Pro Boxing vs. MMA: The War That Never Ends... But Honestly Needs To

I had a pretty strange feeling come over me late last Saturday night. For several different reasons, I was unable to watch the broadcast of Bellator 43, which was a pretty solid event. A lot of my problems had to deal with everyone watching Manny Pacquiao fight Shane Mosley in what was billed as the [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/09/pro-boxing-vs-mma-the-war-that-never-ends-but-honestly-needs-to

Travis Wiuff Wu Haotian Rani Yahya Kenichi Yamamoto

Frankie Edgar & Gray Maynard Both Injured & Off UFC 130, Rampage Jackson vs. Matt Hamill New Main Event (Update)

UFC 130 has suffered a major blow less than three weeks out from show time. MMA Fighting is reporting that both main event participants, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, have suffered injuries in training that have forced them off the card. UFC president Dana White confirmed to MMA Fighting that both fighters are out. According [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/eZTQBTLrWV4/

Thales Leites Fabio Leopoldo Kimo Leopoldo Brock Lesnar

KELLER: UFC 129's Top Five Moments topped by Lyoto Machida's front kick knockout

By: Wade Keller, MMATorch Supervising Editor

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(1) LOYOTO MACHIDA'S FRONT KICK KO'ING RANDY COUTURE AND ENDING HIS CAREER

If Couture wanted the last five seconds of his career to be a YouTube moment for the ages, it happened. I'm old enough that I was going to karate classes back when the original Karate Kid movie came out, and I remember the black belts (well, everyone, actually) mocking the crane kick that won Ralph Macchio's fight. Who's laughing now?! (Actually, back then some of the teenage and twenty-something brown and black belts would use it to try to score points on outmatched students during sparring to humiliate them). I would have never thought it would be the final blow for the career of one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. People would have booed if that were the final scene of a scripted movie for being too cheesy. And what's with the return of karate in general in MMA? It was basically a discredited style within the confines of MMA rules in the 2000s, and suddenly in the 2010s it's being re-legitimized. Maurice Smith had his moments in the 1990s, but between Machida in general and now Anderson Silva and Machida ending fights with front kicks, karate is back! All of those karate schools that changed their name by switching out "Karate" and putting "MMA" in its place might want to switch back.

(2) "I CAN'T SEE OUT OF MY LEFT EYE"

This was a show with many stand-out moments, but arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter seeming genuinely shaken and scared by the fact that he couldn't see out of his left eye, during the fight and after, is a big deal. It may not be serious, and let's hope not, but that is the cloud over this show, which GSP so hoped would be a shining moment in front of the 55,000 fans at the former SkyDome. It affected his performance, although I do think even accounting for that, Jake Shields quieted a lot of his critics by hanging for five rounds even with a one-eyed version of GSP.

(3) THAT HUGE HEMOTOMA

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I would have been more scared for Mark Hominick, but my two year old son slipped on ice and hit his head on a park bench and had a similar hemotoma on his head last month and he turned out to be just fine (see picture). But boy was that nasty looking. I'm no expert, but I think Joe Rogan was a little more worried about it breaking open than he needed to be. The skin was intact, and it was just a lot of swelling and totally superficial. Obviously the ref was right to have the doc check on it, but I'm glad that didn't end the fight. I loved that the crowd "ohhed" every time the camera caught a glimpse of it. If you're a fighter and you hear that during your fight and you don't know what they're reacting to, that has to be disconcerting. Your imagination could run wild.

(4) THREE SUPLEXES IN ONE ROUND

Rory MacDonald's three suplexes of Nate Diaz would have made the late Eddie Guerrero and Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle proud. Has that ever happened before in UFC? Not only is karate making a comeback in MMA, but so is pro wrestling! What's next, someone finishing a fight with a figure-four leglock or legdrop?

(5) THE PACKED SKYDOME

It'll always be SkyDome to me (not "The SkyDome," just "SkyDome," as they insisted back when it was opened in the late 1980s). That was a major statement by UFC to fill that arena like that. What a scene. I've been covering UFC since the first PPV (for the Torch Newsletter back before there was an Internet) and I remember those shows in Dothan, Ala. I just wish Rogan and Goldberg wouldn't talk with a sense of derision about Dothan whenever they bring it up. Without Alabama supporting UFC when many states wouldn't allow them to run events, where would they be today? I live in the opposite of Alabama (Minnesota) so that's not me being a homer. I'm just saying a little shoutout to those early supporters in those crowds of 2,000 would be in order rather than making it seem like they'd "never go back to that small-time hell-hole." SkyDome was well lit and the wide shots were just amazing to see. UFC - and MMA in general - has come so far. It was the first time UFC gave Pride a run for its money in terms of looking like a huge show. I was half-expecting that crazy-good albeit over-the-top female announcer Lenne Hardt and the grand stage entrances like Pride.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Randy Couture's walk through the tunnel after his fight for the final time and then later embracing his wife backstage... Vladimir Matyushenko's blitz KO of Jason Brilz... 21 year old Rory MacDonald giving 26 year old Nate Diaz a piece of his own scrappy medicine in a Statement Win. There's a new young elusive unorthodox Energizer Bunny in the Welterweight Division... Ivan Menjivar breaking the nose of Charlie Valencia with an elbow... John Makdessi's spinning back fist KO of Kyle Watson, which could have been no. 1 on a lesser show. Wow!... The tooth flying out of Randy Couture's mouth after the Machida kick deserves a separate mention from the kick itself; in slo-mo in high-def, that was pretty cool...

OTHER THOUGHTS:

I like UFC Central with former WEC announcer Todd Harris staying on board to host the post-show wrap-up (which looks a lot like ESPN's MMA Live)... Mike Goldberg said "class act" or "classy" just twice during the entire show, by my count, keeping his streak alive, but not overdoing it... Now if we can get Goldberg to remember to include the person he's talking about at the start of his sentences. I mean, "Dangling his subject at the end of his subjects, Goldberg does." How hard is it to remember to name the person you're talking about the start of your sentence instead of having to insert it awkwardly at the end, such as "One of the best pound-for-pound fighters, is Jose Aldo"... Another announcing critique. They use too many pronouns where most viewers aren't necessarily going to know which fighter they're talking about. "He's got a great ground game" or "Look at the position of his left foot." I mean, just say their name every time and avoid all ambiguity for the viewers... Quote of the Night is Dana White telling Randy Couture, after he mentioned he lost a tooth when Machida kicked him, "We'll buy you a better one"... Did I miss anything big? Email me at kellerwade@gmail.com or post it in the Reader Comments area on our website (App Users: Don't forget to visit us on the web, too, at www.MMATorch.com for mirror content of the MMATorch App along with working polls and our UFC video features as part of our partnership with USAToday's UFC Group)...

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Keller_s_Take_33/article_9206.shtml

Hector Lombard Alexandru Lungu Travis Lutter Stevie Lynch

ROUNDTABLE: Have the UFC's promotional efforts increased your anticipation for UFC 129? MMATorch staff and contributors comment

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How excited are you for UFC 129 and have the UFC's promotional efforts done their job in increasing your anticipation?

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I'm still underwhelmed by UFC 129, to be frank.  The three big fights all look to be slaughters (GSP, Aldo, and Machida, although I think the Aldo fight will be very tough).  I'm curious as to how Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz is on the PPV, as opposed to the undercard of a Spike or Versus event.  Earlier this month I wrote that I was more anxious to see the Strikeforce:  Diaz vs. Daley event, and I stand by that assertion still.

ALVIN CARTER, MMATORCH SPECIALIST

I am very excited! Any card that has GSP and Jose Aldo on it has me excited. I also am a fan of Jake Shields, and I am eager to see if he can at least give GSP more trouble than he has seen in a while.  The promotion has re-upped my anticipation as a lot of the the event's shine has been dulled by the well deserved Jon Jones hype. 

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I'm fairly excited for this card. I think the UFC hasn't done that good a job hyping the Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick fight. I think that fight will be the best of the night and it's the one not getting talked about that much. Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture is one of those special attraction fights, but does anyone really expect an exciting fight? Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields should be a good fight and all the ads for the show make the fight seem more exciting than it probably will be. I think we're going to see another dominating GSP 5 round decision where he's clearly head and shoulders above his opponent.

JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I'm geeked beyond belief to see UFC 129, however UFC's promotional efforts have little to do with that. While the commercial that was produced to hype St. Pierre vs. Shields was excellent, the UFC hasn't done much to let casual fans know stacked this card really is. The main event sells pay-per-views, and Georges St. Pierre is all you really need, but this card is way too stacked to receive the same treatment that UFC 124 did. The debut of UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and the final fight of Randy Couture are things that would hook the casual viewer just as much as the main event.
 
I'm much more excited for the card as a whole than I am for a main event that might turn out to be the type of squash match that goes largely unseen outside of professional wrestling.

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

The promos for this fight have done nothing to increase my anticipation. The commercial for UFC 129 showing GSP  walking back to the locker room from a fight and Shields walking by in street clothes is just plain awful. It is very Clubber Lang vs Rocky.  The UFC promos are never riveting television, but this spot in particular is one of the worst  I can remember.  I think the UFC has not done a great job promoting this fight, but because of the quality of the card it should still have good buy rates. 

ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

The fact that not only do you get to see the best fighter in the world in Georges St. Pierre defend his title and extend his winning streak to three years straight, you also have Jose Aldo defending his belt, plus Randy Couture vs Lyoto Machida.  GSP alone would have sold me on this card, but even though that alone sells the fight, the UFC trying to push this card and give it a hard sell is a nice touch because cards like these don't need that.  It just shows that the UFC (and Zuffa in particular) are trying to establish MMA and break through any ceilings they have left.

ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I'm the first to complain when the UFC puts a dud event on pay-per-view (Vitor Belfort vs Yoshihiro Akiyama as a main event, anyone?), but any time Randy Couture vs Lyoto Machida is third from the top, you know it's a stacked card.  So as to maintain objectivity as a reporter, I try to avoid getting sucked in to the UFC hype machine while still evaluating how well I think they are sucking in the average fan.  I believe the commercials for the event and the Primetime show have done an excellent job of making it seem like Jake Shields has a better chance of winning than he actually does.

MATT PELKEY, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
 
Due to the top three fights and the fact that its the UFC's first stadium show, my anticipation sits at a solid 9 on a scale of 1-10. The GSP-Jake Shields commercials have been cool, but even the standard UFC pay-per-view promo would've been fine with me. The fact that every fight will be easily accessible is just icing on the cake. 

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/roundtables/article_9188.shtml

Anthony Torres Miguel Torres Roberto Traven Frank Trigg

Video: Final fight picks and first Rogers Centre pics

It's five hours before the pay-per-view begins for UFC 129, but only two before the first fights on Facebook. Here's a cool video shot by MMA Nation. Below is a video with Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole giving his plays for the three big fights. Check out the odds below. There's even proposition bets available for the two title fights.

UFC 129 betting odds (Courtesy Lagasse's Stadium Las Vegas):

Best plays in BOLD

Jake Shields (+350) vs. *Georges St. Pierre (-500) - UFC Welterweight title

Mark Hominick (+375) vs. *Jose Aldo (-550) - UFC Featherweight title

Prop bets
Shields wins: Rd1 25/1; Rd2 20/1; Rd3 22/1; Rd4 20/1; Rd5 30/1; Dec. 7/1

GSP wins: Rd1 6/1; Rd2 5/1; Rd3 5/1; Rd4 9/2; Rd5 8/1; Dec. 6/5; Draw 25/1

Hominick wins: Rd1 25/1; Rd2 22/1; Rd3 22/1; Rd4 25/1; Rd5 30/1; Dec 8/1

Aldo wins: Rd1 9/2; Rd2 7/2; Rd3 3/1; Rd4 4/1; Rd5 6/1; Dec 2/1; Draw 25/1

RANDY COUTURE (+300) vs. Lyoto Machida (-400) - Light heavyweight

Mark Bocek (+110) vs. BEN HENDERSON (-140) - Lightweight

Rory MacDonald (-115) vs. Nate Diaz (-115) - Welterweight

Sean Pierson (+160) vs. Jake Ellenberger (-190) - Welterweight

Daniel Roberts (+120) vs. Claude Patrick (-150) - Welterweight

Charlie Valencia (+140) vs. Ivan Menjivar (-170) - Bantamweight

Ryan Jensen (-110) vs. JASON MACDONALD (-120) - Middleweight

Kyle Watson (+120) vs. John Makdessi (-150) - Welterweight

Pablo Garza (+140) vs. Yves Jabouin (-170) - Featherweight

VLADIMIR MATYUSHENKO (Even) vs. Jason Brilz (-130) - Light heavyweight

*champion

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Video-Final-fight-picks-and-first-Rogers-Centre?urn=mma-wp1753

Wallid Ismail Darren M Jackson Jeremy Jackson Quinton Rampage Jackson

UFC 129 Prelim: John Makdessi KO's Kyle Watson

In a lightweight affair, Canada’s own John Makdessi was featured in a facebook aired bout with “The Ultimate Fighter” season twelve semi-finalist Kyle Watson for tonights ufc 129 event. Watson, primarily a wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu practioner, knew that his best chance at victory would be to take down the smaller Makdessi, whom has proven in [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/04/30/ufc-129-prelim-john-makdessi-kos-kyle-watson

Todd Duffee  Marvin Eastman  Stav Crazy Bear Economou  Yves Edwards 

Manager: Jose Aldo ill at UFC 129, but doesn't take away from Mark Hominick's performance

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo didn't seem his normal self at times during his fight with Mark Hominick last Saturday at UFC 129 in Toronto, and there was a reason for that.

The 24-year-old Champion was recovering from an undisclosed infection, and was even on antibiotics up until the Monday prior to last week's event.

No one would have known, and his camp was content to go in and come out with no excuses, except for the fact that his corner was overheard on the broadcast discussing antibiotics, bringing the illness to light. Still, as his manager Ed Soares said in comments made to MMAJunkie.com, they in no way wanted to take away from the heart and toughness shown by Hominick in the fight.

"We don't want anything to be taken away from Mark Hominick," Soares said. "Hominick fought a hell of a fight and showed the type of heart that he has. I was a Mark Hominick fan before the fight, but now it makes me even more of a fan to see the type of heart that he has."

"That could have happened whether [Aldo] was 100 percent or not."

Hominick fought through a nasty hematoma that developed in the fourth round, and though he was behind in the fight he kept the champion on his back for the entirety of the fifth round, ending the fight in top position. The performance will likely earn him another shot after a couple of wins, but Aldo will have to get through some tough opposition of his own over the next year to make that happen as well.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: It was clear that some combination of his injury and the layoff was having an effect on Aldo throughout the fight, but throw in a battle with an infection that close to the fight as well and it's no wonder he was slowing down in a five round fight. And still, that doesn't at all take away from Hominick's gutsy performance, and I think it's actually more impressive that Aldo did what he was able to in that fight while battling all of that. It's nice to see that Aldo's camp wasn't planning on saying anything, but when it's out there you might as well address it. It's also good to have some type of back story to explain what we saw in that fight, and though some will take it as making excuses I simply see it as giving an explanation, and hopefully he'll be closer to 100% when he fights this August.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9241.shtml

Kazuhiro Nakamura Yoshihiro Nakao Roy Nelson Mario Neto