynard is a boring fighter and too cocky
Kenny Florian's been there before. The UFC lightweight lost a title fight very early in his career against Sean Sherk and then ripped off six straight wins. Maybe he was a little hard-headed for his next shot against B.J. Penn. Florian stuck with a flawed gameplan and lost in the fourth round via rear-naked choke. He now knows it's important to stay grounded and he thinks Gray Maynard had better follow the same advice. "I definitely sense a sort of cockiness. A different attitude than what he's shown in the past," Florian said of his opponent at UFC 118 (0:22 mark). "I've been there too. We fall victim to it. I think he's overlooking me. I think he's already looking towards the title. He's definitely on the cocky side."At just 9-0 in MMA, Florian wonders where Maynard's cockiness is coming from. He also wants to see how Maynard deals with adversity. "Gray's never encountered that type of pressure. He's never never
encountered when someone's kind of beating down on him," Florian told Larry Pepe from ProMMA Radio (2:57 mark) "He's always been
the aggressor. He's always been the bully. It's easy to have fights
like that when you're winning the fight the whole time. How is he going
to respond when he's getting beaten down?" Maynard's never really been beaten down but he was frustrated to no end in his last fight against Nate Diaz. Diaz's incessant chatter in the Octagon took Maynard out of his game. If that screwed with Maynard's head, what happens if he's actually losing the fight? "How's he going to respond
when he's hurt and he's hurt again and he's hurt again," said Florian. "And he's losing
every minute of every round. What's that gonna feel like for him?" Maynard has been a lot more outspoken in the lead up to this fight. Part of that is the realization that guys like Dan Hardy, Paul Daley and even Diaz moved up the ladder a lot faster by self-promoting more heavily. Florian doesn't see that it's just a ploy by Maynard to push the fight and his image. He's been insulted by Maynard saying that he can beat Florian in every aspect of MMA. "If he doesn't respect my skills, he's gonna be in trouble," said Florian. He suggested Maynard will be full of excuses if he loses the fight. "It's gonna be one of those things where (Maynard says), 'I don't understand what happened or Kenny got lucky. Or I made a mistake and I'll be back and better than ever before.' I don't get that. It's created a lot of motivation for me."Florian doesn't talk a lot of trash but he decided to fire back at Maynard a little (6:10 mark). "I don't think he's the most exciting fighter," Florian said of Maynard. "I don't jump up and down when there's a Gray Maynard fight going on, but I do respect his skills."This is a huge fight in the lightweight division. The winner has a good shot at meeting the winner of Frank Edgar-B.J. Penn. From a promotional standpoint, you'd have to think the UFC would love to see Maynard victory.Check out Pepe's entire interview with Florian here.
encountered when someone's kind of beating down on him," Florian told Larry Pepe from ProMMA Radio (2:57 mark) "He's always been
the aggressor. He's always been the bully. It's easy to have fights
like that when you're winning the fight the whole time. How is he going
to respond when he's getting beaten down?" Maynard's never really been beaten down but he was frustrated to no end in his last fight against Nate Diaz. Diaz's incessant chatter in the Octagon took Maynard out of his game. If that screwed with Maynard's head, what happens if he's actually losing the fight? "How's he going to respond
when he's hurt and he's hurt again and he's hurt again," said Florian. "And he's losing
every minute of every round. What's that gonna feel like for him?" Maynard has been a lot more outspoken in the lead up to this fight. Part of that is the realization that guys like Dan Hardy, Paul Daley and even Diaz moved up the ladder a lot faster by self-promoting more heavily. Florian doesn't see that it's just a ploy by Maynard to push the fight and his image. He's been insulted by Maynard saying that he can beat Florian in every aspect of MMA. "If he doesn't respect my skills, he's gonna be in trouble," said Florian. He suggested Maynard will be full of excuses if he loses the fight. "It's gonna be one of those things where (Maynard says), 'I don't understand what happened or Kenny got lucky. Or I made a mistake and I'll be back and better than ever before.' I don't get that. It's created a lot of motivation for me."Florian doesn't talk a lot of trash but he decided to fire back at Maynard a little (6:10 mark). "I don't think he's the most exciting fighter," Florian said of Maynard. "I don't jump up and down when there's a Gray Maynard fight going on, but I do respect his skills."This is a huge fight in the lightweight division. The winner has a good shot at meeting the winner of Frank Edgar-B.J. Penn. From a promotional standpoint, you'd have to think the UFC would love to see Maynard victory.Check out Pepe's entire interview with Florian here.
Randy Couture Thought James Toney Fight Would End Like it Did - UFC 118
Randy Couture Thought James Toney Fight Would End Like it Did Video by UFC 118
Jennie Finch Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Gareis Jennifer Garner
No Clip But Clips
No skate clip today, but the Mostly Skateboarding twitter feed is always going off and I started a tumblr blog last week with skate and non-skate stuff I think looks cool.
Natalie Zea Natasha Bedingfield Natassia Malthe Nelly Furtado
Mountain and Olson Art Show with Escapist
This Friday, September 3rd, Escapist is hosting an art show featuring the work of Lance Mountain and Steve Olson. It all kicks off at 6 PM at Escapist; rumor has it that Mountain and Olson will be doing some skating in KC as well.
Lauzon appreciated the long layoff between fights
As Joe Lauzon fought Sam Stout at UFC 108, I remember thinking, "Lauzon doesn't look like himself." He was returning from a knee injury and a 10-month layoff, but it still didn't explain why Lauzon looked so lifeless in the decision, which he lost. Lauzon says that the knee was partly to blame. He told the Boston Herald: "My last fight camp kind of got me into normal shape and this fight camp is really elevating me to being fight-ready. Right after the fight I really didn’t take any time off. . . . I’m definitely ready. I’ve had more than enough time."This is Lauzon's first fight since then, meaning he had a nine-month layoff right after he had a 10-month layoff. Instead of being concerned about ring rust, Lauzon thinks that the time off has helped him. He used it to train more, heading to Hawaii to work with his one-time coach on "The Ultimate Fighter," B.J. Penn.Now, Penn is on Lauzon's turf. A lifelong Boston native, Lauzon will be fighting in front of a hometown crowd, and finally welcomed Penn to his gym. Both fighters are coming off of a loss and claiming to be revitalized. We'll see if it's true this Saturday.
Where to dayhike NOW in the Canadian Rockies: Twin Lakes / Gibbon Pass
This past week we started at the Vista Lake viewpoint trailhead (Highway 93, Banff National Park) and completed a 21.8-km (13.5-mi) round-trip dayhike to Gibbon Pass, en route passing Vista, Arnica, Upper Twin, and Lower Twin lakes. Trail conditions are perfect. No snow, even at the pass. The entire day we encountered only one other [...]
Scarlett Chorvat Scarlett Johansson Selita Ebanks Shakara Ledard
Quiksilver Europe Skate In Visi�n Montage
Quiksilver Europe puts together a sick montage from their Skate In Visi�n photo contest.
Gabreil Zuffery Safari Welcome Video
I dig the pole cam filming in the intro to Gabreil Zuffery's welcome video from Safari.
UFC 118 weigh-in: 237 pounds! Did Toney take this seriously?
What happened to all the hard work? We heard James Toney had gotten himself into shape. You can crow about being in the best condition of your life but the scale doesn't lie. Toney stepped on stage Friday at the UFC 118 weigh-in and checked in at a ridiculous 237 pounds. That matches his heaviest weight ever as a boxer. It's 20 pounds heavier than his last boxing match just 11 months ago against Matthew Greer. Keep in mind, Toney spent most of his boxing career between 160-175 pounds. At barely 6-feet tall, 237 pounds is a lot to carry. Toney takes on the UFC legend Randy Couture on Saturday night and needs to be light on his feet, try to avoid Couture's takedowns and take advantage of the speed in his hands. Toney didn't help his cause by showing up at a blubbery 237. And with all the smack-talking Toney has done lately, this certainly doesn't look good for the 42-year-old boxer. Also not looking good was Toney as he removed his pants (pictured to the right). He gave the crowd at the TD Garden a little extra show when part of his rear end was exposed. The MMA fans in attendance let loose a hearty laugh. Many experts already weren't giving Toney a chance, anyway. Couture has been installed a minus-800 favorite to win the fight. Even
UFC president Dana White admits that he's out to make an example of
Toney, who's been talking trash about mixed martial artists and White for years."What people don't realize is that this started back in 2002," White told the Opie and Anthony Show on XM. "When we first bought the company, when Tito Ortiz was the big name in the UFC at that time. (Toney) came out and started talking all sorts of smack about the UFC and Tito. He wanted to fight one of these guys back then." Toney turned up the heat at the end of 2009 when he stalked White before UFC 107. Less than a month later, he crashed the postfight press conference at UFC 108 in Las Vegas. Toney holds a boxing record of 72-6-3, but will step into the Octagon for the first time. Couture enters the fight with 28 professional MMA fights. He was also an Olympic-level wrestler throughout his 20's. Toney just began working on his wrestling and other elements of MMA at the start of 2010. All 20 fighters made weight without any issues. UFC 118 weigh-in (Courtesy MMA Junkie)Pay-per-view card Frankie Edgar (154) vs. B.J. Penn (154) -- for lightweight titleRandy Couture (220) vs. James Toney (237)Kenny Florian (156) vs. Gray Maynard (156)Marcus Davis (170) vs. Nate Diaz (171)Demian Maia (184) vs. Mario Miranda (185) Spike cardJoe Lauzon (156) vs. Gabe Ruediger (155)Nik Lentz (155) vs. Andre Winner (154)Non-televised card Dan Miller (185) vs. John Salter (185)Nick Osipczak (171) vs. Greg Soto (170)Amilcar Alves (171) vs. Mike Pierce (171)
UFC president Dana White admits that he's out to make an example of
Toney, who's been talking trash about mixed martial artists and White for years."What people don't realize is that this started back in 2002," White told the Opie and Anthony Show on XM. "When we first bought the company, when Tito Ortiz was the big name in the UFC at that time. (Toney) came out and started talking all sorts of smack about the UFC and Tito. He wanted to fight one of these guys back then." Toney turned up the heat at the end of 2009 when he stalked White before UFC 107. Less than a month later, he crashed the postfight press conference at UFC 108 in Las Vegas. Toney holds a boxing record of 72-6-3, but will step into the Octagon for the first time. Couture enters the fight with 28 professional MMA fights. He was also an Olympic-level wrestler throughout his 20's. Toney just began working on his wrestling and other elements of MMA at the start of 2010. All 20 fighters made weight without any issues. UFC 118 weigh-in (Courtesy MMA Junkie)Pay-per-view card Frankie Edgar (154) vs. B.J. Penn (154) -- for lightweight titleRandy Couture (220) vs. James Toney (237)Kenny Florian (156) vs. Gray Maynard (156)Marcus Davis (170) vs. Nate Diaz (171)Demian Maia (184) vs. Mario Miranda (185) Spike cardJoe Lauzon (156) vs. Gabe Ruediger (155)Nik Lentz (155) vs. Andre Winner (154)Non-televised card Dan Miller (185) vs. John Salter (185)Nick Osipczak (171) vs. Greg Soto (170)Amilcar Alves (171) vs. Mike Pierce (171)
Back home in Austria
Now I am already back in Europe for 19 days. These last days were busy. Had one super windsurfing session in 8 Beaufort at my homespot, sorted out almost all my gear for the 2010 racing season, had a great skiing session close to my birth place, celebrated my birthday, passed by Munich and so [...]
Samaire Armstrong Samantha Mathis Samantha Morton Samantha Mumba
Malta > New Dimension Scuba
Mention you are a Scuba Diver Girls fan and get EITHER free equipment hire with booked guided dives OR 10% off any guided shore or boat dive PLUS a free dive with the giant tuna. New Dimension Scuba is a fully, licensed dive school and a PADI 5 star Instructor Development Centre that is expanding [...]
What You Need to Know about Maui Snuba Tours
For those who want more depth than snorkeling offers, but aren’t quite ready for the scuba diving adventure, snuba is the perfect compromise. This relatively new activity, which is a hybrid between snorkeling and scuba diving, has caught on not just in Maui, but in other areas of the globe as well. In fact, snuba [...]
Monday, August 30, 2010
prAna Sends BFF?s To Wanderlust
What happens when prAna partners with Wanderlust, the yoga, music & nature festival? We send two lucky yogis on a cross country adventure they were sure to remember. Lia Pardy and her partner Brian Davis were the winners of the all-access trip to Squaw Valley after entering the giveaway along with thousands of other entrants. [...]
Roger Huerta vs. Eddie Alvarez Headlines Bellator 33 in Philadelphia
As expected, Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez will face UFC veteran Roger Huerta in an non-title superfight which headlines Bellator 33 on October 21 at Philadelphia's Liacouras Center.
How ?bout a little grape stompin? with your paddlin??
How’s this for a biathlon of fun?� Come up for an American River rafting trip this Saturday, have a tasty dinner at Marco’s Pizza or Cafe Mahjaic (well, eat where you want, I’m just giving a little advice as a local, don’t you know…), and then on Sunday go STOMP GRAPES at David Girard Winery!� [...]
Shots from South Korea
Korea was always a lucky place for me. I could finish once 17th and once 19th. But so far I took the wrong trains. But some days are left to go! I got some shots for you from South Korea. Some of them are mine, some are by John Carter. We had one day with [...]
The more you climb, the better you?ll climb
I have had a few days away from climbing - in fact, my last session was 3 weekends ago at Froggatt - and so I got back to the gym this week. My local gym has an auto-belay setup so I was able to do some indoor routes without company.
And I struggled! Struggled to get [...]
And I struggled! Struggled to get [...]
Nyjah Wins Big At Street League
Nyjah Huston came out on top at the first ever Street League event yesterday in Glendale, AZ. DC has more coverage..
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Top 5 Snorkeling Spots in Maui
If you are in search of the best snorkeling in Maui, you will not be disappointed in your visit to this island of paradise. Maui is surrounded by hot spots for snorkelers and divers, depending on where you want to go and what you want to see. Snorkeling can be just about anywhere on the [...]
Drift Diving: Flying Underwater
Currents – Aquatic Conveyor Belts The sea is a powerful force. It?s a huge energy storage and dispersal mechanism that absorbs forces like the Earth?s rotation, the Moon?s orbit and the wind and then releases them in various ways. Sometimes it dumps a huge amount of energy in one go (like a tsunami) but most [...]
Gavin Clark Minute
Slam has a minute with Gavin Clark.
Marley Shelton Mary Elizabeth Winstead Megan Ewing Megan Fox
Maia outgrapples Miranda to unanimous decision at UFC 118
In a battle of two jiu-jitsu geniuses, Demian Maia won by unanimous decision, earning a score of 30-27 on all three judges' cards. Maia came close to submitting Miranda early, taking him down and applying a choke, but Miranda shook him off his back. The two finished the round off from their feet, but quickly returned to the canvas in the second round. Maia took Miranda down easily early in the round, and showed off why he is one of the sport's best grapplers. Controlling Miranda the entire time, Maia applied both an arm triangle and an arm bar on Miranda, but Miranda was able to defend both.Miranda's coaches -- including UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva -- begged Miranda to "let it go" in the final round, but it didn't happen. Miranda was tentative, and Maia took Miranda down and came close to an arm bar near the end of the round. Miranda spinned out of the attempt, but it was too little, too late. With such great BJJ players fighting, a submission was expected. However, their grappling canceled out, and the fighter who had better control won. This was Maia's first fight back since losing in a title bout to Miranda's coach, Silva.
Jump for Diabetes ? THIS WEEKEND
Shocker! I’m talking about Jump for Diabetes. But, the good thing is, you’ll really only be hearing about this one last time. And of course, likely once after…gotta do a recap!
Anywhoosits – as if you haven’t heard this enough already, I’m putting it short and sweet – here are the reasons [...]
Anywhoosits – as if you haven’t heard this enough already, I’m putting it short and sweet – here are the reasons [...]
Awkward?
So my blogging is going through this awkward stage right now – sort of like adolescence: I’m no longer in that giddy student phase where all I care about is getting my thoughts and excitement about skydiving down on paper (or, in Word Press, whatever), and I’m far from an expert who has [...]
Lashley must get by Griggs to land high-profile fight
Scott Coker certainly wants to see Chad Griggs engage in a good fight against Bobby Lashley. But Coker must be thinking, "don't get too froggy Mr. Griggs." After all, he's taken Lashley, a big free-agent signee back in early 2009, along a slow path with the destination hopefully being some mega-money fights for the former pro wrestling star. The payoff for Strikeforce could come in the form of Lashley against another former WWE star Dave Batista or one of the big boys on top of the promotion's heavyweight division. The tough part for Lashley is avoiding looking ahead of the little known Griggs. "The hardest thing about him (Griggs) is I don't know much about the guy at all," said Lashley. "It's another opponent. He has a very impressive record. It's going to pose a good challenge for me coming back from the long break."Lashley (5-0) last fought in January making quick work of Wes Sims. Some MMA fans and bloggers have been frustrated by the slow path Lashley's taken. Coker and Lashley seem happy with where he's at. From the Las Vegas Sun: "I always said to myself, 'what is Bobby going to look like in 18 months?'" Coker said. "With his athletic ability and wrestling, the sky is the limit. "One guy he has to get through is Chad. That's got to be the first thing that's on the top of his mind. As you all know, (Strikeforce) has a few of the top heavyweights in the world, and Bobby will fit right in there."And now Lashley is talking about moving into Strikeforce's top five. He's gotten a jolt of confidence from working with UFC title contender Cain Velasquez and fellow Strikeforce heavyweight prospect at the well-regarded American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. "Cain is probably the best heavyweight there is right now," Lashley said. "You've got to be ready training with him. The guy has got great conditioning and it's been good mixing it up with him and [...] Cormier."We've had some great practice sessions, and I know my conditioning is not going to be a factor."That's good to hear. Because much like another thickly muscled fighter Shane Carwin, there have been questions about Lashley's cardio if fights go into the second and third rounds. Lashley has only been to the second round one time in five fights.What's next? Should Strikeforce push a Lashley-Batista promotion just to cash in? Or at age 34, should Lashley be more concerned with furthering his legitimate MMA career?
Sengoku 14: Jorge Santiago Beats Kazuo Misaki in a Classic
by Michael David SmithIn a classic battle for the Sengoku middleweight title, Jorge Santiago and Kazuo Misaki went toe-to-toe for 24 and a half minutes Sunday in Tokyo before Misaki's corner threw in the towel with just 30 seconds left in the fight, handing Santiago a victory in a bout he was on the verge of losing by decision.
"I proved to everybody here what a champ is made of," Santiago said afterward. "This is the way a champion fights. This is the way I always want to fight." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
"I proved to everybody here what a champ is made of," Santiago said afterward. "This is the way a champion fights. This is the way I always want to fight." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
United States > New York > Dive Adventures
Mention you are a Scuba Diver Girls fan and get this deal: Book a charter with us, 5 pay 6th goes FREE ($80 value) We also offer 10% discount to any military branch, Dive Adventures way to say ?Thank You? for your service to our country. (Exclusion may apply) Our dive shop offers group travel [...]
Scuba Diver Girls Underwater ?Rave? for Yukon 10 Year Anniversary
The girls head out on the Humboldt to the HMCS Yukon to do a night dive to celebrate the 10 years since the ship became a reef. They had a ceremony of their own and placed a new American flag on the wreck to commemorate the day! A light boat was there to help light [...]
Left Brain Right Brain: Triple Teasin'
The speed with which Think Thank is pumping out teasers is hard to keep up with. So here are three of them: Genovese and Brewster, Gus and Sam, and Stevens and Robinson, with a trick apiece (well Sam gets two). Look for the limited edition release of 125 copies on August 17 at thinkthank.com and win.
Free clips for Chris Sharma ?King Lines? climbing video?
Interested in downloading high-quality clips of Chris Sharma climbing?
Today I checked out the website for Chris Sharma’s King Lines movie - and there’s a new addition!
Early versions of the DVD didn’t feature all of the extras properly, so the website features downloadable clips from the extras.
This won’t replace the need to buy the DVD, but [...]
Today I checked out the website for Chris Sharma’s King Lines movie - and there’s a new addition!
Early versions of the DVD didn’t feature all of the extras properly, so the website features downloadable clips from the extras.
This won’t replace the need to buy the DVD, but [...]
MMA Connected UFC 118 Pre Fight interview with James Toney - UFC 118
Showdown Joe Ferraro catches up with James 'Lights Out' Toney a few days prior to his MMA debut bout vs. Randy Couture at UFC 118.
Paige Butcher Pamela Anderson Paris Hilton Patricia Velásquez
Sunday, August 29, 2010
UFC 118 Press Conference Video
by Michael David SmithUFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, former champion B.J. Penn, UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and former boxing champion James Toney will all meet the press, joined by UFC President Dana White, at Wednesday's UFC 118 pre-fight press conference. And if you can't be there in person in Boston, you can watch it right here at MMAFighting.com.
The star of the show is likely to be Toney, who will draw plenty of mainstream media attention and talk plenty of trash about Couture. It's going to be easy to forget that Edgar-Penn 2 is actually the main event.
The UFC 118 pre-fight press conference begins Wednesday at 3PM ET and the video is below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
The star of the show is likely to be Toney, who will draw plenty of mainstream media attention and talk plenty of trash about Couture. It's going to be easy to forget that Edgar-Penn 2 is actually the main event.
The UFC 118 pre-fight press conference begins Wednesday at 3PM ET and the video is below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Roller coaster of fights: The ups and downs of Kenny Florian
Kenny Florian will fight Gray Maynard in his hometown of Boston this weekend. The winner will get a shot at the UFC lightweight title. If it's Florian, it will be his third bite at the title apple. For someone with so much success, Florian has faced some ups and downs. Hill: Dana White was at a fight in Massachusetts to scout Drew Fickett. Though Fickett won, his opponent, Florian, caught White's eye. Florian was casted in a new reality show where the winner would get a contract with the UFC.Valley: On the much-touted season finale of the first season of that reality show, "The Ultimate Fighter," Florian was man handled by Diego Sanchez, losing in a first-round TKO.Hill: Florian rebounded from the Sanchez loss with three wins, all stoppages: a TKO of Alex Karalexis, and submissions of Kit Cope and Sam Stout. That earned Florian a shot at Sean Sherk and the vacant lightweight title. Valley: That first title shot didn't work out so well. At UFC 68, Sherk didn't let Florian's elbows bother him and controlled Florian for a unanimous decision. Hill: After losing that first title shot, Florian had to climb back up the lightweight ladder. That started with wins over Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Alvin Robinson and Din Thomas -- all submissions. Bigger Hill: Florian headlined UFC Fight Night 13 in a bout with fellow Bostonian, Joe Lauzon. Florian avoided Lauzon's submission attempts with deadly elbows, winning by TKO. He followed that up with a decision at UFC 87 over the UFC's hottest lightweight prospect, Roger Huerta.Not exactly fighting but still a hill: Florian filled in for as a commentator for Frank Mir at WEC 41 to rave reviews, which opened the door for Florian to do more broadcast work for ESPN, the UFC and the WEC. Mountain: Florian was promised another title shot if he got through Joe Stevenson. He gets what he wants after submitting Stevenson in the first round at UFC 91. After the fight, he calls out UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn with the now-famous, "I want B.J.'s belt!"Valley: Headed into UFC 101 and his second title shot, Florian was flying high. Unfortunately, Penn brought him back to earth with a beating that ended with a rear naked choke in the fourth round. Hill: Rear naked chokes over Takanori Gomi and Clay Guida helped bring Florian closer to a title shot, and to the fight with Maynard.What do you think this weekend will be for Florian, a hill or valley?
Molokini snorkel and scuba dive
Just a quick note to say thank you for our experience last week on your Molokini snorkel charter. My wife snorkled while went SCUBA with James and you guys did an outstanding job running the boat and managing the divers on board. My special thanks to James as dive master for the SCUBA trip for [...]
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Memories of Nankoweap
On our last day on the river our guide, Ruth, asked us for the one memory we would take with us, to go back to in our minds when we needed to return to the peace and beauty of the Canyon. Those of us who had hiked to Nankoweap all chose it as our memory. [...]
Randy Couture Tuning Out James Toney Ahead of UFC 118 Showdown - UFC 118
Randy Couture Tuning Out James Toney Ahead of UFC 118 Showdown Video by UFC 118
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Gray Maynard Defends 'Smart' Win Over Kenny Florian - UFC 118
Gray Maynard Defends 'Smart' Win Over Kenny Florian Video by UFC 118
Island traveller
It�s a special trip on the Canaries this year. We first arrived on Fuerteventura and had a good time for about a week at Sotavento. Afterwards we travelled to Lanzarote reporting from the second PWA Freestyle event. The action was great. Sarah-Quita took another title and Gollito could defeat Kiri in the final. We stayed [...]
Diaries Down Under: Episode 3
Queenstown, NZ (August 16, 2010) -- The boys down in Aotearoa are at it again--off roading, bungee jumping, and of course snowboarding in the southern alps.
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Where in the World is AO? Rafting on dry land?..
AO guides Mason and Hilary met on our South Fork of the American operation and decided to make it a season without end.� They are engaged and ready for the river of life…….Here they are, two lovebirds who are so enamoured of their rafting love story they busted out the full regalia of river gear [...]
Our Guide Lars
Lars Haarr was tour leader on our Mystical Peru adventure which included history, culture, river running and a 5-day trek to Machu Picchu. He could not have been more attentive to the eleven of us. We found out it will be Lars’ birthday in a few days, and I was inspired to write the following [...]
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2011 K2 Snowboards now available
I’m writing this post in July in the middle of some sweltering heat and it feels plain wrong! But, having said that, when your life revolves around snowboards and snowboarding it’s good to see the newest of the new snowboarding gear regardless. We just saw this week that
What You Need to Know about Maui Snuba Tours
For those who want more depth than snorkeling offers, but aren’t quite ready for the scuba diving adventure, snuba is the perfect compromise. This relatively new activity, which is a hybrid between snorkeling and scuba diving, has caught on not just in Maui, but in other areas of the globe as well. In fact, snuba [...]
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Results are in from the Burton NZ Open
WANAKA, New Zealand (14th August, 2010)
Results are in from the first stop of the Burton Global Open Series, the NZ Open, where a revolutionary live judging scheme was implemented for the first time. Word is, the competitor's liked it. Vito did back to back to back double corks, and placed third behind a 14 year old. The official PR:
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"The eighth annual Burton New Zealand Open Halfpipe finals took place under blue bird skies today at Cardrona Alpine Resort with Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) taking first place in the men’s event and Kelly Clark (USA) winning the women’s competition. Podladtchikov and Clark both finished the day NZ$6,000 richer for their efforts and set themselves up nicely with solid early season results counting towards the 2010/11 Burton Global Open Series and the Swatch TTR World Rankings.
Although the weather was perfect, warm temperatures meant the competition format had to be shortened, in order to keep Cardrona’s 22-foot Olympic sized halfpipe in top shape. All 38 men and 19 women semi-finalists went straight into a single final round, with the best of two runs counting for their final ranking.
The women were up first, and Kelly Clark threw down the gauntlet on her first run with a giant frontside air, backside 540 mute, frontside 900, method air, frontside 720, and Cab 720 mute for 88.70 points and her 2nd consecutive NZ Open halfpipe title. Kelly was very happy with her win saying, “I had a great day, it’s a great way to start off my season and I was really happy with how I rode today. I walked away doing the tricks I set out to do and had a lot of fun.”
Queralt Castellet (ESP) was the closest challenger with 82.45 points, also on her first run. Queralt’s run started with a backside 540 mute, frontside 540 melon, method air, and frontside 720 to place second. Taking third with 76.84 points was veteran Soko Yamaoka (JPN), who’s run consisted of a McTwist, frontside 720, Cab 720, frontside 540 melon, and backside 540. Kendall Brown was the top New Zealander, finishing in 8th place.
14 year-old Taku Hiraoka (JPN), who dominated the pre-qualifiers and qualifiers, continued to amaze with his first run score of 89.35 points setting the benchmark. Hiraoka’s run was a backside 540, frontside inverted 720, Cab 1080, and massive frontside 900 tailgrab. This Cinderella story proved that it’s possible to ride all the way from the pre-qualifier round through to the podium and second place. But taking the win was Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) who let out all stops on his second run with a huge crippler, double McTwist 1260, frontside 1080 tailgrab, and Cab 720 for an impressive 93.70 points. Louie Vito (USA) also had a strong second run to jump up into third place with 88.04 points. Louie’s run started with a frontside 1080 double-cork, Cab 1080 double-cork, double crippler, backside 900, and frontside corked 900.
It was also a monumental day for judging, with the newly developed Snowboard Live Scoring system (SLS) proving itself for the first time in the halfpipe. Scores are given for each individual hit during a run, as well as a flow score, to provide a very transparent and informative final score."
Christian Haller and Jamie Anderson won mens and womens slopestyle in low visibility and snow. And the contest season is back underway...
All Photos: Pablo Azocar
Results are in from the first stop of the Burton Global Open Series, the NZ Open, where a revolutionary live judging scheme was implemented for the first time. Word is, the competitor's liked it. Vito did back to back to back double corks, and placed third behind a 14 year old. The official PR:
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"The eighth annual Burton New Zealand Open Halfpipe finals took place under blue bird skies today at Cardrona Alpine Resort with Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) taking first place in the men’s event and Kelly Clark (USA) winning the women’s competition. Podladtchikov and Clark both finished the day NZ$6,000 richer for their efforts and set themselves up nicely with solid early season results counting towards the 2010/11 Burton Global Open Series and the Swatch TTR World Rankings.
Although the weather was perfect, warm temperatures meant the competition format had to be shortened, in order to keep Cardrona’s 22-foot Olympic sized halfpipe in top shape. All 38 men and 19 women semi-finalists went straight into a single final round, with the best of two runs counting for their final ranking.
The women were up first, and Kelly Clark threw down the gauntlet on her first run with a giant frontside air, backside 540 mute, frontside 900, method air, frontside 720, and Cab 720 mute for 88.70 points and her 2nd consecutive NZ Open halfpipe title. Kelly was very happy with her win saying, “I had a great day, it’s a great way to start off my season and I was really happy with how I rode today. I walked away doing the tricks I set out to do and had a lot of fun.”
Queralt Castellet (ESP) was the closest challenger with 82.45 points, also on her first run. Queralt’s run started with a backside 540 mute, frontside 540 melon, method air, and frontside 720 to place second. Taking third with 76.84 points was veteran Soko Yamaoka (JPN), who’s run consisted of a McTwist, frontside 720, Cab 720, frontside 540 melon, and backside 540. Kendall Brown was the top New Zealander, finishing in 8th place.
14 year-old Taku Hiraoka (JPN), who dominated the pre-qualifiers and qualifiers, continued to amaze with his first run score of 89.35 points setting the benchmark. Hiraoka’s run was a backside 540, frontside inverted 720, Cab 1080, and massive frontside 900 tailgrab. This Cinderella story proved that it’s possible to ride all the way from the pre-qualifier round through to the podium and second place. But taking the win was Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) who let out all stops on his second run with a huge crippler, double McTwist 1260, frontside 1080 tailgrab, and Cab 720 for an impressive 93.70 points. Louie Vito (USA) also had a strong second run to jump up into third place with 88.04 points. Louie’s run started with a frontside 1080 double-cork, Cab 1080 double-cork, double crippler, backside 900, and frontside corked 900.
It was also a monumental day for judging, with the newly developed Snowboard Live Scoring system (SLS) proving itself for the first time in the halfpipe. Scores are given for each individual hit during a run, as well as a flow score, to provide a very transparent and informative final score."
Christian Haller and Jamie Anderson won mens and womens slopestyle in low visibility and snow. And the contest season is back underway...
All Photos: Pablo Azocar
Dana White talks MMA safety issues - UFC 118
White joined "Dennis and Callahan" on WEEI to preview UFC 118. They brought up the issue of safety and head trauma in sports. White said his kids train MMA but he's really afraid when they play football.
'Jacare' wins Strikeforce middleweight belt with decision over Kennedy
In the fight that decided the winner of the vacant Strikeforce middleweight belt, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza won a unanimous decision over Tim Kennedy, with the judges cards reading 49-46, 48-47, 48-47. Jacare, known as one of the world's best in jiu-jitsu, kept the first round standing, landing effective strikes in the first round. Kennedy counterpunched, but Jacare had an answer for every offensive move that Kennedy made. That continued into the second round. Jacare wore down Kennedy, though Kennedy did stuff Jacare's takedown attempt.In the third round, Jacare opened up a cut over Kennedy's left eye with a big right hand. Not long after his face started bleeding, Kennedy took Jacare down, but surprisingly, Jacare did not want to stay there. He got out from under Kennedy and brought the fight back to its feet for the rest of the round.In the fourth, Kennedy seemed to land more punches, but they did not cause much damage. With about a minute and a half left in the fourth round, Kennedy landed an indavertent blow to Jacare's groin. Jacare was given time to recover, with while Kennedy's eye continued to bleed. The fight was delayed longer because of a problem with the fight clock. Kennedy's striking improved in the final round, but in the last 30 seconds of the round, Jacare landed two flush strikes that wobbled Kennedy. Kennedy answered with a takedownm bringing Jacare to the ground for a millisecond before Jacare leapt to his feet. After the decision was announced, Kennedy was confused and upset with the call from the judges. "The best grappler in the world couldn't get me down, and I took him down a few times," Kennedy said. "I've said it before. I don't like judges. I won't be here again." The fight was as close as prognosticators expected, but Jacare's striking was effective throughout the match. The grappling expert showed that he is just as comfortable on his feet as he is on the ground, and because of that, he is the newly crowned Strikeforce middleweight champ.
Proof! Rafting is good for your brain!
I love it when academia backs up the gospel we preach!� A recent NY Times article tells the tale of a group of bespecled professors setting aside their blackberries, cell phones, and iPads, and setting off for a multi-day raft trip on the San Juan river.� Experts in brain function and memory,�they set out to [...]
Frankie Edgar Pre-fight Interview - UFC 118
This time around, Frankie Edgar has the extra pressure of defending the lightweight belt. Will he be able to hold off BJ Penn for a second consecutive time and extend his title reign. Don't miss UFC 118: Edgar vs Penn 2 this Saturday, August 28th at 7pm PT/ 10pm ET - Live on Pay-Per-View.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Paper or Plastic
Cross Posted From Sierra Club As you wait patiently for your groceries to approach the cashier?s scanner, you are expecting the bagger to ask, ?Paper or Plastic??� Perhaps, without thinking twice, you blurt out your preference for the copious bags that will soon pile at the bottom of your pantry or in the trashcan. ��A [...]
Slam X Emerica
Emerica has teamed up with Slam Skateshop in London again to make the exclusive Laced shoe with art by Arran Gregory. Get the full story and watch a video by Dan Magee here.
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Proof! Rafting is good for your brain!
I love it when academia backs up the gospel we preach!� A recent NY Times article tells the tale of a group of bespecled professors setting aside their blackberries, cell phones, and iPads, and setting off for a multi-day raft trip on the San Juan river.� Experts in brain function and memory,�they set out to [...]
Scuba Diver Girls Review: Aqualung?s Travel Package
As all of head off to amazing adventures scuba diving we are burdened with the pesky airlines? baggage fees; thinking, are we even going to get our gear to the dive site or should we just rent gear that could be old, ugly, and questionable condition? For me, I love my gear and love diving [...]
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Saturday, August 28, 2010
Exclusive photo gallery from WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez
Check out exclusive pictures from WEC 50 from MMA photographer Tracy Lee. From Dominick Cruz's smiling, bloody face to Anthony Pettis' last-minute submission, you won't want to miss these.
Complete Guide to Dive Watches
Dive Watches Divers are gear fiends. They love to add more equipment to their collection, and the more novel or higher the quality the better. Expense often becomes the last priority, whereas having the latest gadget becomes everything. The only problem with shelling out for a new double tank rig, titanium knife or self inflating [...]
Griggs TKOs former pro wrestler Lashley at Strikeforce: Houston
Former pro wrestler Bobby Lashley was handed his first MMA defeat on Saturday to kick off the Strikeforce: Houston card. Chad Griggs won by TKO at 5:00 in the second round. Lashley took Griggs down and worked good, old-fashioned ground and pound from the beginning of the first round, and controlled Griggs for much of the round. On one of the Lashley takedown attempts, Griggs landed an uppercut that opened a large cut underneath Lashley's left eye.Lashley didn't let the gusher of a cut bother him early in the second round as moved into full mount, raining down blows on Griggs. He continued in this position for much of the round, pushing and dominating Griggs until referee Jon Schorle stood the two up, which was an odd decision. As Lashley's eye bled, referee Jon Schorle brought in the doctor to look at Lashley's eye. The doctor let the fight continue with less than a minute left in the round.As Lashley shot in for a takedown, Griggs delivered another powerful uppercut, directly to Lashley's cut. Griggs followed that up with punch after punch until the bell rang. At that point, Griggs headed back to his corner, but a beaten, dazed and bloody Lashley had trouble getting to his feet. The referee stopped the fight, calling the TKO for Griggs. Up until this fight, Lashley had five wins. Only one of those bouts, a decision over Jason Guida, made it past the first round. This time, the cut and the pace of the fight was too much. Fanhouse's Ariel Helwani reported that Lashley was taken from the Toyota Center in a stretcher.
Florian says Maynard is a boring fighter and too cocky
Kenny Florian's been there before. The UFC lightweight lost a title fight very early in his career against Sean Sherk and then ripped off six straight wins. Maybe he was a little hard-headed for his next shot against B.J. Penn. Florian stuck with a flawed gameplan and lost in the fourth round via rear-naked choke. He now knows it's important to stay grounded and he thinks Gray Maynard had better follow the same advice. "I definitely sense a sort of cockiness. A different attitude than what he's shown in the past," Florian said of his opponent at UFC 118 (0:22 mark). "I've been there too. We fall victim to it. I think he's overlooking me. I think he's already looking towards the title. He's definitely on the cocky side."At just 9-0 in MMA, Florian wonders where Maynard's cockiness is coming from. He also wants to see how Maynard deals with adversity. "Gray's never encountered that type of pressure. He's never never
encountered when someone's kind of beating down on him," Florian told Larry Pepe from ProMMA Radio (2:57 mark) "He's always been
the aggressor. He's always been the bully. It's easy to have fights
like that when you're winning the fight the whole time. How is he going
to respond when he's getting beaten down?" Maynard's never really been beaten down but he was frustrated to no end in his last fight against Nate Diaz. Diaz's incessant chatter in the Octagon took Maynard out of his game. If that screwed with Maynard's head, what happens if he's actually losing the fight? "How's he going to respond
when he's hurt and he's hurt again and he's hurt again," said Florian. "And he's losing
every minute of every round. What's that gonna feel like for him?" Maynard has been a lot more outspoken in the lead up to this fight. Part of that is the realization that guys like Dan Hardy, Paul Daley and even Diaz moved up the ladder a lot faster by self-promoting more heavily. Florian doesn't see that it's just a ploy by Maynard to push the fight and his image. He's been insulted by Maynard saying that he can beat Florian in every aspect of MMA. "If he doesn't respect my skills, he's gonna be in trouble," said Florian. He suggested Maynard will be full of excuses if he loses the fight. "It's gonna be one of those things where (Maynard says), 'I don't understand what happened or Kenny got lucky. Or I made a mistake and I'll be back and better than ever before.' I don't get that. It's created a lot of motivation for me."Florian doesn't talk a lot of trash but he decided to fire back at Maynard a little (6:10 mark). "I don't think he's the most exciting fighter," Florian said of Maynard. "I don't jump up and down when there's a Gray Maynard fight going on, but I do respect his skills."This is a huge fight in the lightweight division. The winner has a good shot at meeting the winner of Frank Edgar-B.J. Penn. From a promotional standpoint, you'd have to think the UFC would love to see Maynard victory.Check out Pepe's entire interview with Florian here.
encountered when someone's kind of beating down on him," Florian told Larry Pepe from ProMMA Radio (2:57 mark) "He's always been
the aggressor. He's always been the bully. It's easy to have fights
like that when you're winning the fight the whole time. How is he going
to respond when he's getting beaten down?" Maynard's never really been beaten down but he was frustrated to no end in his last fight against Nate Diaz. Diaz's incessant chatter in the Octagon took Maynard out of his game. If that screwed with Maynard's head, what happens if he's actually losing the fight? "How's he going to respond
when he's hurt and he's hurt again and he's hurt again," said Florian. "And he's losing
every minute of every round. What's that gonna feel like for him?" Maynard has been a lot more outspoken in the lead up to this fight. Part of that is the realization that guys like Dan Hardy, Paul Daley and even Diaz moved up the ladder a lot faster by self-promoting more heavily. Florian doesn't see that it's just a ploy by Maynard to push the fight and his image. He's been insulted by Maynard saying that he can beat Florian in every aspect of MMA. "If he doesn't respect my skills, he's gonna be in trouble," said Florian. He suggested Maynard will be full of excuses if he loses the fight. "It's gonna be one of those things where (Maynard says), 'I don't understand what happened or Kenny got lucky. Or I made a mistake and I'll be back and better than ever before.' I don't get that. It's created a lot of motivation for me."Florian doesn't talk a lot of trash but he decided to fire back at Maynard a little (6:10 mark). "I don't think he's the most exciting fighter," Florian said of Maynard. "I don't jump up and down when there's a Gray Maynard fight going on, but I do respect his skills."This is a huge fight in the lightweight division. The winner has a good shot at meeting the winner of Frank Edgar-B.J. Penn. From a promotional standpoint, you'd have to think the UFC would love to see Maynard victory.Check out Pepe's entire interview with Florian here.
Fedor and M-1 calling out Overeem
It's the fight Strikeforce has wanted to book for a while. Alistair Overeem has called out Fedor Emelianenko but been rebuffed at every turn. He's gone as far as ripping Fedor's management, suggesting it didn't want to put its fighter in harm's way. Well, either Fedor is tired of the talk or M-1 Global realized that the guy many considered the best heavyweight in MMA needs a big win to restore his reputation. Fedor told mixfight.ru that he wanted a rematch against Fabricio Werdum. If that doesn't happen, he'd like Overeem by the end of the year."Absolutely, I would like a rematch with Werdum. But as he was recently operated on , then as soon as this fight is unlikely to happen," said Fedor. "This year, in November/December, I would prefer to meet in a cage with Alistair Overeem." M-1 just sent out a release echoing those wishes.Conversations have been taking place behind closed doors between M-1 Global and Strikeforce for some time and injuries, timing and differences of opinion have been roadblocks to putting Overeem and Emelianenko together. "M-1 Global wants to make this fight happen," says M-1’s Director of Operations, Evgeni Kogan. "As a global mixed martial arts company committed to driving the evolution of the sport and showcasing match-ups that the fans deserve to see, we want to make this bout a reality in 2010."There's been doubts in the past whether Fedor was really in full control of his career. Sounds like he is now. "This is an important match for me and something that I personally want to happen," says Fedor. "There have been conversations about putting this match-up together in the past and now is the time to begin making this bout possible." In late June, Fedor (32-2) lost for the first time in 10 years when he was upset by Werdum. Werdum could be considered Strikeforce's No. 1 heavyweight, but it's Overeem who holds the promotion's heavyweight title belt. We called it shortly after the fight, Showtime and Strikeforce needed to make the best fight possible for Fedor, in his last match under contract. Some said Werdum and Overeem should match up. That was nonsense. The promotion needs to make maximum dollars in what could be Fedor's final fight with the promotion, and the bout even casual fans want to see is Fedor versus Overeem. While this fight is speculative, Strikeforce did announce Wednesday that K.J. Noons will turn around quickly, move up to 170 pounds and challenge Nick Diaz for his Strikeforce welterweight title on Oct. 9. Diaz has been a floating up to 180 pounds for fights over the last 18 months. Now he gets a chance to avenge his 2007 upset loss against Noons. The cries for a Diaz-Jason "Mayhem" Miller fight fell on deaf ears. That fight might make for some great trash talk, but frankly Miller is better served worrying about the middleweight title mix. A rematch against Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, the new Strikeforce 185 champion, is a natural as well. Miller lost to Jacare in 2008 and the rematch in 2009 was declared a no-contest when Souza suffered a nasty cut because an illegal kick by Mayhem.
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Malta > New Dimension Scuba
Mention you are a Scuba Diver Girls fan and get EITHER free equipment hire with booked guided dives OR 10% off any guided shore or boat dive PLUS a free dive with the giant tuna. New Dimension Scuba is a fully, licensed dive school and a PADI 5 star Instructor Development Centre that is expanding [...]
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Where in the World is AO? Rafting on dry land?..
AO guides Mason and Hilary met on our South Fork of the American operation and decided to make it a season without end.� They are engaged and ready for the river of life…….Here they are, two lovebirds who are so enamoured of their rafting love story they busted out the full regalia of river gear [...]
MMA Connected UFC 118 Pre Fight interview with James Toney - UFC 118
Showdown Joe Ferraro catches up with James 'Lights Out' Toney a few days prior to his MMA debut bout vs. Randy Couture at UFC 118.
Edgar may want to play up 'Jersey Shore' image a bit more
With another win over B.J. Penn, Frank Edgar can solidfy his reputation as one of the best fighters in the world. UFC 118 is a huge card and should do big numbers on pay-per-view, plus beating a guy like Penn twice will leave little doubt that Edgar belongs in the top 10 pound-for-pound. That said, the UFC lightweight champ still won't be the most famous guy to come out of the Jersey Shore recently. MMA is growing but it's still a niche sport. Meanwhile you can only hope to contain the Jersey Shore juggernaut that is Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino from the show "Jersey Shore" on MTV. Before, you say 'who cares' or 'the show is stupid', the latest news on The Sitch are pretty eye opening.Sorrentino, who hails from Staten Island, N.Y., which is really nowhere near Seaside Heights and Edgar's hometown of Toms River, has turned out to be a marketing genius. What does that mean? While a fighter like Edgar will probably pull down $150,000-$200,000 in 2010, The Situation is going to be in a slightly higher tax bracket. As the second season of MTV's pop-culture phenomenon "Jersey Shore" gobbles up
the biggest ratings the network has seen in seven years, breakout star
Sorrentino (a.k.a. The Situation) is astutely capitalizing on his fame. By
year's end, the 29-year-old stands to earn more than $5 million, a source
familiar with his finances told The Hollywood Reporter. E! News reports that Sorrentino is now the highest paid reality star on television. The Situation is also cleaning house on Twitter where he has over 178,000 followers. In comparision, his Garden State compadre Edgar has just over 12,000. In fact, the most popular fighter at UFC 118 on Twitter is Randy Couture with roughly 46,000 followers. Maybe it's time for Edgar to find "Ronnie" at Karma and take him out. Season 4 could feature Frankie along with The Situation, Pauly D and Vinnie.
the biggest ratings the network has seen in seven years, breakout star
Sorrentino (a.k.a. The Situation) is astutely capitalizing on his fame. By
year's end, the 29-year-old stands to earn more than $5 million, a source
familiar with his finances told The Hollywood Reporter. E! News reports that Sorrentino is now the highest paid reality star on television. The Situation is also cleaning house on Twitter where he has over 178,000 followers. In comparision, his Garden State compadre Edgar has just over 12,000. In fact, the most popular fighter at UFC 118 on Twitter is Randy Couture with roughly 46,000 followers. Maybe it's time for Edgar to find "Ronnie" at Karma and take him out. Season 4 could feature Frankie along with The Situation, Pauly D and Vinnie.
Erica Leerhsen Erika Christensen Estella Warren Esther Cañadas
What did you do with your dash?
If there’s one thing I love most about the skydiving community, it’s the ability to learn from others. All those times spent on the ground, telling stories when the beer light comes on, watching videos, even learning from others misfortunes. It all makes us better skydivers.
So that’s what’s brought me to [...]
So that’s what’s brought me to [...]
www.rock-climbing-blog.com claimed on Technorati
I’m pleased to claim this blog officially on Technorati so that more people will read it
This link to my Technorati Profile is all it takes.
This link to my Technorati Profile is all it takes.
dylan. premiere video coverage
It's been a good week in skateboarding, topped off with the release of Dylan Rieder's video part. Boosh and I headed over to Gravis's dylan. premiere to get the inside story. Video Coverage Here.
China to build 1km long indoor snow slope!
China will open the world?s longest indoor ski slope to date, when the first 1km (3,300ft) long indoor slope will open in the city of Guangzhou near Hong Kong. Guangzhou will feature a slope of 1000m in length and has 100 million people living within a radius of 100km. The new indoor snow slope will [...]
Griggs TKOs former pro wrestler Lashley at Strikeforce: Houston
Former pro wrestler Bobby Lashley was handed his first MMA defeat on Saturday to kick off the Strikeforce: Houston card. Chad Griggs won by TKO at 5:00 in the second round. Lashley took Griggs down and worked good, old-fashioned ground and pound from the beginning of the first round, and controlled Griggs for much of the round. On one of the Lashley takedown attempts, Griggs landed an uppercut that opened a large cut underneath Lashley's left eye.Lashley didn't let the gusher of a cut bother him early in the second round as moved into full mount, raining down blows on Griggs. He continued in this position for much of the round, pushing and dominating Griggs until referee Jon Schorle stood the two up, which was an odd decision. As Lashley's eye bled, referee Jon Schorle brought in the doctor to look at Lashley's eye. The doctor let the fight continue with less than a minute left in the round.As Lashley shot in for a takedown, Griggs delivered another powerful uppercut, directly to Lashley's cut. Griggs followed that up with punch after punch until the bell rang. At that point, Griggs headed back to his corner, but a beaten, dazed and bloody Lashley had trouble getting to his feet. The referee stopped the fight, calling the TKO for Griggs. Up until this fight, Lashley had five wins. Only one of those bouts, a decision over Jason Guida, made it past the first round. This time, the cut and the pace of the fight was too much. Fanhouse's Ariel Helwani reported that Lashley was taken from the Toyota Center in a stretcher.
Not to be Confused with Iowa
One of the most common things I hear guests say on our river trips is, “I never thought Idaho would look like this.” I don’t know if its because ’Idaho’ sounds a little like ‘Iowa,’ but they seem to think Idaho will have soft, rolling hills and wide open plains. Well, it does have those [...]
Catherine Bell Chandra West Charisma Carpenter Charli Baltimore
'Jacare' wins Strikeforce middleweight belt with decision over Kennedy
In the fight that decided the winner of the vacant Strikeforce middleweight belt, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza won a unanimous decision over Tim Kennedy, with the judges cards reading 49-46, 48-47, 48-47. Jacare, known as one of the world's best in jiu-jitsu, kept the first round standing, landing effective strikes in the first round. Kennedy counterpunched, but Jacare had an answer for every offensive move that Kennedy made. That continued into the second round. Jacare wore down Kennedy, though Kennedy did stuff Jacare's takedown attempt.In the third round, Jacare opened up a cut over Kennedy's left eye with a big right hand. Not long after his face started bleeding, Kennedy took Jacare down, but surprisingly, Jacare did not want to stay there. He got out from under Kennedy and brought the fight back to its feet for the rest of the round.In the fourth, Kennedy seemed to land more punches, but they did not cause much damage. With about a minute and a half left in the fourth round, Kennedy landed an indavertent blow to Jacare's groin. Jacare was given time to recover, with while Kennedy's eye continued to bleed. The fight was delayed longer because of a problem with the fight clock. Kennedy's striking improved in the final round, but in the last 30 seconds of the round, Jacare landed two flush strikes that wobbled Kennedy. Kennedy answered with a takedownm bringing Jacare to the ground for a millisecond before Jacare leapt to his feet. After the decision was announced, Kennedy was confused and upset with the call from the judges. "The best grappler in the world couldn't get me down, and I took him down a few times," Kennedy said. "I've said it before. I don't like judges. I won't be here again." The fight was as close as prognosticators expected, but Jacare's striking was effective throughout the match. The grappling expert showed that he is just as comfortable on his feet as he is on the ground, and because of that, he is the newly crowned Strikeforce middleweight champ.
A little on downsizing
This weekend Rick and I headed to Start Skydiving in Middleton, Ohio with our friend Joe for a weekend of “all you can eat” skydiving as we were calling it. They were running a special, $210 for all the jumps you can make in a weekend. We had to take advantage of that!
[...]
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Friday, August 27, 2010
Video: Roadside Attraction on Icicle Creek
I could just as easily call this video “Why I love whitewater kayaking” because it’s a perfect example of everything that’s amazing about it – the beautiful surroundings, the thrill of whitewater and the great people you do it with.� This is me, Rob McKibbin, Dave Moroles and Sam Grafton on Roadside Attraction on Icicle [...]
UFC 118 Press Conference Video
by Michael David SmithUFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, former champion B.J. Penn, UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and former boxing champion James Toney will all meet the press, joined by UFC President Dana White, at Wednesday's UFC 118 pre-fight press conference. And if you can't be there in person in Boston, you can watch it right here at MMAFighting.com.
The star of the show is likely to be Toney, who will draw plenty of mainstream media attention and talk plenty of trash about Couture. It's going to be easy to forget that Edgar-Penn 2 is actually the main event.
The UFC 118 pre-fight press conference begins Wednesday at 3PM ET and the video is below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
The star of the show is likely to be Toney, who will draw plenty of mainstream media attention and talk plenty of trash about Couture. It's going to be easy to forget that Edgar-Penn 2 is actually the main event.
The UFC 118 pre-fight press conference begins Wednesday at 3PM ET and the video is below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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