ajayxeed: October 2011

Saturday, October 22, 2011

AFC East update: Dolphins avoid blackout

Here are the latest happenings Thursday evening in the AFC East:

The winless Miami Dolphins (0-5) bought the remaining tickets to avoid their second blackout of the season Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says marquee quarterbacks -- such as Tom Brady of the New England Patriots -- get more protection from referees.
Recent history suggests the Buffalo Bills' offense could explode after the bye week.
Here's a preview of E60's profile on New York Jets receiver Santonio Holmes.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/32964/afc-east-update-dolphins-avoid-blackout

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Pac-12 suspends 10 after fight

The Pac-12 Conference suspended 10 players Friday for their involvment in a fight that occurred during the first half of the UCLA-Arizona football game Thursday night.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/chi-pac12-suspends-10-players-20111021,0,5584354.story?track=rss

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UFC on FOX 1 refs include 'Big' John McCarthy, Herb Dean and Larry Landless

Three highly experienced referees have been assigned to the UFC's first event on network TV.

California State Athletic Commission Executive Director George Dodd today informed MMAjunkie.com that 'Big' John McCarthy, Herb Dean and Larry Landless will oversee the action for UFC on FOX 1, which takes place Nov. 12 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Specific fight assignments, including the all-important heavyweight title fight between champ Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, haven't been decided.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/89PCC3L112A/ufc-on-fox-1-refs-include-big-john-mccarthy-herb-dean-and-larry-landless.mma

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Friday, October 21, 2011

Amateur fighter dresses up as superhero, is arrested

Amateur fighter dresses up as superhero, is arrested It's a tough world out there, and we're in need of a hero. We're in need of someone to stand up for what's right. We're in need of a trained fighter to ... dress up as a superhero and pepper spray people randomly?

Wait, no. That's not what this world needs at all. Unfortunately, Ben Fodor, who has an 11-0 amateur record, is that guy. Using the name Phoenix Jones, Fodor was arrested in Seattle for assaulting a group of people with pepper spray�while wearing a black mask with gold stripes and a bulging muscle bodysuit.

"Just because he's dressed up in costume, it doesn't mean he's in special consideration or above the law. You can't go around pepper spraying people because you think they are fighting," said Seattle police spokesman Det. Mark Jamieson.

Fodor said that he was breaking up a fight, but police said there is no indication that there was a fight. He released a shaky video of him "breaking up" a fight, but no fight is obvious from the video. Though some women hit Fodor with their shoes because they are angry about being pepper sprayed, no fight is clear.

Fodor's last MMA bout was in July of 2010. He has two wins by submission, with one listed as a choke and one omo plata. That means he should know jiu-jitsu well enough that he should be able to use a choke hold on drunk people in a fight, and not cover a crowd in pepper spray.

But this is a man who likes to dress up as a superhero and run around Seattle, "fighting crime" while angering police. It's safe to say reason and logic isn't his strong suit.

Thanks to MMA Nation.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Amateur-fighter-dresses-up-as-superhero-is-arre?urn=mma-wp8162

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Phan wins thrilling UFC 136 decision over Garcia

Nam Phan took an electrifying decision over Leonard Garcia at UFC 136 in Houston on Saturday night. Neither fighter let up for one second during the fight. On all three judges card, Phan won 29-28.

Phan got the edge early, teeing off on Garcia then knocking him down. Phan quickly moved into Garcia's guard, but after the referee didn't see enough action, he stood them up. Phan wobbled Garcia, and then defended one of his takedowns. Phan used body shots to create damage, and kept Garcia on his heels. In the final seconds of the round, Phan had one more onslaught to knock Garcia down again.

Garcia became more wild in the second round, winging big strikes that didn't go anywhere near Phan's face. Phan used short, fast punches to Garcia's face and body throughout the round. As the round wore on, Garcia began to tire, and a cut opened underneath his eye.

Between rounds, Phan said, "Let's touch gloves," to Garcia, who laughed and called Phan a word not fit for Cagewriter.

The first minute of the third round followed the same script that the rest of the fight had followed until Garcia knocked Phan down. He quickly got back to his feet, but Garcia teed off, swinging for the fences on every punch. They clinched, which slowed down the pace, but not for long. Phan took Garcia down, but the ref stood them up.

In the final minute, Garcia threw spinning backfists, swinging hooks, and every punch in the book. With less then 30 seconds left, Garcia tried for an unsuccessful takedown. As the round ended, the two swung wildly until the final horn ended, causing the crowd at the Toyota Center to erupt in cheers.

"I knew I had him in trouble. He had gathered so many points in the beginning. I knew I had to finish him," Garcia said after the bout.

This is a rematch of their December bout, which Garcia won by a controversial decision. Phan appeared to be the clear-cut winner in that bout, and was angry about the loss. He said he didn't want to fight Garcia a third time, but Garcia said he would be up for it if it were in Houston.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Phan-wins-thrilling-UFC-136-decision-over-Garcia?urn=mma-wp7965

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New UFC 137 video trailer for 'Penn vs Diaz' on Oct. 29

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/10/21/2505949/new-ufc-137-video-trailer-promo-bj-penn-vs-nick-diaz-ppv-oct-29

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'The Ultimate Fighter 14' ratings: Episode No. 5 scores 1.6 million Spike TV viewers

Ratings for the fifth episode of "The Ultimate Fighter 14" increased slightly from episode No. 4's mark and tied for the best viewership number of the season.

Overall, episode No. 5 of the Spike TV reality series averaged 1.6 million viewers on Wednesday night, equaling the figure that watched the second episode. A total of 1.5 million viewers tuned in for this past week's fourth episode.

Spike TV officials today emailed the ratings information to MMAjunkie.com.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/OdvLNVttxuM/the-ultimate-fighter-14-ratings-episode-no-5-scores-1-6-million-spike-tv-viewers.mma

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Fighting gypsy Cheick Kongo still chasing UFC belt, pining for bout in native France

Cheick Kongo has another run in him for the UFC heavyweight title. But he's also contemplating life beyond MMA.

"My goal right now is to get the belt and be happy with this," he told MMAjunkie.com. "Just say, 'I did it.' After that, I could retire."

The French heavyweight is looking for a little bit of stability. His native country isn't a place where MMA is welcome, so to him, the sport has been a long chain of different gyms, different countries, and different people. He's looking to settle down.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/MvM0UjplPA4/fighting-gypsy-cheick-kongo-still-chasing-belt-pining-for-fight-in-native-france.mma

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Smashing pumpkins: Show us your MMA carved pumpkins

Artist Ray Villafane created a pumpkin that reminds me of MMA's best punch-faces.

That is an impressive work of art, particularly the flying pumpkin teeth. Could you do any better?

Here's the challenge. Create an MMA-inspired pumpkin and post it on the Cagewriter Facebook page. It can be a fighter, a fight, a logo, whatever. It just needs to be obviously related to mixed martial arts and made from a pumpkin, and not obscene, vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. We will award the best ones DVDs, fight programs and whatever else we can pull from the Cagewriter prize closet.

Read on to see some inspiration from recent fights via photographer Tracy Lee, or look through a collection of Cagewriter's exclusive pictures.

Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia at UFC 136

Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar at UFC 136

Chris Lytle and Dan Hardy at UFC on Versus 5.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Smashing-pumpkins-Show-us-your-MMA-carved-pumpk?urn=mma-wp8429

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Trainer Firas Zahabi discusses champ Georges St-Pierre's UFC 137 injury

A sparring accident earlier today in Montreal is responsible for a knee injury to UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre that has scratched next week's intended UFC 137 event.

St-Pierre sprawled on a sparring partner's takedown attempt, trainer Firas Zahabi today told MMAjunkie.com. When the champ circled away, the injury became apparent.

"After he cooled down, I knew he couldn't fight anymore," Zahabi said.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/zdAu-dxzfi0/trainer-firas-zahabi-discusses-champ-georges-st-pierres-ufc-137-injury.mma

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Carolina Hurricanes At St. Louis Blues: Will The Blues Just Snap Out Of It?

Source: http://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-blues/2011/10/21/2504734/carolina-hurricanes-at-st-louis-blues-will-the-blues-just-snap-out-of

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UFC 141 fight card and rumors for 'Lesnar vs. Overeem' on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/10/20/2504083/ufc-141-fight-card-and-rumors-for-lesnar-vs-overeem-on-dec-30-in-las

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Yahoo! Sports and Heavy present special Dana White announcement at 1:30 p.m. ET, then UFC 136 Fight Day at 5 p.m. ET

Dominick Cruz shares his gross, surgically-repaired hand

UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz broke his hand when beating Demetrious Johnson on Oct. 1. His performance had UFC president Dana White raving about Cruz's toughness. Though he's had hand injuries before, Cruz needed surgery this time to repair his hand.

He had that surgery this week, and he was kind enough to share that the picture of his hand just after the procedure.

Dominick Cruz shares his gross, surgically-repaired hand

Look at the size of that thing. Remember that Cruz is a bantamweight, but his hand is so swollen that it looks like he's borrowing Shane Carwin's 4X paw.

What's nice about this picture is that it could effectively be incorporated into your Halloween decorating plans. Print it out, throw some glitter on it, and you'll win the neighborhood decorating contest, all thanks to Dominick Cruz.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Dominick-Cruz-shares-his-gross-surgically-repai?urn=mma-wp8245

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Chael must battle Tito for the ?People?s Champ? moniker

After a busy summer, Tito Ortiz has had some time to think. That's not always a good thing with the loquacious former UFC light heavyweight champ.

Chael Sonnen recently stated that he's the "People's Champ," based on the fact that his loss against Anderson Silva at UFC 117 was less than legitimate. Now Ortiz wants a piece of that People's Champ pie.

"I showed that I'm able to compete against the best guys in the world, and I think that will help show people that if they believe in themselves, if they believe in their dream, they can accomplish anything," Ortiz said. "That's why I changed my name to 'The People's Champ.' I want everyone to know that I'm here for the fans. I want them to know that they can bounce back from anything.

In a video gaming story on ESPN.com, Ortiz pointed to a recent experience with fans as another reason for the name change.

"I signed over 15,000 autographs last weekend at the UFC fan expo," Ortiz tells me as we talk about his career resurgence, including a roster spot in the upcoming "UFC Undisputed 3" video game. "The first day I stood there for seven and a half hours. The second day I was there for over six hours. They had to kick me out. It was a lot of fun."

Based on his miracle win over Ryan Bader and fighting a heel in Rashad Evans at UFC 133, Ortiz did see a big transformation in his image. But is it enough, to make you call him the People's Champ? Or is there now a People's Champ for each weight division. I vote for Roy Nelson at heavyweight, Nick Diaz at 170, Melvin Guillard at 155

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Chael-must-battle-Tito-for-the-People-s-Champ-?urn=mma-wp8317

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 ratings up slightly for episode five, average 1.6 million viewers

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/10/20/2503814/ultimate-fighter-tuf-14-ratings-up-slightly-for-episode-five-average

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Georges St. Pierre is hoping for a Super Bowl weekend return

When Georges St. Pierre realized that his knee was too injured for him to fight at UFC 137, he was shaken up. He admitted that he let some emotion show when he had to pull out of the bout with Carlos Condit.

"I'm not going to lie, I cried yesterday," St-Pierre told SportsNets. "I had a ton of pressure falling off my shoulders, because for the last few days I was in the mindset that I was nervous for the fight. I was excited for the fight but I was also nervous to know if I was going to be able to fight."

He sprained his MCL while training on Tuesday afternoon. Though it was an injury serious enough to pull him from the fight, it won't keep him out for too long. He is hoping to be able to fight on the UFC's Super Bowl weekend card, normally one of the bigger events on their calendar.

"I would say maybe end of January, possibly the beginning of February [for my return]?Super Bowl, around this time," St-Pierre said.

Condit told Cagewriter that he was hoping to fight GSP for the belt by the end of the year, but with GSP's timetable, Condit will have to wait a bit longer.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Georges-St-Pierre-is-hoping-for-a-Super-Bowl-we?urn=mma-wp8399

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Manager says Carlos Condit waiting for GSP title fight is 'most logical decision'

When injured UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre today scratched from next weekend's UFC 137's main event, Carlos Condit was right behind him.

Condit, in fact, learned of the canceled title fight when MMAjunkie.com called him for reaction immediately following Dana White's announcement of a St-Pierre injury.

While disappointed he won't be on next week's UFC 137 card, Condit's best play is to wait for the champ's recovery rather than take another fight, his manager, Malki Kawa, explained.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/opyLCnr1XEQ/manager-says-carlos-condit-waiting-for-gsp-title-fight-is-most-logical-decision.mma

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Bellator CEO Rebney talks his fighters, Spike and the Olympics

Bellator CEO Rebney talks his fighters, Spike and the Olympics As Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney looks at what has happened in the fifth season, he can't help but still be amazed at how well his fighters perform week in and week out. He talked to Cagewriter about some of his favorite moments of the season and Bellator's future.

"The thing that's made me happy is the level of fights. From event no. 3 on, they've just been great. Dantas' flying knee, Alexis [Vila], the way that he knocked out Joe Warren was crazy, Brian Rogers, and saying to me in the incredibly articulate way he speaks as a teacher, 'I'm going to bring it.' And then he did. Shlemenko pulling of a submission victory, there's all these things that have been jumping out at me. There's just been moment after moment," Rebney said.

One of the fights that he is most looking forward to is the Nov. 19 title fight between champ Eddie Alvarez and tournament champ Michael Chandler. He says that no one should count out Chandler.

"Nobody is talking about Chandler in the upper echelon of the division. I'll be honest with you. I don't know if I can count on one hand the guys who can beat him."

That fight will air on MTV2, but with the UFC ending their relationship with Spike TV, there's a chance that Bellator could switch to the station that is aimed towards young men. Bellator's preliminary fights air on Spike's website, and Bellator's deal is with MTV's parent company.

"We're a great position in that our deal is with MTV networks, so it's that larger corporate umbrella. They control Spike, MTV, MTV2. You never know what the future will bring. The foreseeable future will be what it is, which is MTV2 and Spike.com for the prelims, but Spike is better than anyone in this space. They get it better than anyone."

Rebney is also excited about some of the challenges coming up for his fighters, both in and out of Bellator. He said that they are working on a match-up between DREAM fighter Shinya Aoki and Alvarez, but that it will likely happen in February, after Aoki fights in DREAM's New Year's Eve show.

Warren is working on returning to his wrestling roots and will try to make the 2012 Greco-Roman wrestling Olympic team. Rebney supports the world champion wrestler in trying to go for the gold.

"It's a great platform for Warren. If he can be our champion at 145, and then go and make the U.S. Olympic team, what a great thing for Bellator and for MMA."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Bellator-CEO-Rebney-talks-his-fighters-Spike-an?urn=mma-wp8194

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Epstein reports rankle Red Sox owner

Reports that Theo Epstein was on the verge of being announced�as the new Cubs' boss rankled Red Sox owner John Henry, who told the Boston Globe the compensation�deal was "not close."

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/chi-epstein-signing-will-be-made-official-on-friday-20111020,0,6594354.story?track=rss

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After issues with 10-second warning at M-1 event, Arizona commission makes changes

Arizona has learned its lesson: What works for football, basketball, soccer and the like does not work for MMA.

Following this past weekend's "M-1 Challenge 27: Magalhaes vs. Zayats" event, the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission has decided against using a whistle to mark the 10-second warning that accompanies the end of a round.

Commission assistant Matthew Valenzuela informed MMAjunkie.com of the decision.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/4ZmdvPm-_Sk/after-issues-with-10-second-warning-at-m-1-event-arizona-commission-makes-changes.mma

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