Phil Baldacci was all over Tony Boyls on the ground, with a big slam takedown in the first and plenty of ground and pound through all three rounds. Baldacci won the decision, 30-27 on all cards.
More Photos of Phil Baldacci demonstrating his skills!
All of this jibber jabber about ESPN's OTL show breaking down the salaries of UFC fighters and how it compares to the NFL, got me to thinking.
1968 was an important year in NFL history because it was the year the CBA (collective bargaining act) was established, or at least recognized by the NFL. It was the year of the lock out and the year the minimum salary was established for rookies and veterans. The minimum salary was agreed to at $9,000 for rookies and $10,000 for veterans.
Then in 1970 the merger between the AFL and NFL was official. Another lockout and strike later a renegotiation was done and the minimums were increased to $12,500/yr for rookies and $13,000 for veterans. That $12,500 in today's terms is roughly $80,000.00.
In 1968, the NFL saw revenues of $92,000,000. What does that equate to in today's value? $1,470,000,000.00
They were seeing revenues of over $29,000,000 in just tv/radio. Again that $29,000,000 equates to $183,000,000. Never mind tickets and licensing revenue.
But also worth noting, 1968 was something like 48 years after the NFL was established. 48 years for the sport to see growth. Make the necessary investments.
My point. As much as I want to believe MMA is mainstream, it's not. It's on it's way but its not there. Deals like the Fox deal are a HUGE step towards that. But we still need to keep things in perspective. The sport is still being established. There's a huge investment that needs to be made to educate the masses of people that don't fully grasp what the sport is about. While people will argue, I view the sport as a start up at this point. Yes, the UFC has done well and is doing well for themselves but they are still making a major investment in growing the sport. Don't forget UFC 1 was just 18 years ago. You can't only look at total revenue vs salary paid out without also looking at the overall operational/marketing costs associated to that revenue. MMA is still not seeing the same type of licensing or sponsorship revenue as the NFL so how can that be paid out to it's athletes?
Comparing MMA/UFC to NFL in any fashion other than maybe the fan demographic is a bit silly at this point.
Guess who Big Nog picked as the winner for this Saturday's fight between Jake Shields vs Jake Ellenberger?
Who did JDS pick as his predicted winner for the Shields vs Ellenberger fight this Saturday night?
Phil Baldacci was all over Tony Boyls on the ground, with a big slam takedown in the first and plenty of ground and pound through all three rounds. Baldacci won the decision, 30-27 on all cards.
More Photos of Phil Baldacci demonstrating his skills!
During any given week, I have on average 10 people ask me what Phil and I cook while he's training for a fight. He walks around at 163lbs and fights at 145lbs. At this point we're around 4.5 weeks out from fight day! So here are a few recipes we follow during training camp. Neither of us are nutritionists and don't pretend to be. Phil has been wrestling since he was a kid and is in tune with is body. His body and nutritional needs are different than mine or yours. His work out routine is also specific to his personal needs.
It's just easier for us to eat the same thing (when we have time to eat meals together, which is usually just dinner). I find the recipes tasty and fulfilling!
Feel free to ask questions and we're happy to answer them.
I'm NOT a professional cook. I don't care how it looks but rather how it tastes so please don't bug me about my presentation skills.
This is one of our favorites!
Calories: 209 | Makes 4 Servings | Total time: 30 minutes
Preheat: broiler with over rack 4 inches from heating elebment. Place chiles on a baking sheet; broil, turning every few minutes, until skin of chiles is evenly charred. 8-10 minutes total. Place chiles in a bowel, cover tightly with plastic wrap. and let chiles steam about 10 minutes to loosen their skins.
Puree: cottage cheese in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Heat: oil in a nonstick skillet until shimmering' add turkey, cumin, chili poder, salt, & cayenne. Cook until turkey is brownded, then add scallions and jicama, cooking just until softened, 1-2 minutes.
Remove: skillet from heat, stir in pureed cottage cheese, tomato, cucumber & cilantro.
Peel: chiles, cut a slit in one side, and remove seeds, Stuff each chile with 1/2 cup turkey mixture'; sprinkle tops with cheese. Return chiles to baking sheet; broil until cheese melts and browns, 3-4 minutes. Serve with Salsa.
Seen here with a side of black beans, avocado and sautéed peppers.
**Note: This is a pretty extensive meal. Don't plan to come home from the gym and whip this together. It's easier to prepare by cutting/mixing everything prior and cooking later. We usually skip the salsa (there's more than enough food as is) and we leave most of the seeds in the chiles. Adds a bit of a kick. Also, it makes A LOT of food! You'll have extras for left overs.**
Calories: 172 | Makes 4 Servings (1 cup) | Total time: 30 minutes
Calories: 194 | Makes 4 Servings | Total time: 12 minutes
Calories: 193 | Makes 4 Servings / 3 cups | Total time:20 minutes
Ingredients:
FOR THE SALAD-
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE-
Bring: a pot of slated water to a boil for pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta through a sieve and rinse under cool water' transfer (drained) to a bowl.
Toast: almonds in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, about 5 minutes stirring often.
Add: almonds to bowl with pasta. Sit in onion, mint, capers, and orange zest.
Whisk: together orange juice and oil for the vinaigrette in a small bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette over pasta mixter; toss to combine. Season with salt and papper.
Serve: Pasta with fresh orange (or tomato) slices and paprika pork chops.
**Notes: I skip the salt, tastes great without it. Also while making the rest of the meal, put the pasta in the refrigerator to chill.**
Calories: 223 | Makes 4 Servings | Total time:15 minutes
Ingredients:
Combine: paprika, pepper, and salt in small bowl, Sprinkle seasoning over both sides of pork chops.
Heat: oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add chops and sate until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip chops and sate until browned on other side, about 3 more minutes.
Add: wine to skillet; simmer until liquid is almost evaporated. Chops are done when an instat read thermometer inserted registers 145 degrees. Remove from heat. Tent chops with foil and rest for 3 minutes. The sauce reduction from skillet can be used as sauce over chops.
**Notes: I personally prefer to cook without the sherry but rather dry with just the seasoning/rub in a lightly sprayed pan**
Seen here with: Spanish Pasta Salad & Orange Slices