Odds of Ortiz Getting his Head Softened

During the third season of the hit show The Ultimate Fighter, Matt Hamill, a world-class, medal-winning collegiate and Olympian wrestler, won the hearts and minds of the fighting world when, despite his disability (deaf), he proved to be a beast in the octagon. Although Matt had to drop out of the season due to injuries, he returned for the Spike TV finale and defeated Jesse Forbes by KO.

Since then, Matt has been one of the more likeable fighters in the UFC. Although his fights are few and far between, Hamill gives his all when he’s in the ring, and with one of the more vicious ground games ever seen in the sport in terms of straight wrestling, this ox-strong 34-year-old is more than a threat.

After losing in a controversial decision to his friend and fellow TUF 3 costar Michael Bisping on The Count’s home turf, Hamill all but faded away from headlining fights. He’s coming back for UFC 121, however, against the always big-mouthed and maybe-past-his-prime Tito “Yes, I Can… Beat Shamrock” Ortiz.

Ortiz knows Hamill well. He was Matt’s coach on TUF 3 and trained him for a while after. However, Tito made some pretty unsavory comments about Hamill, suggesting that, because Matt’s deaf, he has a “soft head.”

Matt’s trainer and Hamill himself have both stated that there’s no bad blood over the comment, and Tito has since apologized, but what does something like that do to the odds of the fight?

Realistically, the odds of the fight are still looking about like a 3:1 bet at roulette online, with Hamill edging out Tito -170 to +140. However, the motivation factor cannot be downplayed.

Other than being a very technical boxer and having a spectacular ground game, eerily similar to a younger Ortiz, Matt also has freakish power. He is to MMA what Tim Lincecum is to MLB – a guy whose arm packs an unexplainable wallop.

One of the biggest criticisms Hamill faced after losing that controversial decision to Bisping was that he never seemed to want to “fight” Michael. Matt seemed more intent to try to “out-technical” his opponent instead of getting down and dirty and using his advantages.

But since Ortiz has lit a fire under Matt by insulting the deaf community, smart money is on Matt coming out like the beast we all know he can be.

Prediction: by the time Hamill is done with Tito’s head, Ortiz will wish he’d had stayed back in the locker room to play baccarat online instead of stepping into the octagon with a determined and skillful Hamill.

If fighters live by any rule, it should be this: never wake a sleeping giant. Past his prime and facing an opponent capable of some freakish mystery strength, Tito might be in ZZ land before round two is over.

UFC 122 Trailer

Freddie Roach: "There's Not One Fighter in MMA That Can Stand with James Toney"

Courtesy of "Inside MMA" which will air tomorrow night at 9:30pm EST

Legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach had an interesting quote on the show about Toney's foray into MMA.

“I think they’re using James as a way to say MMA fighters are better than boxers,” he said. “If he fights a quality ground guy, once he goes to the ground he’s gonna get killed. But if a guy chooses to stand up with James, James is gonna destroy him. That’s why they call him ‘Lights Out.’ I really don’t think there’s one fighter in MMA that could stand with James.”

I have to agree with Mr. Roach here. The level of boxing technique is absolutely abysmal in MMA and times it by ten when it comes to the heavyweight division. After BJ Penn, the drop-off in good clean boxing is pretty horrendous and James Toney will wipe the floor with anyone who wants to stand with him.

Heath Herring: "Dana White's Got Six Ferraris. Hell, I Just Want One."

Heath Herring addressed the UFC brass and pay scale in an interview with Fight Night Radio via MMA Fighting

They've got their guys they want to push, guys they want to market. Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir are the guys they want to push and market. The problem is if you're one of the guys who's not one of their favorites, they want to keep you out of the competition

I'm trying to make money for myself, feed my family, and these guys are trying to do everything they can to make it impossible for me.... With the way the UFC's pay scale is and as much as it costs me to get ready for a fight, at the end of the day I made like 40 grand.

These guys are literally making money off our blood, sweat and tears. We don't get any health insurance. If you get hurt training for a fight, you're screwed. It's really kind of crazy.

Dana White's got six Ferraris. Hell, I just want one.

Dana White on Possible Pride Revival: "Anything is Possible"

UFC President Dana White was asked if a Pride revival was ever possible by The Scrapyard. He responded by saying the "Best of Pride" series on Spike TV pulled a solid rating and discussed further the possibility of a Pride resurrection.

“You never know, anything is possible,” said White when asked if he’d consider hosting an event or two in a ring under the Pride brand.
“For its time slot on Friday night, the first episode pulled a good rating so we’re excited about that. We’re hoping that series will continue to do well.”
“I don’t want to say the Pride name is dead. It’s still a strong powerful brand. But the reality is that us running Pride in Japan, that completely fell apart.”

Oh what a glorious day it would be in MMA, unless the rules were changed and it was completely Americanized of course. Get Yuji Shimada in("give up"), get Bas and Quadros to do the announcing and make it happen. Wishful thinking I know.

Jackie Chan Not A Fan of MMA

International movie star Jackie Chan weighed-in on what he thinks of mixed martial arts via Sherdog.

“I don’t like to see Ultimate Fighting,” Chan said. “As a martial artist, I find it too violent putting them in a cage. At the end, it’s not fighting anymore. That’s not the martial arts. Martial arts is about respect. When somebody is knocked down, stop. I really respect Sugar Ray Leonard. Come on, [when a guy is down] stop. Don’t fight. That’s not the spirit. When you’re down, I’ll grab you up. Are you okay? Should we continue? That’s the martial arts spirit. That’s what I want.”

Not everybody will like or respect mixed martial arts and that's fine, but there's something disheartening when a fellow "martial artist" calls it too violent and in the process trashes the intelligence of ground fighting. It's feels as ignorant as when somebody doesn't use Overnight Prints coupons or CVS coupons just because they don't like paper. I'm a fan of Jackie Chan, but it would serve him well to do a little more research on our beloved sport.

Top 5 "Extra"-Ordinary Moments in MMA

5. Don Frye Gets Into A Fight with Bodyguard Sonny Westbrook
For any fan of MMA that has been following the sport since the beginning, Don Frye is a legend. Perhaps the two words "tough guy" were invented for Don Frye. Here's a guy that will fight anybody, anytime, anywhere and he is notorious for telling crazy stories that happened to him outside the cage/ring. Below he got into a fight in a hotel lobby with bodyguard Sonny Westbrook, here's the back story courtesy of anabolicminds.com

First off Westbrook is a bodyguard employed by Dog the Bounty Hunter. He was with Leland Chapman (Dog's son) at an MMA event that Chapman was scheduled to compete in. The event ended up getting cancelled by the California State Athletic Commission after the cage they were going to use that night wasn't able to be assembled correctly.

Anyway the promoters promised the fighters 20% of their purses if the event was to be cancelled. Well during a meeting between the promoters and the fighters, the fighters found out that they wouldn't be receiving any money at all. An argument ensued and its unknown exactly how Frye and Westbrook started fighting but Frye obviously ended up losing. Reports of Frye being drunk also vary.

I've also heard that they ended up fighting again later that night and Frye was knocked out completely and taken to the hospital but others have claimed that it wasn't true since Frye was at the arena signing autographs at a wrestling convention later that night.

4.Mauricio Shogun Rua vs. Mark Coleman Aftermath
Shogun and Coleman squared off at Pride 31 what transpired was one of the craziest aftermaths to a fight ever. Shogun breaks his arm trying to defend a take down and after the ref stops it Coleman continues to punch him. The entire Chute Box and Hammer House gangs jump into the ring thats not to say they jumped into wedding rings or even tungsten wedding bands, it wasn't that crazy and it continued backstage after Mark Coleman tried to apologize and Wanderlei accuses him of stomping his face during the in-ring brawl.



3. Mark Coleman Goes a Little Crazy After Losing to Fedor Emelianenko
Coleman loses via arm bar the first time to Fedor Emelianenko at Pride: Total Elimination 2004 and afterwards cameras catch him losing it. Call it "Roid Rage" if you prefer or maybe it was just a passionate fighter really upset with the mistakes he made in the ring. Coleman calms down and hi and Fedor shake hands and probably had about 45 shots of vodka between them later that night.



2. Wanderlei Silva: "My Belt"
Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson is the greatest rivalry we have ever had in our sport next to Sakuraba vs. The Gracies. Like Ali vs. Frazier these 2 bring out the absolute worst and the absolute best in one another. It all started at Pride 25 when Rampage called out Wanderlei after knocking out Kevin Randleman.



1. Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett Goes to Sleep During Backstage Fight with Cristiano Marcello
Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett had a little beef with the Chute Box camp and it culminated in this. Bennett would later claim that he knocked out Wanderlei Silva backstage, which Silva vehemently denies. It started when Bennett and the Chute Box camp were sharing a locker room at Pride Shockwave 2005 and Bennett started insulting everybody. Marcello was a corner man and had just finished with the fight. What ensued was a brawl that ended like an MMA fight and how sweet it was.


I am sure I missed many "extra" moments, if you have any, post links in the comments.

Lyoto Machida's Father Says He Must Fight Anderson Silva

I wrote an article a few days back entitled 10 Things MMA Could Live Without in 2010 and one of my gripes was friends or teammates not fighting each other. Shizio Machida, Lyoto's Father, did an interview with PVT Mag in which he agrees that Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida need to go at it at some point.

There is only one champion, so I believe this fight must happen. It's a professional issue, and I believe they can fight. Deep down, everyone wants to know who is strongest. Friendship is friendship, but they're not amateurs. The eventual winner isn't my concern. What matters to me is how they win, and their strategy. This would be a mental battle...I really like Anderson. He didn't train Karate, but knew it instinctively. Standing switches, stances, how to use his waist, moving with purpose as he advances and backs away, dancing without getting hit. The future of MMA isn't who can take more punishment, but the one who leaves with a clean face. Many fights are pure slugfests, but people don't see things ten years into the future.

I think Shizio sums it pretty well when he says its a professional issue and they're not amateurs. Of course it's ultimately not up to him, but the 2 fighters themselves and even if Shizio convinces Lyoto, Anderson still must agree. So it's still far fetched in my opinion, but we can dream.
(Pic Props Sherdog)

Gray Maynard UFN 20 Post Fight- "It Turned Into a Scrap"

Gray Maynard won a split decision over Nate Diaz last night at UFN 20 in a rather uneventful main event. In the video below via Sherdog Maynard talks about how his game plan went out the door when Diaz starting taunting him in the center of the octagon.

Elite MMA Gear Discount

For those of you that train MMA, I'd like to introduce EliteMMA.com. They're a MMA equipment supplier which carries great fight gear brands including Fairtex, Throwdown, Sprawl, Top Contender and, Lucky.They list their inventory on-line so you know what's in stock and orders before 3:00 ship the same day.

They've provided an exclusive coupon for 15% off their thai pads valid until Jan 24. The code is scrapthai15. They've got a pair of leather Top Conender thai pads for $59.99 before the coupon, which is pretty good. Check EliteMMA.com out and leave a comment about what you think.

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Man in Mask at WEC 46 an Iraq War Vet

WEC General Manager Reed Harris cleared thigs up on the UG about who the guy in the mask was last night at WEC 46.

"Guys-
He's a soldier I met when we did the show in San Antonio at the Brooks Military Hospital.

He was burned in Iraq when an IED blew up his vehicle. I flew him out to Sac. as he was Ben Hendersons biggest fan. Trying to do something nice.

Thanks
Reed"

(Pic Props BloodyElbow)

10 Things MMA Could Live Without in 2010

10. Horrible MMA Movies- Seriously, either find a competent director or give it up already. The sad thing is that there are very compelling stories behind so many fighters that would make for great cinema. Think about the life story of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, run over by a truck when he was 9, and fell into a coma for 25 days. During this time he lost a rib and part of his liver and had to be hospitalized for eleven months. Only to go on to be an mma world champion and maybe the toughest SOB in the world. Now find me a director like Martin Scorsese or the Cohen Brothers and make that movie.


9. Teammates Not Fighting Each Other- We all understand the team concept in MMA and how it helps fighters, but when 2 world class fighters in the same division won't fight each other because of friendship, it's more than a little frustrating to fans. We may never see Anderson Silva vs. Lyoto Machida or even to a lesser degree, the AKA guys fight each other. Now with Jon "Bones" Jones moving to Team Jackson we miss out on some possible great match-ups at 205lbs as well. When it comes down to it this sport is about competition and fighters always talk about how they want to fight the best, but that goes out the door if they are teammates and it depraves fans of bouts they've wanted to see for a long time.


8. Bad Commentary- I have yet to find a play by play man or color commentator that blows me away. Pat Miletich and Randy Couture we need more of as they seem to get it better than most at doing things that great color guys do, like seeing things before they happen. Hopefully there is a diamond in the rough out there somewhere for 2010, otherwise we shall suffer another year of bad to mediocre commentary.


7. Extra Medium Skull Shirts- We as the MMA community need to stop the madness for god's sake. First of all why is there this insatiable need to have a skull on every MMA shirt and have them all be "athletic fit" which basically means if you weigh more than 100lbs you shouldn't be wearing it. We need to buck this horrible trend and when I buy an extra large t-shirt, I want it to actually be extra large, not extra medium. And the material they use for these shirts is thinner than Kate Moss, make a real t-shirt!


6. Uneducated Judges- Where do some of these horrible judges come from? Who the hell knows, but its not from any place that knows how to score a fight. There should be an extensive program that these judges have to go through to learn every aspect of an MMA fight. Also, contrary to popular belief, they don't have the best seat in the house and they are not allowed a monitor, which is crazy in this day and age with HD cameras and 20 different angles coming out of a fight. This is something that Mr. Jordan Breen of the Sherdog Radio Network has talked about in the past and I couldn't agree more, get these guys a monitor for when their view is not optimal.


5. M-1 Global- Seriously, would anyone cry if M-1 Global went bankrupt? This company's insistence on co-promotion may be the strongest reason that Fedor Emelianenko is not fighting in the UFC. Now I have no problem with Fedor fighting in Strikeforce, but this M-1 Global entourage is a little ridiculous, after Fedor wins they swarm the ring with zero respect for the downed opponent and we have to listen to people like Jerry Millen gloat for days and days. Not to mention the fight cards they do actually put on by themselves are usually a joke.


4. Counter Programing- It's estimated (via google search) that 50% of cable subscribers have a DVR, now that leaves the other 50% out in the cold when this counter programing goes on. Having to pick and choose my MMA to watch would be a terrifying decision because I want to watch all the MMA I can. I understand the logic behind it, but for the millions of people that aren't fortunate enough to have a DVR, it just plain sucks.


3. Early Stoppages- Kampmann vs. Daley and Velasquez vs. Rothwell are just 2 examples of early stoppages. Now whether you think the outcome of either of those 2 fights wouldn't have changed anyways is not the point. These guys put their heart and soul into every single fight and they want to go out on their shield giving everything they have and to have that taken away by the ref has to be heart breaking to say the least. I'm all for fighter safety, but I'm more for letting these guys fight their way through tough positions and not having a bad call ruin their night.


2. 3 Round Main Events- Personally, I'm for every fight being 5 rounds, but that just doesn't seem like it will ever become reality. Let me ask you this if Ortiz vs Griffin or Franklin vs Silva or Sanchez vs Guida were 5 rounders would there be any questions as to who the real winner is? Not that there should be, but let's be honest it's very possible that Griffin, Franklin and Sanchez finish those fights if they were 5 round affairs. At least make main events 5 rounders because it's usually 2 world class athletes going at it and 3 rounds just isn't enough sometimes to determine who the better fighter is.


1. The Ultimate Fighter- I'm sorry, but there comes a time when everything runs its course and that time should be now for this reality show. I've never liked the layout of the show and stopped watching after season 1 and after being forced to watch the absolutely atrocious fights from this last season I don't know. Maybe they need some kind of new format or something, but I think it's time to bury TUF for good.

MMA Still Not Legal in West Virginia Because of Uneducated Chairman

West Virginia has yet to legalize our beloved sport, it also happens to be the state I was born in. Steve Allred is the chairman of the state athletic commission and doesn't consider MMA a sport at all. Below you will find a quote from this politician that is all too familiar to MMA fans.

From Jake Rossen's Sherdog Blog

According to the State Journal, lawmakers could potentially introduce a bill regulating the sport on Jan. 13 -- but it would come over the simpering of athletic commission chairman Steve Allred.

"Cutting off someone's oxygen supply until they pass out...It's no way a sport," he told the paper. “It is assault and battery."

After doing some research on Mr. Allred it is very obvious that he is the typical old "boxing guy". In fact he was a very good amateur boxer, but had a short-lived unsuccessful professional career and was KO'd by Ramzi Hassan in his last bout in June of 1985.

Rossen brings up a good point in that West Virginia allows Toughman which is a dangerous freak show to say the least. To call MMA "assault and battery" is on the Bob Arum level of stupidity about our beloved sport. This guy is one of those politicians and boxing enthusiast who I can almost guarantee has never actually sat down and watched the skill and intricacies of an MMA fight.

It's just another example of someone who is uneducated about mixed martial arts refusing to embrace it because of old boxing ties. Finally Rossen sums it up by pointing out that in Judo you get choked out and oh by the way Judo is in the Olympics.

Do us all a favor Mr. Allred go watch some fights and you'll see amazing things like the bowling ball size heart of Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera, the incredible skill and grace of Anderson Silva, the ridiculous domination that GSP, Fedor and BJ Penn exhibit. After you see some of these things then talk to us about how MMA isn't a sport.

Fabricio Werdum: "I Will Defeat Fedor"

From Bloody Elbow via Tatame

"People say I can’t, but I’m training, I’m dedicated and I will defeat Fedor."

While I think Fabricio Werdum has a very slim chance at defeating Fedor Emelianenko there is an aspect to his game that seems to be overlooked, his defensive guard game. His defense from his back is, in my opinion, the best in the heavyweight division. He made BJJ black belt Gabriel Gonzaga look downright silly from top position in their UFC 80 bout, go back and watch it.

Of course this is all for nothing if he gets blasted on the feet so hard that he will need a nurse that got her RN to BSN online from that overhand right or sniping left hook which is highly likely. I don't think we can completely count Werdum out of this contest, although most already have because of the obvious match-up style that Fedor seems to crush.

Brock Lesnar Could Be Out for All of 2010

From Brock Lesnar's Official Facebook Page

NEW UPDATE!! Brock has had more problems (we can't say what they are) and he could be out all of this year if things don't get better. Brock wants to thank all of his fans for their support and for the nice messages so thanks guys.

Although I'm not exactly a Lesnar fan, its a shame that this guy is sitting around very sick instead of honing his MMA skills. Love him or hate him I still want to see him fight and hope he returns soon.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao Not Happening

From Kevin Iole over at Yahoo Sports

Floyd Mayweather Jr. would not agree to a compromise on his insistence for Olympic-style drug testing and, as a result, the planned March 13 bout with Manny Pacquiao is officially off, promoter Bob Arum told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday.

Mediator Daniel Weinstein, a retired federal judge, was unable to bring the sides to an agreement for the historic bout after two days of negotiations over the drug-testing dispute

“Manny’s reaction is that he’s very disappointed because he wanted to give the fans this fight,” Pacquiao adviser Mike Koncz, his de facto manager, said by telephone from the Philippines, where he is with Pacquiao. “He is upset his reputation has been tarnished and he wants his fans to know that at some point, you have to stand on principle. He’s walking away from $35 million, $40 million, maybe $50 million on principle.”

As an MMA fan you have to snicker a little bit at how boxing could screw up what would potentially be the biggest and richest bout maybe ever. As an all-around combat sports fan I think its a damn shame that we won't be treated to this fight at least not in the foreseeable future.

Dana White and the Zuffa brass will no doubt go off on this as well they should. As our beloved sport continues to grow, boxing fails to deliver yet again.

Dana White in Talks With M-1 Global: "There's a Million Different Ways to Cut Deals"

From Sherdog

Sherdog: You mentioned talking to M-1 recently, more recent than anyone thought. What's going on there?

Dana White - "Listen, I think there's a million different ways to cut deals. Believe me, I want Fedor more than the people that are yapping that they want him in the UFC. And I like Mousasi too. So I would love to have them both in the UFC. And there's a lot of different ways to cut a deal".

... "There's only one way to find out how Fedor would do in the UFC. Get his ass over here and let's get him in there and get him fighting. I could do the same thing with Mousasi. I like Mousasi, I don't know how he'd do over here. There's a lot of really good guys here. It's not like fighting in other promotions. They are not deep enough. There are not enough good fighters over there for them to challenge. There is here, that's what makes it fun and interesting".