Mixed Martial Arts

Hope was kindled around the MMA community this week when news broke surrounding a potential bout between Josh Koscheck and iconic former champion BJ Penn. According to Koscheck, the UFC offered him a fight with Penn, he’d accepted, and the ball was now in Penn’s court. Unfortunately, it appears Penn is still content with his decision to call it quits at an age many would say was premature. The 33-year old hung his bloodstained gloves up last October after suffering a one-sided decision loss to Nick Diaz, citing an interest in spending time with his family rather than training like a world-class fighter. ...

Ah, 2000 - it was a simpler time where names like Justin Bieber and Jersey Shore meant very little outside of their respective circles. However, the action on the ice was just as evolved as it is more than a decade later as evident in this solid little scrap between the Phoenix Coyotes Landon Wilson and L.A. Kings' Ian LaPerriere! ...

Triple H’s music brrwwaannggged to start the show like so much 2002 and he had many mean things to say about Brock Lesnar including “corn-fed simpleton” and “farthead” and “nerf herder” and other things I am making up because I wasn’t paying that much attention. It wasn’t the worst thing ever, but his promo on Lesnar lacked in historical accuracy and it downplayed Lesnar’s genuinely memorable MMA career which is what usually ends up the problem when Triple H takes it upon himself to speak up in defense of his entire profession. John Cena is good for a gung ho rally-the-troops speech. Hulk Hogan and Sting have been coasting on the same speech for the last decade over in TNA. On the other hand, Triple H, who enjoys doing things like  publicly berating wrestlers he thinks are shrimpy (CM Punk, Edge, Chris Jericho), is a less credible defender of the hard-working boys in the back. But hey, whatever, Paul Heyman got to come out to serve H with a subpoena and say Brrrrrrrock Lesssnarrrr a couple times and get shoved around. For a major executive at a multimillion dollar corporation, I think Triple H does not understand the law that well. ...

As the cage door shuts behind Jessica Aguilar and Megumi Fujii tonight at Bellator 69 it is the culmination of different roads traveled entwining to bring two of the sport's greatest ambassadors together to battle. For Fujii, the chance at retribution inside a Bellator cage.  Fujii's only career loss came at her last Bellator appearance in a split decision to Zoila Gurgel.  Fujii returned to her native Japan, and. after looking unbeatable in three appearances since, returns to the United States to face Aguilar. For Aguilar (or "Jag" as she is known otherwise,) the consensus #2 strawweight fighter in the world, a dream comes true on Friday -  The opportunity to become recognized as the world’s best. ...

With a little more than a week remaining before UFC 146 unfolds from Las Vegas the UFC has been forced to make a last-second change to the show, inserting heavy-handed slugger Lavar Johnson into a recently available spot against Stefan Struve formerly held by fan-favorite Mark Hunt. Though no specifics are available on his condition, Hunt was apparently injured while training for the May 26 match-up and will be out for an undetermined period of time. News of the change was confirmed by the UFC. “Struve is a great fighter,” said Johnson when asked about his recently announced adversary. “He’s a skilled guy with a lot of heart but I am not worried about his size. His reach is 83 inches and mine is 82, and he doesn’t use his height. He always gets the crap beat out of him, he refuses to quit, then his opponent gasses or has to let up and Struve comes back to win. I am a fan of his actually, and I’ve cheered for him because of his heart. The only way to beat him is to put him out cold. That’s what I have to do next week and I will do it.” ...

When former featherweight champion Cristiane Santos makes her way back into the Strikeforce cage it seems she’ll be focused on an eventual face-off with current bantamweight title-holder Ronda Rousey rather than reclaiming the belt she once held at 145 pounds. Santos was stripped of her strap after testing positive for steroid use and is currently serving a suspension until December. However, when her time on the sidelines expires she’ll be ready to go again but at 135 pounds this time around. Santos revealed her intention on Twitter when asked about the slimmed-down physique she exhibited on a few pictures she’d posted. ...

Occasionally a hockey fight will feature more than two players going at it on the ice with certain instances even seeing full squads duking it out. While today's entry may not quite go that far, this 1995 meeting between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils does feature a nice tag-team tussle between Reid Simpson-Darren Langdon and Joey Kocur-Randy McKay. ...

UFC heavyweight Frank Mir has made his gameplan clear when it comes to his crack at divisional champion Junior dos Santos in a little over a week - set up a takedown with some strikes, drag action to the mat, and score a submission win. Interestingly enough, Dos Santos has also decided to remove any shroud of mystery surround his intentions at UFC 146 and they involve separating Mir from consciousness. Dos Santos recently spoke about his May 26 bout with the former title-holder where he explained he’ll be ready for Mir’s ground-game and aiming for the knockout. ...

Strikeforce lightweight Josh Thomson has plenty on his mind already considering his match-up this weekend against divisional champion Gilbert Melendez. However, he recently had to focus his attention on a different challenge after an entirely new set of issues came up thanks to a group of his teammates at American Kickboxing Academy (including Daniel Cormier) who decided to pull a prank by moving his car, then tricking him into believing he’d parked it illegally. “My car’s totally covered,” says a semi-relieved Thomson while on the phone with presumably his insurance company after thinking his truck had been stolen. ...

I don't catch a whole lot of WWE's original YouTube offerings, but come up with video of Kaitlyn playing with her toys (oh come on, heads out of the gutter people) and I am there. This week's episode of Superstar Toyz features the NXT winner showing off a faux unicorn, hamburger earmuffs, a one-eyed orca, and more. ...

Rarely do politics find a home on these pages but in the case of world-famous boxer Manny Pacquiao an exception has to be made. Not only is Pacquiao a member of Congress in his native Philippines, but he’s also addressed a number of matters in American politics over the year and even helped campaign for a Democratic Senator a few years back. This time around Pacquiao has taken aim at United States President Barack Obama in light of the nation’s chief executive coming out to support gay marriage. ...

UFC featherweight Chan Sung Jung impressed all in attendance last night at UFC on Fuel 3, as well as those watching at home, with his relatively one-sided showing against Dustin Poirier. Apparently his effort also caught the attention of a few UFC executives as well. Jung’s D’Arce Choke finish of Poirier was named the show’s Submission of the Night and netted “The Korean Zombie” an extra $40,000 on top of his regular salary. ...

In 2006 a respectable rumble between the Minnesota Wild's Alex Henry and Colorado Avalanche's Bob Boughner unfolded on the ice in a game between the teams. Possibly as entertaining as the series of blows exchanged is Henry's eagerness to keep things going even after each man ends up belly-down. ...

The UFC decided to give fans a mid-week treat to tantalize their MMA-oriented tastebuds before this weekend’s Strikeforce event in the form of UFC on Fuel 3, a show headlined by a clash between featherweight contenders Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung, and delivered a delicious event in the process. "The Korean Zombie" came away with what would many consider an upset win, finishing Poirier in the fourth round to snap a five-fight winning streak. The stoppage was the latest from Jung who racked up bonus-winning finishes in his last two outings. ...

UFC welterweight Nick Diaz is not necessarily the most eloquent individual, often cracking under the pressure of media attention similarly to the way he breaks opponents inside the Octagon. However, coach/mentor Cesar Gracie has no such problem penning a thoughtful statement laced with objectivity, not profanity. Gracie did just that last night regarding Diaz’s decision to no-show a scheduled BJJ superfight with Braulio Estima. And, while the renowned instructor certainly defended Diaz in the public plea, he also made it clear he wasn’t happy with how the 28-year old handled himself either. “Nick is not without fault by any means. His lack of communication with his team and coach was inexcusable. This will be addressed privately,” wrote Gracie after revealing a number of situations behind-the-scenes had lead to Diaz’s behavior. ...

Over the past few months UFC featherweight Ross Pearson has gotten a glimpse at what it takes to be a coach on the Ultimate Fighter as part of Dominick Cruz’s staff on the current season. He also knows what it’s like to be a contestant on the long-running reality series as a former competitor who won his respective go at a TUF title. Now it appears he’s in line to come full circle by serving as a team-head on the show’s upcoming run in Australia. According to a report from British publication The Telegraph, Pearson is being targeted for TUF: Australia vs. UK with fellow former TUFer George Sotiropoulos serving as the other squad’s leader. Auditions for fighters are currently ongoing with lighter weights being targeted for the season (135-170 pounds). It is unknown if the two will fight each other after the show as has been the case on past versions of TUF, though Sotiropoulos is currently a lightweight while Pearson – a former 155er – competes at featherweight. ...

Today's fight might be half as long as those normally found on these pages but rest assured it contains twice the action! Watch as the New Jersey Devils' Ken Daneyko and New York Rangers' Kris King go at it in a game from 1990, reminding all exactly how little these two teams like each other and how long the rivalry has been going on. ...

Featherweight Dustin Poirier will have his hands full tonight when he meets Chan Sung Jung in headlining action at UFC on Fuel 3. However, if he gets by “The Korean Zombie” many feel the 23-year old will solidify a shot at the divisional title. For his own part Poirier has remained noncommittal on his future plans, expressing interest in the belt while also saying he’d like more experience before accepting the challenge of fighting for it. When asked to shine some light on the matter in a recent interview, Poirier seemed to be leaning towards one more match-up after this evening’s affair and then a possible crack at the championship. As far as an opponent, Poirier pointed to Hatsu Hioki who is in a similar position rankings-wise. The Japanese competitor is currently scheduled to take on Ricardo Lamas on June 22 where, like Poirier, he will be looking to firm up a title-shot. ...

One of the most-hyped prospects on the UFC’s roster is undoubtedly Phil Davis, a 9-1 competitor coming off his first career loss after racking up wins inside the Octagon over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Brian Stann, and Alexander Gustafsson. Prior to a decision defeat to Rashad Evans this past January, “Mr. Wonderful” was on the cusp of challenging for the light heavyweight title. Now, in his next fight, Davis will face an opponent simply looking to fit in at 205 pounds. According to the UFC, Davis will face Chad Griggs at UFC on FOX 4. The bout will mark the Griggs’ first in the division after a heavyweight run featuring success against Bobby Lashley and Valentijn Overeem. ...

Welcome to another edition of By the Numbers.  Today, we'll be taking a look at the mid-week UFC event headlined by Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung.  It was no less than 18 months ago Jung was looking like a mid-card fighter following a knockout loss to George Roop and Poirier appeared a stepping stone to prepare Josh Grispi for Jose Aldo.  Today, Aldo still rules the roost at featherweight while Poirier and Jung are right behind him.  This headlining fight will likely determine the next #1 contender, or at worst, put the winner in position to fight for it (depending on what the UFC wishes to do with Hatsu Hioki should he defeat Ricardo Lamas). UFC on Fuel has become an interesting attempt at carrying on the mid-week tradition on a B-Network left behind by WEC events.  With ratings slowly declining for UFC's Fox events, and Fuel TV still unavailable in many markets, however, we'll have to see if this carries on. Until then, here's a look at UFC on Fuel 3 by the numbers. ...

  It’s already been six months since widely-respected light heavyweight Gegard Mousasi last took to the cage. Unfortunately it looks like it may be another six, if not more, before he does so again after tearing his ACL in training. Mousasi joins Georges St-Pierre and Dominick Cruz on the sidelines as notable fighters under the Zuffa umbrella out for extended periods of time due to the same injury. ...

Helmets? We don't need no stinkin helmets! Well, at least the Phoenix Coyotes' Gilbert Brule and Anaheim Ducks' Corey Perry didn't when it comes to this entertaining clash from earlier in the season. ...

Over the past few months it appeared as though the upcoming fight between UFC lightweights Jeremy Stephens and Donald Cerrone was all about business. In general, both men are known more for communicating with their fists inside the cage rather than trash-talk outside of it though neither has ever been afraid to speak his mind either. However, things remained civil during the build to their UFC on Fuel 3 co-headliner, or at least they did until this weekend when Cerrone took aim at Stephens’ skill-level in an interview with UFC cameras. “He’s a pretty good striker…okay wrestler, not very good on the ground…not like he’s well-rounded…he’s well-rounded for sh*tty guys, sure,” said Cerrone of the 20-7 Stephens. “He’s not very good, no.” ...

Few fighters have taken a path comparable to Ultimate Fighter 7 winner Amir Sadollah. The affable welterweight entered the show without an official fight under his belt, coming out with the show’s title and a contract to compete inside the Octagon despite the season’s finale marking his professional debut. While Sadollah has had to learn on the job, racking up a 5-3 record over the past four years, he’s perfectly content with how his career has turned out and is excited about the continued progression he’s seen inside the gym. “I wouldn’t change anything,” said the 31-year old Sadollah in an interview with the UFC’s website. “I’m glad that I got to jump in the big leagues, and I’m proud of all my wins and losses in the UFC. It’s the big stage and you gotta be confident to be there, and I think that was best for me. My personality’s the same way. I want the challenge, and I want the high risk/reward. Of course it’s much harder to fight in the UFC than on the local circuit, but at the same time, if you can do it, you’ve got something to be proud of.” ...

In a move surprising few but disappointing many, UFC welterweight Nick Diaz was a no-show for a BJJ superfight with decorated blackbelt Braulio Estima. The match-up was supposed to take place last night at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo with a portion of his salary going to charity. Diaz did not offer an explanation for his actions though speculation on the matter has pointed to Estima’s failure to make weight on Friday night (though not technically required to do so until Saturday morning). ...

The three main MMA organizations will come together this Sunday night when fighters from Bellator, Strikeforce, and the UFC grace the Rebellion MMA Radio airwaves! Stopping by the show to join hosts Mitch Ciccarelli and Bryan Levick will be UFC welterweight Duane Ludwig, Strikeforce lightweight Isaac Valle-Flagg, and Bellator’s Josh Quayhagen. The trio are all scheduled for fights this month and will no doubt be itching to dish on all of their respective match-ups as well as a number of other topics. ...

There's not a lot of set-up necessary for this clip because, let's face it, the viewer gets thrown into the fire right off the bat! All you need to know is this fight from a game in 1985 between the New York Rangers' Steve Richmond and New Jersey Devils' Kirk Muller shows exactly how fierce the rivalry between the region-sharing teams truly is! ...

The two key players involved in putting together an elite match-up for the UFC bantamweight championship both appear to be on the same page. Now the only remaining part of the equation is allowing the organization’s matchmaking team to hammer out terms. According to Renan Barao, a 28-1 Brazilian who hasn’t lost since his professional debut, he would be honored to fight Urijah Faber at UFC 148 in order to crown an interim title-holder in the wake of Dominick Cruz’s knee injury. ...

The ongoing season of the Ultimate Fighter came one step closer to crowning a winner with a pair of quarterfinal bouts on last night’s episode including one featuring an outstanding effort from Michael Chiesa. Chiesa, whose father passed away shortly after he initially won his way into the house, faced Dominick Cruz’s top pick – Justin Lawrence – and came out on top. In the match-up, Chiesa started out strong with his grappling prowess playing a role but was dropped in the second round with a perfectly placed body shot. Based on how close the first two frames were the judges ruled a third act was necessary. The final sequence of events came when Lawrence scored a takedown but was swept onto his back before being pounded out from mount. ...

With fights dwindling given the decreasing number of games remaining in the season we're going back in time once again to look at a great bout from seasons' past. When it comes to ex-Columbus Blue Jackets' player Jody Shelley, the fact his first/last name have a feminine ring to them may not have anything to do with his toughness, but the tenacity with which he takes out the Minnesota Wild's Jesse Boulerice in this clip seems to lend credit to the message behind the classic Johnny Cash tune Boy Named Sue. ...