Tonights UFC is dedicated to Helio Gracie. Respect.

Clay Guida vs. Nate Diaz – I hope this is an awesome fight. I’m not picking a winner, I like both dudes. How can anyone not love Clay Guida? Rogan is talking about Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler and talks about how much Lawler has improved since that fight, so obviously we will see Robbie Lawler back in the UFC soon. Back to this fight, I give round one to Clay Guida for a good takedown, good GNP, and even a full-nelson into side mount to land elbows! Round two coming up…and it was another good round, won by Guida, in my opinion, just for controlling most of it, although Diaz had some good judo throws in the round. Round 3 was good, with Diaz getting the best of the striking early on, but then Guida again took controll and maintained it through the end of the round. Looks like it will be Guida winning a decision…and indeed it is, Clay Giuda wins a split decision.

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Karo Parisyan, bro. - Both dudes are notable judo guys, so this might be interesting…but it wasn’t. Another split decision, Karo Parisyan is the winner. I thought Dong won the first round, but rounds two and three were tough to score.

Jon Jones vs. Stephan Bonnar – WAR BONNAR! imo…but damn, Jon Jones is legit. He kicked that ass throughout round one. However, Bonnar started a comeback in round 2, and I give round 3 to Bonnar. Still, for his performance in the first round, Jon Jones gets a unanimous decision victory.

Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva – Both guys are undefeated…but not after tonight…unless there is some weird draw, which I guess is possible with Machida? However, I am pumped for this fight. Machida is such ninja. WOW, ninja he is! Machida just threw Silva down on the mat and followed up with a punch to the chin on the ground, to KTFO of Thiago Silva at the very last second of round one. Lyoto Machida wins by KTFO.

BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre – Well, basically BJ Penn got his ass kicked for 4 entire rounds, and his corner stopped the fight between the 4th and 5th rounds. I was under the impression they were going to fight to the death, but I guess not. GEORGES ST. PIERRE wins by ass kicking after 4 rounds.

Ummm….did I just hear Joe Rogan mention Fedor Emelianenko on a UFC broadcast?

Thanks to Huy @ Firepowr.net for sharing. CLICK HERE to view the pictures.

The martial arts world has lost a legend. At 95 years old, Helio Gracie passed away in his sleep early Thursday morning in Rio de Janeiro, according to Sherdog.com. He had been admitted to a local hospital with stomach problems a few days earlier.

Helio was the youngest of 8 children born to Cesalina and Gastao Gracie. It is said that he learned traditional jiu-jitsu by watching his brother, Carlos. However, Helio’s small frame made it difficult for him to execute the moves, and as a result, he adapted the techniques to fit his physical limitations. Helio is known as the father of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Helio’s son, Rorion Gracie, is credited with developing the idea of creating the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

No I won’t be “live blogging”, because I will be “live partying” while watching the event. Will this be the fight where Fedor shows a weakness? Nah…I don’t think so.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeats Vladimir Matyushenko by KO (knee)

Dan Lauzon defeats Bobby Green via submission (rear naked choke)

Paul Buentello defeats Kirill Sidelnikov via TKO (doctor stoppage)

Renato “Babalu” Sobral defeats Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou by submission (anaconda choke)

Ok, I’ll start blogging a little bit now as I’m able to be in front of the computer for a few minutes.

Damn, Matt Lindland got WRECKED by Vitor Belfort.. Round one, 37 seconds..I hope dude is OK, he was totally out of it for several minutes, and had much trouble trying to stand up. One of the worst scenes in MMA for awhile.

Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel – Barnett beat on Gilbert Yvel for most of 3 rounds, which Yvel was mounted by Barnett nearly the entire time before tapping out due to strikes in round 3. Barnett wins by tapout in round 3. I guess Barnett gets the winner of Fedor/Arlovski now.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski – Well, Arlovski did great with his striking, and even clinching, and he looked like he had Fedor in a bit of trouble before Fedor threw a right hand upside Arlovski’s suspect chin. The result was Andrei Arlovski laying face down on the mat. Fedor wins in round 1 by KO.

January 22, 2009

On the brink of one of the biggest events in MMA history, Affliction, M-1 Global, Donald Trump, Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and The Reunion Parties are proud to present an exclusive star-studded event at one the hottest nightclubs in Hollywood! Prepare to party with MMA’s biggest stars such as Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gilbert Yvel, Babalu, Matyushenko, and many more. The red carpet will be out and the paparazzi will be in full effect as MMA All-Stars and celebrity guests make their appearance at Club Ritual. This is an event that you do not want to miss!

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS; AFFLICTION’S & M-1 GLOBAL’S “DAY OF RECONING” OFFICIAL PRE-PARTY PRIOR TO THE BIG EVENT AT THE HONDA CENTER IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA!

Get ready to meet the fighters and celebrities, win tickets to the main event “Fedor vs. Arlovski,” get free Affliction t-shirts, rock the dance floor to the beats of Hollywood’s top DJ’s, and be a part of one of the hottest events of 2009!

This amazing night features…

* “Fedor vs. Arlovski” official Afflictionan & M-1 Global Pre-Party!
* Appearances by Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko, Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Vladimir Matyushenko, Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel, Kirill “Baby Fedor” Sidelnikov, Gegard Mousasi, and many more…
* Ability to meet and party with the fighters
* Red Carpet Celebrity Event
* Celebrity guest appearances
* Ticket giveaways to the “Fedor vs Arlovski” fight every hour
* Affliction T-Shirt giveaways all night long
* Signed merchandise giveaways by the fighters
* Sexy Go-Go dancers
* Hollywood’s top DJ’s spinning the best in Hip-Hop, House, Electronic, Top-40, Trance
* 3 bars, 2 rooms
* Huge outside patio
* Bottle service recommended
* 21 and over

Where: Club Ritual 1743 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028

When: Thursday, January 22nd, 9PM-2AM

PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY TO BE GUARANTEED ENTRANCE TO THIS EVENT!

Ticket and VIP table info:

To purchase tickets and for more info please visit: www.TheReunionParties.com

For any event related info and bottle service please call 818-430-9953 or 323-646-8615.

FightZone TV recently added to its impressive portfolio as one of the largest independent distributors of MMA content, with the airing of their 300th national broadcast presentation — an industry milestone surpassed only by UFC.

FightZone TV, entering their third year of broadcasting, is now available to over 20 million homes on Fox Sport Net’s (FSN) affiliates SunSports, SportSouth, and nationally on DIRECTV, The Dish Network and AT&T U-verse, reaching over 20% of US homes with cable TV.

Based in Tampa Bay, FL, FightZone welcomes UFC Fight Night 17 to Florida. The event, to be held at the USF SunDome in Tampa on February 7th, will be the first time the UFC has held an event in Central Florida.

For the past two years, FightZone TV has aired multiple MMA events from the SunDome, working with several promoters, including Real Fighting Championships (RFC) and World Fighting Championships (WFC). To give nationwide viewers a taste of what’s in store for them from Tampa, FightZone TV is currently airing WFC 6 with Jay Adams, Ben Glossop and guest commentator Dan Severn, while an Encore Presentation of RFC 8 “Invasion Of The Cage,” including a special appearance by UFC’s Chuck Liddell, is also airing multiple times prior to the UFC event.

In February, FightZone TV will present the much anticipated Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) 4 “Confrontation.” This was the spectacular MMA event recently held in Washington, DC. Promoter “Extraordinaire,” S.Marcello Foran has developed and grown his events into the premier Mid-Atlantic MMA showcase.

In other news, FightZone TV is proud to announce an agreement with their newest Promoter Partner, The Xtreme Fighting Association (XFA), a professional full-contact standup fighting organization. XFA President, Chris Reis has put together a fantastic professional group that showcases the excitement of stand up fighting with knock down, knock out action from some of the world’s most talented athletes. Based out of Las Vegas, XFA will provide our viewers another combat form of the exploding MMA market.

And heading even further west to California, FightZone TV would also like to welcome PureCombat out of Visalia, CA to the FightZone TV family.

Since their first event “From The Ashes” on December 1, 2007, PureCombat has had 6 more events in California, all with great media reviews. Look for them to air shortly. Owner Al Joslin and partner Rodney Partridge say future plans include expansion to other parts of the country – Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Florida as well.

Also look for FightZone TV to be partnering with Art of Fighting who will be holding their premier event at Robard’s Arena in Sarasota on January 24th.

And don’t forget to check out FightZone TV Presents Jay Adams’ Brawl Call Interview Show also aired on the same networks.

FightZone TV provides weekly MMA events and has partnered with some of the best MMA promoters in the country including: Real Fighting Championships (RFC-Tampa, FL); Ultimate Warrior Championships (UWC – Washington, DC); Mainstream (Iowa); Reality Combat Championships (RCC – Jacksonville); Gladiator Challenge (CA); Bonecrunch Fighting League (FL); World Fighting Championships (WFC, Tampa, FL) and Combat Fighting Championships (CFC – Orlando, FL).

FightZone.TV produces and airs over 35 hrs monthly of the hottest sport in the world today – Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) — on SunSports (6,000,000+ FL Homes) and nationally on the FSN Sports Package carried by DIRECTV and The Dish Network (2,000,000+ subscribers).

Plus FZTV programming is carried to an additional 9 million homes 3 times weekly on FSN’s SportSouth which includes Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and regions of central and western North Carolina with its 39+ Major Cities including Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Birmingham. Memphis, Charleston, Chattanooga, Savannah, Mobile, Biloxi-Gulfport, New Orleans, Baton Rouge and 27 others with their surrounding areas.

For Commercial availability and Media Kit, visit www.FightZone.TV or email FightZoneMedia@aol.com or call 727-577-5500.

Xtreme Fighting Association www.xfalive.com

PureCombat www.purecombatmma.com

Art Of Fighting www.artoffighting.tv

Seriously, Coleman/Rua II was now one of my favorite fights of all the times.. I would pay to see a 3rd..

Joe Silva & Dana White, please keep allowing Coleman to fight whenever he wants to, he is also very entertaining. Dude seriously had the best post-fight interview ever probably since Paul Buentello said “don’t fear me; fear the consequences.” (coincidentally, if Buentello wins his upcoming fight at Affliction, he will hopefully unleash another on of the most terrific quotes of ever).

Back to Coleman, he and Kevin Randleman or Baroni should have their own reality television show.. I would never miss an episode.. it would be the best show since TV..

UFC 93 is LIVE from Ireland right now. Don’t read further unless you want to know the results. Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t miss tonights premiere episode of UFC Primetime, which basically sounds like it will be a combination of UFC All Access and HBO’s Countdown. Tonights show will focus on the upcoming fight betweent Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn, along with the training for their match at UFC 94.

I posted about this Extreme Arm Wrestling stuff back in October, along with a video to show of the awesomeness. It’s arm wrestling with the contestants having one hand tied together, while they punch eachother with the other hand. Oh, and they’re allowed to use knees also I think, so that’s great too.

The way to win in XARM is to stop your opponent with blows or make him submit. Arm pins are treated like a knockdown in boxing in that the recipient loses points. So, the essence of XARM as a sport is to attack without being tagged or submitted.  XARM was created by Art Davie, who considers himself the mastermind behind the UFC in the early days.

From a press release:

XARM is the next generation in combat sports, combing mixed martial arts with hardcore arm wrestling. It’s three minutes of raw, uncensored action, and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

Below, I’ve quoted an Art Davie blog entry about his new project. Be sure to check out the XARM website by clicking HERE.

MMA, A Sport Searching for a Soul

01/02/09

I was the guy who started this sport and let me say, for the record, that I love MMA. But, I’m not the only one or the first one to say that the MMA seems to have has lost its way. MMA, and specifically the UFC, have stopped delivering the kind of extreme fighting sport that fans have come to expect. Some are saying now that the UFC has de-evolved. First it was a spectacle, then it gained acceptance as a sport and now it’s back to being a spectacle.

Recently John Perretti called it, “a fossil of what is was.” And journalist Eddie Goldman, the ‘Conscience of MMA’, says that real technique in MMA is gone. He says, “today you push ‘em up against the cage, tumble to the mat, throw punches and elbows on the ground….that’s called technique.”

Not too long ago the UFC really cared about putting solid fights together. Now, they seem more interested in providing a neat, corporate package like the WWE with their stable of entertainers. They’ve become a business looking to sell their groomed fighters. What does it say about the UFC when you have a pro wrestler, with a 2-1 record, beating their hall-of-fame Heavyweight Champion? And I don’t even want to get into the farce that was ProEliteXC. Some are saying that the UFC is fast becoming just like the WWE……pure entertainment and less of a SPORT.

When I created the UFC, the boxing community and martial artists, from karate to taekwondo, said it was too brutal and a freak show….a “unicorn sport”. Now some in MMA are taking shots at my new sport, XARM – saying it’s too extreme. Oh, how history repeats itself! What XARM does is take the best three minutes of any MMA fight – removes the ground game…and gives fans what they want – raw, uncensored, nonstop action!

Get off the ground and step up to the table. That’s my thought….

Peace,
Art